Truth, The Armor of God , part 3
We live in what some sociologists call a “post-Christian” era. In part, this means that Christianity is no longer the foundation of the dominate worldview in our culture. Whether this is true of our society or not is up for debate—along with whether or not “truth” is something that exists at all. The many writers whose ancient writings comprise the Bible seem to agree that there is truth that exists above whatever might be agreed upon by a cultural majority. In other words, some things are true even if a majority of people don’t believe those things, don’t want those things, and don’t pay attention to those things.
It’s not hard to see how this applies in our culture. All sorts of lifestyles and habits are accepted—some even celebrated—while they conflict with moral and ethical truths taught by God in his Word. This is clearly seen, for example, in matters of sexuality, in matters of wealth and accumulation, and in the kind of tolerance that masks idolatry.
Truth is fine as long as it doesn’t make us too uncomfortable. When it does push us where we don’t want to go, however, we often begin to look for alternatives and loopholes. And we’re not the first to do that. When Pilate was interrogating Jesus, he asked, “What is truth?” When the Jewish mob was whipped into a frenzy by the leaders who hated Jesus and wanted him executed, they revealed what happens when truth is crushed underfoot. And it’s ugly. It’s repressive. It’s violent. And while it looks and sounds liberating, the abandonment of truth actuality enslaves us to a lie.
We’ll talk more this morning about the significance of God’s truth and how it helps prepare us for battle against the manipulations of the devil.
— Patrick Barber
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