The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth!

I have noticed an increasing practice by Christians of using catchy phrases to try and convey God’s truth. Many have unfortunately become common expressions. Such idioms are derived from Scripture, and while some maintain true Biblical meaning, others do not. As an example, the saying, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” is used out of context so very often it hurts. The Scripture this is derived from reads:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

To put even this Biblical passage in context, we need to look at the surrounding text.  When we do this, it is clear that Paul is warning the church at Corinth to learn from Israel’s past idolatry and the consequences they suffered because of that sin. It is not however, a promise from God that we will only have to endure “just so much” hardship.

Using verses completely out of context is not the only danger we face when we attempt to simplify Biblical text. We as Christians, often “soften” the words of Jesus, as well. In doing so, we diminish the power and importance of God’s word; substituting it with catchy phrases that are often mistaken for Scripture itself, such as, “be in this world, but not of it.”

This statement is true, however it does not give justice to the whole truth Jesus is expressing through His prayer for His disciples (both then and today), where this concept is found. Jesus prayed to the Father:

“During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,” John 17: 12-18, 20 [my emphasis].

As we can see, not only does Jesus not ask for us to be taken out of this world, He purposely sends us into the world. Why? To grow His kingdom. True, we are not to conform to this world, but that is not Jesus’ full thought. While we are here, we have work to do. The most important job is sharing the Gospel. The Bible refers to this as The Great Commission.

"Jesus came to them (His disciples) and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

'Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you'” Matthew 28:18-20a [my note and emphasis].

How can the church teach others to obey Christ’s commands if we ourselves do not know them? Reading God’s word is essential. Reading God’s word with another is how we make disciples. How can the church reach a world that hates us? Paul passed on some important and wise advice regarding this to Timothy (and to us).

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” 2 Timothy 2:1-7 [my emphasis].

It doesn’t end there. Not only are we to share the Gospel, and then disciple those who are willing to listen; we must do so while in combat! This is why Jesus asks God to protect us from the evil one. This is also why we have been given armor to protect ourselves.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness (to preach the Good News of peace with God) [1] that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” Ephesians 6:10-18 [my emphasis].

Notice two things here: Our sword (the word of God) is our only offensive weapon, and prayer is vital to winning our battles! The only way we should ever “offend” others is with the cleansing truth of God’s word found in the Bible. Only by prayer can we be led by the Holy Spirit to speak truth into people’s lives. If offending others is something you fear, I understand. However, God’s truth often offends – just read the Gospel! Being an effective Christian can be difficult. Jesus never said it would be easy, but He did equip us!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 1:3-8 [my emphasis]. 

While at a conference recently, I shared a passage from the Bible, first from the New International Version, then from Eugene Peterson’s, The Message:

The NIV reads:

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” Matthew 10:32-33.

The Message reads:

“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?” Matthew 10:32-33.

Whether or not you agree with Eugene Peterson’s interpretation, you have to admit, it helps us to understand the potency of Jesus’ words! In today’s world, these words grow more and more important with every passing day. The closer to Christ’s return, the harder the enemy fights. He knows his time is short. We, as the Body of Christ, need to realize - when it comes to our work here on earth - so is ours!

The Church has done a great job of convincing us that we can show the love of Christ through our loving actions. This is good, but it is not complete. We can do all the good works we want, but without the Good News of Jesus Christ, our works are only temporary fixes to earthly problems.

Sisters in Christ, join me in reaching others with the Gospel that eternally saves.  The body of Christ cannot continue to hide behind the cross and expect the world to see Jesus. If we do not lead people to the One who was crucified for their sins, they will continue to only see wood.

[1] Some translations include these words.