Straightforward Truth
How do we stay spiritually upright in an increasingly evil world? One of the key things lacking in the world is any knowledge of God’s truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (Romans 1:28). Chaos will always ensue.
On the other hand, the Apostle John wrote, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’” (John 8:31-32). To continue in Christ’s word intimates that we continually unlearn truth according to man. That is a key factor in our lifelong commitment to repentance which will give us spiritual stability.
The danger for any of us is to forget the unlearning we did when we were first called by God. We remember the zeal, borne of humility, that we had to take God’s truth in a straightforward manner early on. That is how it must be throughout life.
It is possible, however, if we stop unlearning, to fall from grace no matter how “good” we look on the surface. When Christ spoke to the church in Ephesus, He spoke at length about their many good qualities: their works, labor, patience and their exposure of false apostles. They looked great on the surface, but Christ got to the bottom line, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:4-5).
Some in Ephesus were no longer being straight forward with the truth. Doing the things that “look right” to others had become their brand – how they wanted to be perceived by others. The truth that had been overlooked is that Christ was their head and that they were to love their brothers and sisters in Christ as themselves.
The bottom line is that unlearning the truth of carnal man and learning God’s truth leads to reconciliation with both God and among ourselves. Love of God and man is what makes all the “right things” truly right.
Marshall Stiver
