Statement six... part 2...

This Statement, as a dear friend pointed out to me yesterday, is viewed as being "politically incorrect," because it is so exclusive in nature.  My first thoughts on this Statement, as you have seen, are also quite "politically incorrect."  And in my response to his sharing of that fact with me yesterday, I told him to wait and see what the next portion brings.  We're going to steer as far away from any "politically correct" thoughts as we possibly can, and stick to EXACTLY what the words of the Word are.

Yeah... I said it.

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

John 14:6, HCSB

We have looked at the truth that He is the way.  Now we must move slightly forward in the same passage to look at the truth that He is the Truth.  I'll put that down again, and then expand upon it for some understanding: Jesus is the Truth.  Can you imagine how powerful that statement is?  Think of all the implications that come from it, and then read it again: Jesus is the Truth.

When asked, most folks would say that they recognize and appreciate the character trait of honesty.  Those same people would then describe themselves as being "pretty honest people."  Do you know who I'm speaking of in your life?  For myself, I'll have to speak of myself, because that makes this all a little more clear for me.  I like to think that I am pretty honest.  However, I know for a fact that I have told a lie before.  To be honest, I've told more than one.  To be really honest, I can't think of a single year in my life when I didn't tell many more than one.  To be totally honest, I'd have to start writing them down for you and own each one (which would take far longer than any human has time for).  To be "the truth," I would have to admit to, own, and constantly be fully cognizant of all of them, regardless of size or subject... and be able to see through them all to the best possible version of the person who is lying.  Can you do that?  I cannot.

A popular evangelist (who happens to be a famous actor) is well-known for walking into the street and asking people if they've ever told a lie.  The response is always that the person has, and that means that they have violated one of the Ten Commandments.  That violation brings about damnation, because any sin separates us from the Father.  Without reconciliation, we cannot come back to the Father.  Further, to reconcile a relationship, the truth must be uncovered.  Therefore, if the Old Testament is what we cling to, then we have no hope at all, because we cannot possibly be or see the truth clearly enough to reconcile with the Father on our own. 

So what is Jesus?  He is the Truth!  He came and brought the reconciliation by showing that He was the only acceptable sacrifice to repay our sins.  He is perfect (please note that I did not say "was," as He is and ever shall be perfect... because He's ALIVE!), and we are as far from perfect as all of us combined could possibly imagine.  As we'll examine later, this distance is only traversed by having Jesus, because He is the Truth that brings us to the Father.  He IS the Truth!

Going back to the previous example of honesty as a trait, there are people who would claim this trait, and I am among them.  However, it would be best if we accepted the fact that we are all liars, and announced ourselves as such, so that we cannot deceive ourselves into thinking we are free from that particular sin, because to deceive ourselves in such a fashion shows that the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8, HCSB).  Let me put it a little more bluntly: if you don't have Christ, you are incapable of being honest.  He is the Truth, and without Him, you have no truth.  You must speak Christ in order to speak truth, because He is the Truth!

Certainly, having Him does not mean that we will always tell the truth, all the time, without fail.  However, it does allow us the chance to do the right thing, as the Truth is in us, and we can share it to the glory of the Father in every situation.  This does speak to witnessing, but it also speaks to the simplest of little white lies that we tell, whether to ourselves for comfort or to others to avoid consequence.  Letting His Truth shine through will honor the Father, no matter what the situation. 

And, to put the finest point on this that I possibly can, the real difference is what happens when I lie.  You see, having the Truth in me doesn't keep me from lying... what it does is bring about deep conviction when I do lie.  Anyone without the Truth in them will not have this same conviction, and therefore the distance between slightly altering the facts and giving perjured testimony is very short.  It is in that way that I say that honesty isn't possible, because that person without the Truth cannot even be honest with him/herself.

Once more, I will state that Jesus Christ IS the truth.  With Him, I can be an honest man.  I can own mistakes when I make them, be accountable to what the Word says (and not just what I like to take from it), and I can teach my children and share with fellow believers in an open and heart-filled manner.  Without Him, I am incapable of being honest at all, because every word and thought are fully engulfed by my sin nature, and even when I answer honestly to a question I am asked, I am still a fallen sinner without redemption or hope.  Without Christ, there is no Truth in me... I'm so thankful that I have Him, and that is the truth.

God bless you all!!!