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The Ephesian Connection
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
With so many political, economic, scientific, religious, and philosophical theories being cast about in our society, it is not always clear what is truth and what is error. Sometimes the issue can be so overwhelming, that like Pontius Pilate, we find ourselves asking: What is truth? (John 18:38).
When he asked this question, Pilate was facing the only man in history who claimed to be truth. Jesus did not say that He had the facts; He said He was the truth. Facts are simply a collection of accurate data. And we can be led astray by them. Scientists can collect a great quantity of data and yet come to a wrong conclusion concerning its significance. For example, while archaeological studies of fossils have not proven the theory of evolution, many conclude that it has. Facts, by themselves, may or may not have moral significance. But truth is the ultimate reality of the person and purpose of God. And it is revealed in the gospel.
Jesus said He was the truth because He presented the reality of who God is to a fallen world in terms anyone could understand. When men came into contact with Christ, they touched someone who was more than all the information they had accumulated about God. This One embodied all of that, and more. Jesus did not memorize all the scriptures concerning God and then try to express what He had read. No. He was the message the Bible was written to reveal, the very Word of God made flesh. But many who studied the Scriptures found that Jesus did not fit their perception of God. They were more comfortable with their interpretations of what God was like, than with His reality in their midst. When they came into contact with God, presented to them in clear unmistakable terms, it turned out they did not love the truth.
We must love the truth. Such love is a gift from God that by grace we must choose to receive. In the last days, there will be those who will not do so. And they will perish. We would be well-advised to continually seek this grace, especially as we see deception abounding.
that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
What is to be our response when God reveals truth to us but it does not line up with our interpretation of the Bible? Do we embrace it or hold on to the tradition with which we have grown comfortable? God is bigger than any collection of biblical information about Him, and surprises await anyone who thinks they have Him figured out. Having a love for the truth (a love for the ultimate reality of God’s person and purpose) is a protection from being deceived in these tumultuous days of spiritual darkness. And since His word is truth (John 17:17), we must seek Him in the Scriptures because they testify of Him (John 5:39).
Many voices are sounding forth in the land and new revelations are being proclaimed, but mixture abounds. If our security is not be found simply in our knowledge of the Bible, where is it to be found? Very simply, in Him. He is our refuge and our stronghold.
Educating our minds with biblical facts cannot be a solution for deception. Deception is primarily a matter of the heart, not of the mind. And the greatest cause of deception is pride. A Christian can have his mind filled with sound theology and yet in his heart, see himself as greater than he really is. If this is the case, he is already deceived (Galatians 6:3).
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Those who think more highly of themselves than they ought, will not have sound judgment in spiritual matters. And because their spiritual perception will be clouded, they can be led astray. But God promises to renew the minds of those who present themselves to Him in true humility.
God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.
Pride is spiritually destructive. It prevents one from receiving grace from God and even brings His opposition. But when we humble ourselves before Him, He lavishes it upon us. Here is how we appropriated grace for initial salvation and it is also how we receive it to grow spiritually. In other words, humility must become a lifestyle because it literally draws increasing grace from Heaven.
When the Lord reveals truth, we must humble ourselves and receive it even when doing so seems painful. Again, truth is more than mere facts; God speaks to make Himself known. As a result, when we hear Him, we will see in ourselves attributes that are simply out of harmony with Him. So yes, this process may seem painful. But He will enable us to receive a love for His discipline. As we humble ourselves before Him and present our need for His grace, He will make known His heart of love for us. Keep in mind that the act of humbling ourselves does not actually make us humble. It simply postures us properly; it puts us in the position to receive from Him the grace we need to embrace His work as He establishes His character in us.
The gospel is the message of truth. It is more than good information and biblical facts. It is God revealed in and through His word. When He empowers us to speak it, it will bring the hearers face to face with God Himself. And our message will be about more than initial salvation; it will bring the whole counsel of God.
Remember the angel’s clear instructions when he released the early apostles from imprisonment.
Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.
The earth needs the whole message of this life. The Church too needs to have the gospel preached to her. We who know God must continue to receive a love for His truth, if we would have sound judgment in the days that lie ahead.
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