Free in Truth

     Winter weather is here as I write today. Living in North Caroline means that it's temperamental, however. What started as a little bit of snow turned into sleet and now there is an ice rink outside my door. In the south, we don't get enough weather like this to spend money on the infrastructure to deal with it and so it's a mess. I wasn't able to make it to work on Monday and going today was a bit nerve wracking. I'm glad to be home again, to have my tea, and to be sitting here with my words and my music. 

    I've seen this in a couple sermons recently and touched on it briefly last week and though it's being said a lot, I'd like to write my own piece on it. The phrase "My Truth" has gained popularity over the last couple of years and I think it's ridiculous. I know the world is not entirely black and white but I think that truth is something that is. Either something is true or it isn't; no amount of belief or experience can change that. It can't be personalized to fit an opinion or agenda, nor is it dependent on our feelings, but "your truth" is so pervasive in our culture today. It's all over social media and iterated by celebrities and people we admire. And on the surface, it doesn't sound all bad. We all share a difference of opinion and the "my truth movement" has created a bit more patience and tolerance. We're given more space to be what we want to be and do what we want to do. "Truth" isn't force fed to us as much as it used to be on certain issues. This sounds great, to an extent. Most of us want peace among people, respect for what we believe. But what happens when someone's truth hurts you and what you believe. If Hitler's truth was that Aryans were a superior race and the Jews did in fact deserve to die, by today's definition, he should've been able to live that truth out. That's an extreme example, I know, but I hope you see how ridiculous and illogical it is to call an opinion, feeling, or belief true. Your emotions cannot change reality. Experience doesn't make anything absolute. 

    As a Christian, this is a really dangerous system. I don't want to be unkind and there are right and wrong ways to go about explaining and condemning sin but I think the church has become too passive and accepting on certain things. No, things have never been perfect and God's name has been taken in vain countless times to suit an agenda but if you care to look, you can see the decline of society as the church has lost it's influence. Values have been forsaken. Marriage is no longer sacred, neither is our morality. We can do whatever with whomever with no consequences. Divorce is commonplace. Abortion is a human right. Families are broken and I think the church taking a backseat plays a large part in this. Tolerance is so dangerous and we've lost so much because of it. If my sin is accepted, then there's no need for me to deal with. Change and growth are unnecessary and unrequired. That's not at all what Christianity is about! It takes away from the necessity of Jesus' death and the reality of our condemnation. Sin feels really good until the wages are paid. By saying it's all okay, we disregard a need for repentance and change. Jesus is just a person in an old book. We call it a truth because we offend fewer people this way and the church looks better because they aren't spewing hellfire. Now, I will never agree with Bible-bashing and hurting people that need the good news of the gospel but we're not helping them if we believe that hiding the reality of sin is protecting them. We've all sinned, no one is better than anyone else. We all need Jesus and it's time we stopped being passive about it.

    We have to relearn truth. We are not the creators of it, we cannot change it. Holding onto the things that sound good, habits that feel great but that we know can't be good for us, doesn't make things better. Holding onto lies costs more in the end. Telling the truth is a kindness, it shows love if you do it right. God is true and so His word. Yes, it does promise death and hell and that's a scary thing but it also promises salvation, true love, freedom. God has more to offer and better things than the world does. 

    "If you have heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him, then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust— to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit. Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy." -Ephesians 4:20-24. To live in truth means we have to change and that it's for the best. It isn't an excuse to old onto lifestyles or beliefs. It isn't a reason to live by our emotions. Truth is supposed to set us free, not keep us where we are. Earlier in Ephesians 20, Paul says that by the truth spoken in love, we are to grow in every way into Him. Jesus is the truth, He isn't separate from it. He's the only one who can set us free, the only one who is true. This is what I talked about last week. God is holy. He's transcendent. He's morally pure. If there's anyone or anything worth trusting, it's Him. To lie is a sin and because He cannot sin, He cannot lie. God is truth and He's real. He's the only thing worth holding onto. It requires change and sacrifice. It's scary sometimes. It's hard too but finding who we are in Him is better than any settling for any box the world has to offer. His truth for us isn't based on our accomplishments, the things we've done or haven't done. We're called because He chose us, not because we have the right degree or enough money. We're loved because we're His, not for any other reason. Nothing can change the fact that we were made in His image or that He knew us before the foundations of the earth were laid. That is far more liberating than any truth we could discover or decide for ourselves. 

Yours Truly,

Rey