Speak the Truth?
Ephesians 4:20-29
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
In this passage, Paul continues to encourage people to live a life that is worthy of their calling (Ephesians 4:1). He teaches them to: be honest, not be angry (selfishly), not to steal, to work hard, to resist the devil and to be gracious to each other.
Speak the Truth.
We live in an age of disinformation. It is really difficult to know what information we can trust. The ten commandments include the law to not lie (Exodus 20:16). But we struggle to know what is truth. Pontius Pilot asked Jesus “what is truth?” (John 18:38) while questioning Jesus prior to committing Him to be crucified. Jesus did not give an answer because He is the Truth. He did not need to justify Himself. Jesus knew exactly what was happening and He gave up His life freely to endure His death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2), putting His trust in God the Father that He would be resurrected. If there is one thing we can trust in this universe it is God. His word and His promises are faithful and true (Revelation 22:6).
However, we do not know what is happening most of the time! We have no idea how our actions and words will affect other people. So it is important that we learn self-control. We are highly influenced by the world around us and by our own selfish desires. There are also negative spiritual influences all around us (Ephesians 6:12). There are temptations to justify ourselves, let rip at someone who offends us, “give them what they deserve”, but it is not up to us to judge someone else (Luke 6:37). We are not to seek revenge, that is the Lord’s prerogative (Romans 12:19). The Lord alone fully understands the hearts of people (Proverbs 21:2).
These are the biggest lies of them all “God is not good” and “Trust in yourself”.
Jesus said :
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)
If the devil is the father of lies then if we lie we are submitting to his headship. Satan lied from the beginning trying to influence Eve into mistrusting God. Satan questioned the goodness of God. He wanted Eve to move away from trusting God and to trust in herself. These are the biggest lies of them all “God is not good” and “Trust in yourself”. If you do not think that God is good then why should you trust Him? If you think He is a capricious angry vengeful God you don’t want to praise Him but appease Him. Your relationship (if you can call it that) becomes transactional, if I please God He will do something beneficial for me, if I displease Him I will incur His wrath. Most people have this as their model of God because that is what Satan wants, for us to want to believe we have to earn God’s favour. If I am good enough I will go to heaven, how many people in so many religions and philosophies believe that? Good behaviour results in eternal reward. But that is not the Gospel as presented in the Bible.
God has shown us His love by giving us His only Son, the Messiah Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him, puts their trust in Jesus, will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). The goodness of God was shown to the world through the Lord Jesus Christ, who truly showed us the steadfast love, faithfulness and goodness of God the Father towards the world and all within it. God in Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32).
We cannot trust in ourselves to earn eternal life, our destination is the grave, we are certain to die but we can trust God who raises from the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9). Our eternal destination is not dependant on our abilities but on the goodness and faithfulness of God who will fulfill His promises to us as declared through the Bible and in the life and teaching of the Messiah Jesus our Lord.
So what is Truth? Is truth personal? Can we all believe different things are true? For there to be cohesion in society, the ability to trust each other and have a common knowledge to operate within cultural truth has to be agreed. All buildings need a firm foundation and pillars a society is founded on will ultimately determine if it stands or falls, survives or collapses. Can truth be determined by a country making laws or are there fundamental laws that apply to humanity in order for society to exist and thrive? Can humans who have no power to maintain their life but ultimately die be trusted to define truth?
In Proverbs it states the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Truth and wisdom are issues of the heart (Psalm 51:6) not the head. Truth is expressed through wisdom, the application of knowledge and experience. Truth can be best seen in the actions of a person rather than in a philosophical debate. That is why when Jesus said ” I am the truth” (John 14:6) He revealed the perfect expression of truth, a reflection of the justice and mercy of God the Father, grace and truth displayed to the world (John 1:14) that is crying out for justice and peace.