January 6: What is Truth?

Matthew 5:27-48

Amplified Bible (AMP)

27 You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.

28 But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna).

30 And if your right hand serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your entire body should be cast into hell.

31 It has also been said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.

32 But I tell you, Whoever dismisses and repudiates and divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.

33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord [as a religious duty].

34 But I tell you, Do not bind yourselves by an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35 Or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

36 And do not swear by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black.

37 Let your Yes be simply Yes, and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one.

38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

39 But I say to you, Do not resist the evil man [who injures you]; but if anyone strikes you on the right jaw or cheek, turn to him the other one too.

40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your undershirt (tunic), let him have your coat also.

41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two [miles].

42 Give to him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would borrow [at interest] from you.

43 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy;

44 But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?

47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?

48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The following was written by Tom Wright. 

We live in a culture in which the truth is often the first casualty of interactions between men. We have an incredibly elaborate system of lawyers and contracts and notaries and binding signatures to ensure that we do what we say we will do, at least when it’s perceived to be important enough. And none of it makes people any more truthful. In fact, most people don’t even believe truth is an objective reality!

A recent study by Barna Research found that only 22% of adults in America believe there is even such a thing as absolute moral truth. But the real kicker was what the study found related to those who profess to be “born again” Christians. They defined “born again” Christians as “people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus as their savior.” Among that specific group, only 32% of adults and only 9% of teenagers said they believe moral truth is unchanging or absolute.

We wonder why people have such a hard time telling the truth to each other. Well, apparently, the majority of them can’t even identify what the truth is in the first place!

The words we are considering were spoken by the One who declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) – The One whose Word IS TRUTH (Psalm 119:160). And He presents us with a standard of truthfulness that is infinitely higher than the standards of men.

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).

James seems to echo the words of our Lord in his epistle, and he puts special emphasis on this command, introducing it with the words, “above all.”

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment (James 5:12).

I once struggled with simply telling the truth.

I figured whatever I could get away with saying in order to have things my way was okay.

The Bible speaks of this worlds wisdom.

1 Corinthians 3:19

Amplified Bible (AMP)

19 For this world’s wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness;

I would tell one friend one thing and tell another friend another thing and it got me into a lot of trouble. I thought I was really wise. Hahaha. I was only fooling myself.

After losing friends I started seeking God's wisdom. And hey, I'll admit that lying is instantly gratifying sometimes! It's a temporary relief. But the lies start piling up. And just because no one says anything doesn't mean everyone believes the lies. Friends simply get tired of hearing the explanations. So they just smile politely and say, "Oh, I see."

(If you want to read more about this subject, refer back to the January 7, 2013 blog.)

"God, many years ago You showed me clearly that I had been seeking the world's wisdom regarding lying. Thank You that You changed me. Even now, I am tempted to lie sometimes. Why? Because I am human. I am still on earth, where the evil spirit of lying is at work constantly. But I am victorious over lying through the Holy Spirit that lives within me. Someone reading this may be struggling with the evil spirit of lying in their life. Please help her to understand that she must be full to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. And the truth found in Your word. Pretty soon the Truth (You) will overpower the lies and she will be totally free. Forever. Full restoration. And as she strives to live out chapter 5, verse 48, "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.", she will find complete freedom from the lying!!! She will have the power within her to take charge of what comes out of her mouth! You are worthy, O God. You make all things new! No one is to far gone for You! No one is a lost cause in Your eyes! How I love You! You, Jesus, will be praised and adored forever and ever! AMEN."