Truth Shall Make You Free
Introduction. Given a clear choice between believing a lie or holding fast to the truth, everyone would choose truth. Truth leads to success, to being right and to a life with no regrets. Deception leads to being cheated, being wrong and having great regret. Thus as we face complex choices, wisdom demands we seek for what is true and factual in order to have a good outcome. When making a large purchase like a car, a home, or investments for retirement we research to be certain it is not “too good to be true”. It is heart breaking to hear of people who were cheated out of their life savings because of deception and lies.
Jesus strongly warned against deception. Spiritual cons and scams will cheat many out of their eternal life: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,” and “in their greed will exploit you with deceptive words.” Paul warned “let no one cheat you of your reward” and “beware lest anyone cheat you.” (2Pet. 2:1-3; Col. 2:8, 18). Jesus revealed that those who make excuses for these things will fail to change the outcome: “I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt. 7:21-23).
Think of it! Multitudes who expect to receive eternal life will instead find only rejection. Thinking they are serving Jesus their entire lives, they have been exploited in greed and cheated out of their reward. Imagine the wailing and anguish that will be heard. If we don’t want to be among them, we must heed Jesus’ warning. Only the narrow gate and the few who enter it will navigate the difficult way to eternal life. (Mt. 7:13-14). It is also sad to watch those who expend great effort watching over their retirement savings in tumultuous times, giving little to no thought about Jesus’ warnings (Mt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21).
Loving the truth is our only way to escape deception. Spiritual truths are far more important than financial ones. Jesus said that only when we are certain everything comes only from His word, “we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.” (Jn. 8:32). Those who refuse to carefully research Scripture do not love the truth. Those who have no love for truth will perish: “with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2Th. 2:10)
In spite of these warnings, many have refused to believe THEY are in error! Cain argued with God Himself, and left angry that God wouldn’t yield. (Gen. 4:3-8). King Saul refused to accept guilt, arguing he was right. (1Sam. 15:10-23). Even after God opened the ground to punish Korah and his followers for rebellion, Israel still charged God, saying, it was “the people of God” who had been killed. (Num. 16:25-34; 41). Israel rejected Jesus, convinced to the very end they were right. Saul of Tarsus thought he “must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Acts 26:9).
What if I am like them? What if I am one of the deceived? What if I have found my way into a labyrinth of error and deception? How can I find my way out again? If we have never asked such questions, we are acting foolishly. Confidence can be our undoing: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (Pr. 14:12) We read about such things every year. Someone enters the freeway, not seeing the WRONG WAY sign. It seemed right, until an oncoming car hit them. When Nebuchadnezzar came upon Jerusalem and destroyed the city, they too were deceived, going the wrong way, but thinking it was right. Years before their destruction, God sought to help them see their deception. Jeremiah was told if he could find anyone in Jerusalem “who seeks truth,” “I will pardon her.” Yet In spite of all his efforts, he could not find even one. He later lamented “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 5:1; 10:23).
While Jesus promised: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me,” He also warned there would be blind guides leading blind followers into a ditch. (Jn. 14:3; Mt. 15:1-13). Jesus compared our view of confidence that we are on the right path to “the lamp of the body.” First, speaking to those whose “eye is good,” seeking the truth and walking the difficult path to life, “our whole body will be full of light.” But if our “eye is bad” because we are deceived, walking in the way that seems right but only ends in death, then “our whole body will be full of darkness.” We don’t know it. We can’t see it. But what we think is light is only darkness: “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” His solution, “take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” (Mt. 6:22-23; Lk. 11:34-36).
There is only one way to avoid the fate of walking in darkness but thinking it is light. Jesus is “the way the truth and the life.” He gave us the means to uncover all darkness in our life. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Simple, direct, yet for the most part ignored. What about me? Am I doing this? How much time do I spend looking at His words to be certain I am within them. This is what made the Bereans “noble minded” and will also protect us from the deception that can cost us our eternal soul. They “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Jn. 8:31-32 Acts 17:11). Do we?
Talking to His apostles, Jesus promised: “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you,” “He will guide you into all truth,” and “He will be with you forever.” (Jn. 14:16, 26-27; 16:13) Those in the darkness today have rejected this. Anything one of the writers of the NT wrote that they do not agree with or do not accept they reject as a lie. What they do not realize is that it is actually the Holy Spirit who inspired the writers along with Jesus and God that they are actually rejecting. In so doing they forever leave the light to walk in darkness. “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Lk. 10:16).
Conclusion: The NT Scriptures reveal the narrow gate and the difficult path leading to life. They are the words of Jesus, and the “all truth” revealed by the Holy Spirit. If we are not doing them, we have no foundation and when Jesus returns all that we have built will be swept away.
Jesus strongly warned against deception. Spiritual cons and scams will cheat many out of their eternal life: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,” and “in their greed will exploit you with deceptive words.” Paul warned “let no one cheat you of your reward” and “beware lest anyone cheat you.” (2Pet. 2:1-3; Col. 2:8, 18). Jesus revealed that those who make excuses for these things will fail to change the outcome: “I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt. 7:21-23).
Think of it! Multitudes who expect to receive eternal life will instead find only rejection. Thinking they are serving Jesus their entire lives, they have been exploited in greed and cheated out of their reward. Imagine the wailing and anguish that will be heard. If we don’t want to be among them, we must heed Jesus’ warning. Only the narrow gate and the few who enter it will navigate the difficult way to eternal life. (Mt. 7:13-14). It is also sad to watch those who expend great effort watching over their retirement savings in tumultuous times, giving little to no thought about Jesus’ warnings (Mt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21).
Loving the truth is our only way to escape deception. Spiritual truths are far more important than financial ones. Jesus said that only when we are certain everything comes only from His word, “we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.” (Jn. 8:32). Those who refuse to carefully research Scripture do not love the truth. Those who have no love for truth will perish: “with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2Th. 2:10)
In spite of these warnings, many have refused to believe THEY are in error! Cain argued with God Himself, and left angry that God wouldn’t yield. (Gen. 4:3-8). King Saul refused to accept guilt, arguing he was right. (1Sam. 15:10-23). Even after God opened the ground to punish Korah and his followers for rebellion, Israel still charged God, saying, it was “the people of God” who had been killed. (Num. 16:25-34; 41). Israel rejected Jesus, convinced to the very end they were right. Saul of Tarsus thought he “must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Acts 26:9).
What if I am like them? What if I am one of the deceived? What if I have found my way into a labyrinth of error and deception? How can I find my way out again? If we have never asked such questions, we are acting foolishly. Confidence can be our undoing: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (Pr. 14:12) We read about such things every year. Someone enters the freeway, not seeing the WRONG WAY sign. It seemed right, until an oncoming car hit them. When Nebuchadnezzar came upon Jerusalem and destroyed the city, they too were deceived, going the wrong way, but thinking it was right. Years before their destruction, God sought to help them see their deception. Jeremiah was told if he could find anyone in Jerusalem “who seeks truth,” “I will pardon her.” Yet In spite of all his efforts, he could not find even one. He later lamented “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 5:1; 10:23).
While Jesus promised: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me,” He also warned there would be blind guides leading blind followers into a ditch. (Jn. 14:3; Mt. 15:1-13). Jesus compared our view of confidence that we are on the right path to “the lamp of the body.” First, speaking to those whose “eye is good,” seeking the truth and walking the difficult path to life, “our whole body will be full of light.” But if our “eye is bad” because we are deceived, walking in the way that seems right but only ends in death, then “our whole body will be full of darkness.” We don’t know it. We can’t see it. But what we think is light is only darkness: “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” His solution, “take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” (Mt. 6:22-23; Lk. 11:34-36).
There is only one way to avoid the fate of walking in darkness but thinking it is light. Jesus is “the way the truth and the life.” He gave us the means to uncover all darkness in our life. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Simple, direct, yet for the most part ignored. What about me? Am I doing this? How much time do I spend looking at His words to be certain I am within them. This is what made the Bereans “noble minded” and will also protect us from the deception that can cost us our eternal soul. They “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Jn. 8:31-32 Acts 17:11). Do we?
Talking to His apostles, Jesus promised: “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you,” “He will guide you into all truth,” and “He will be with you forever.” (Jn. 14:16, 26-27; 16:13) Those in the darkness today have rejected this. Anything one of the writers of the NT wrote that they do not agree with or do not accept they reject as a lie. What they do not realize is that it is actually the Holy Spirit who inspired the writers along with Jesus and God that they are actually rejecting. In so doing they forever leave the light to walk in darkness. “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Lk. 10:16).
Conclusion: The NT Scriptures reveal the narrow gate and the difficult path leading to life. They are the words of Jesus, and the “all truth” revealed by the Holy Spirit. If we are not doing them, we have no foundation and when Jesus returns all that we have built will be swept away.
- “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (Mt. 7:24-27)
- Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, (2Jn. 9-10)
- But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ... 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Tim. 3:13-17)