Get Rid Of Lies...Speak The Truth

 “So then, get rid of lies. Speak the truth to each other, because we are all members of the same body.” Ephesians 4:25 GWT

Getting rid of lies involves more than just telling people what they want to hear. For example, how often do we hide the truth about ourselves when speaking to others? Do we have deep-seated hurts that have shaped or formed us? Sometimes, lies are simply omissions of the painful truths about the damage that lies within us. If we find the courage to allow Christ's love to embrace us, then it becomes self-evident that the damage to our inner selves also needs to be embraced by Christ.

Lies are in themselves a barrier of protection that insulates someone from being fully known. To be fully known is to be vulnerable and susceptible to being emotionally hurt or damaged by another person. Jesus died to strip away the lie, which was reinforced by the law, that we were not valued in God’s economy. The truth that He spoke was that we are valuable; valuable enough to die for and be redeemed as God’s own dear children.

One false belief that is particularly striking is the lie that we have complete control over our own destinies and the power to make choices between good and evil. This places an overwhelming burden on us that we were never meant to carry. Despite our freedom to make choices, God always intended for us to be His children. However, we were exposed to so much evil by Satan, who sought our downfall from the very beginning. Yet, God made a way for us to return to a life of innocence through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He paid the price for our rebellion and endured a horrific death on a Roman cross for the redemption of the world.

When Jesus was being accused and tortured by the Romans and the Jews in Jerusalem, Pilate asked Jesus a simple question, “What is truth?” It is a question that resounds even today. Earlier before His trial, Jesus answered Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 GWT) Jesus is declaring He is the truth and the life; in other words, Jesus is declaring Himself to be a divine being embodied in human flesh to be the truth of God to all humanity. The truth is God Himself in human form. When Paul describes the armor of God, he mentions the belt of truth; the belt holds all of the armor tightly to the body, much like Christ becomes our defense when His truth penetrates our minds. Jesus becomes our defensible shield against the slings and arrows of the enemy; He becomes our defense; the battle always belongs to the Lord.

Jesus, in His profound statement, declares Himself to be “the life.” This declaration, a testament to His divinity, Takes us back to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life motif. The life that God, our Father, intended for His children was always where He resided, be it a mountain or a garden. His desire was to dwell with His human imagers.  With the transformative event of Jesus' death and resurrection, the new heaven now resides within humanity, offering eternal life through Christ Jesus. It is a beacon of hope to realize that this was God's intention even before the creation of the world.

The importance of eliminating lies is not only for our own freedom, but also for the freedom of others. We are all connected as members of the same body, and this connects to the understanding that "we are one in Christ." When we interact with other believers, we should aim to connect with our Christian family on a deep and personal level, reflecting the mercy and heart of Jesus through our actions and embodying the transparency of Christ. As trust develops, others should also be able to share with us similarly on a deeply personal level. This is how we are all one in Christ - by sharing the portion of Christ Jesus that resides within us with others, and by receiving the portion of Christ Jesus from others. Jesus said, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them in their midst." - Matthew 18:20

Paul desired to impart some spiritual blessing to the Church in Rome, but his desire was to give and receive a blessing and encouragement so God could bless them both. "I long to see you and share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened. What I mean is that we may be encouraged by each other's faith." Romans 1:11-12 GWT

Paul further defines this spiritual blessing as "…Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27. When we share what Christ has done in our lives, we reveal a power greater than life itself. We reveal to others the resurrection power of Jesus to change and form a life into what God has always intended for His children, which is for God to demonstrate His love to others through us.

Stephen Barnett