And That's the Truth!

The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:160 -- The sum of Your word is truth. Jesus said in John 17:17 that the Word is truth. He said that He is the Truth. He also is the Word incarnate -- the Word who came in the flesh (John 1). To know Jesus is to know Truth. Absolute Truth. How important is it to know the truth? It is life or death to every human being. It's the difference between spending eternity in heaven or hell.

Yesterday, somebody on Facebook had the following conversation (it literally took my breath away):

Person 1 became a fan of "I may be going to hell but at least all my friends will be there."

Comment of first friend: See you there!

Comment of second friend: We'll burn together!

Comment of Person 1: I don't think I have one single friend who won't be meeting me there!

Comment of third friend: Wear your ***** (something but not sure what it is, so I won't post) LOL!

Joking about hell. Obviously they have a wrong view of hell. Nobody who understands hell as plainly described for us in the Bible (mostly by Jesus) would make a joke about going there where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, where the worm dies not. It's described as the Lake of Fire (the only thing they did get right). One thing people don't realize is that just as Christians will have a glorified body fit for heaven, those who go to hell will also be resurrected from the dead and given bodies fit for hell -- they will burn forever without burning up. There is eternal darkness where you will never SEE any "friends" but only hear their screams and wailing forever and ever and ever. Forever is a long time! As much as I, as a Christian, look forward to eternity in heaven is how much someone should fear eternity in hell. Neither can be fathomed fully. The Bible says that I can't even imagine what God has prepared for me -- it couldn't even be described because I would never have anything that good to compare it with on earth. The opposite will be experienced in hell. Hell was prepared for Satan and his demons. And tragically, it will be filled with "good people" according to the world's philosophy of what is good. But only God gets to determine what is good and what is evil. And He says that everything that is not according to truth is evil. Hell is full of evil because hell was made for evil.

The person in the above dialogue is, in fact, heading for hell and blindly relishing every minute of it. She clearly does not know the truth. And one must ask, 'Why were they even talking about it?' They obvioulsy don't believe the Bible. Where else would they get the concept of hell?

While there are many sitting in churches all over the world who may not be so bold as to say what this woman has said, they are heading to the same place for the same reason: they have rejected God's Son. They have refused to believe the truth as it is found in His Word. They would rather trust man and man-made tradition than the Bible, and it is tragic because they have been taught this way from birth and most of them have a religion that is from cradle to grave and will never listen to the truth because of pride or because it's easier to do what they know. "Besides", they reason, "If what I have believed is not the truth and will send me to hell, what about poor Aunt Eula or Uncle Henry or mom and dad who have already died?" I have had some say to me, "I was born a Catholic and I will die a Catholic." So, they push it aside and refuse to think that what they have always believed in just might not be the truth and just might have devastating consequences. I assure them it does. And those reading this who find themselves getting angry will have these words echoing in their mind in hell and all the others words used in an attempt to save them from the fiery flames. They will know that God was so patient with them never wanting them to perish but to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We must come to see who God is. We must get a higher view of this holy God and a lower view of ourselves. He is God, and He is to be worshipped as God. By telling Him what we will believe and how we will worship Him is to make ourselves gods. To worship God the way He has prescribed is to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Ask yourself whether you worship God according to the truth found in Scripture which tells us who He is or according to a set of man-made guidelines in traditions that you have been taught since birth? Is your worship true or false?

Jesus also said in John 8:31-32 -- "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Yet every day we hear people say, "Yes, I'm a Christian, (a follower or disciple of Christ) but I believe that there are many ways to heaven or eternal life or the Father. Which way is it? We must ask them where they got their information because the only source of absolute truth would refute their "beliefs".

Inevitably, someone who wants to find a way around the truth will ask, "Well, what about the person in the little remote tribe on the other side of the earth who has never heard the gospel?" They want to portray God as a God who is not fair. Listen, first of all, it's His world and His creation, and He gets to make the rules. To reject His Son is to reject the truth. To reject the truth is to be condemned to eternity in hell. That's the simple truth! Eternal life is a personal thing -- why are you worrying about the person on the other side of the world when God's Spirit is clearly talking to you who are asking this question? When you stand before Him on judgment day, you won't be caring about that person on the other side of the world. You will be concerned about you! But it will be too late!

Second of all, Romans 1 tells us that God has made Himself known to His creation through what is seen and unseen. Every man can look outside at creation and know that there is a Creator. Doesn't every building have a builder? Because of God's revelation of Himself to man, every man is without excuse. What about that person in that far away tribe who hasn't heard the gospel? The Bible says they are without excuse just like everyone else. They have been given enough general revelation in order to find out who this Creator is. Verse 21 says that "even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks." What they did, Paul says, is that they started worshipping the created instead of the Creator. Verse 25 -- "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." God has revealed Himself to each of us through His creation and through our consciences that naturally know right from wrong. Again, that's a whole other subject for another time.

Why would people talk about or joke about a place they really don't believe exists? Romans 1:28-32 tells us this, "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; AND ALTHOUGH THEY KNOW THE ORDINANCE OF GOD, THAT THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS ARE WORTHY OF DEATH, THEY NOT ONLY DO THE SAME, BUT ALSO GIVE HEARTY APPROVAL TO THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM." In other words, if I'm going to hell, I want to be sure that there are others who are going with me.

Our friends aren't in heaven partying and having a good time carousing and doing what is characteristic of things people do in the dark -- they are worshipping God or they aren't there! And, if they didn't want to spend their lives worshipping Him here, they won't want to worship Him for all eternity, either! There is so much confusion in the world because people who don't see fit to acknowledge God are given over to a depraved mind so that they no longer have a right sense of what is right and wrong. God just walks away from them and gives them over to Satan to control. They are simply not able to understand the truth.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4-- Paul said, "Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14 -- But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

We are called to know the truth; to have discernment. Ephesians 4 tells us that we are to know the truth and, as a result, we will no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but we are to speak the truth in love and grow up into Him who is our head. Paul also told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we are to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as workers who do not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

That's enough for today; tomorrow I want to talk about false teachers and how to discern the truth. If after reading this, the Spirit of God has quickened His truth in your heart, don't hesitate to turn to Him and plead with Him to have mercy on your soul and ask Him to save you. He is faithful and true, and He will not cast out anyone who turns to Him. And that's the truth!