I was visiting with a friend when she accidentally said  “when the truth lies.” She corrected herself but we both knew the Lord had just spoken. As I began to ponder this and pray I was reminded of the times in the Word where it seems “the truth lies.” Let me say this. The Word of God does not lie….but men continue to misunderstand God’s heart in the scripture, look through a dim view, and are influenced by denominational and often historical viewpoints.  After all… We can take a good look at Christ in the days of the wilderness tempting and see Satan use the truth …yet it was a lie.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[c]”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]”

The passage of scripture Satan quoted to tempt Jesus was a portion of Psalm 91. We can also go to Peter as he attempted to defend Christ…an admirable moment we would probably think…and cut the ear off of a soldier..yet Christ scolded him a bit. For this was not the way and heart of Christ.

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. 11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” John 18:10-11

We could take a journey before Saul becomes Paul and see from the depths of his heart he was doing what he felt was right in upholding his theology and fighting for his faith. Yet this “truth” and zealousness for it led to the murder of many Christians. He knew the text..yes…but he missed Christ’s heart entirely. Yet until Christ, Himself, caused an encounter…he was completely blind to it. Haven’t we all been here? As we grow in the Lord we realize many times we have also walked in error. Yet, we did have to make a decision to consider we might be in error…to see if in fact we are. In some ways, I am certain we all could have been called false teachers at some point in our walk with Christ. Surely, we do not believe we reach a place of perfection in translations, interpretations, etc ? We can all make mistakes and many times our understandings are based on our “raisin.” That which you grow up to believe is often what you choose to believe. However, it doesn’t always mean it is the truth. Much caution is needed here…lest we find before God we are as Paul was.

We could also ponder the exchange between two friends who loved each other so..

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:22-23

That’s a “uh oh” moment.  Yikes! Or maybe even glance inside the moment where Mary of Bethany worshipped Christ in spirit and truth by pouring her expensive oil on him…it wasn’t the world who rebuked her…it was his disciples. What they said was truth…it could have fed many poor. But in that moment she chose the better thing. For this she was mocked by men…yet honored by Christ.

Lastly, let’s remember Pontius Pilate.

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”

It is interesting to me that he found no guilt in himself at all? ..for it seems he washed his hands of the issue…as if that would be sufficient. However, as he stands before Christ in the end… I am not certain he will be deemed innocent. He could have intervened…it was in  his power to intervene…he could have gone against the majority…he could have set the captive free himself…released him from slavery…yet he chose not to….washing his hands my friends did not mean his hands were clean….nor shall ours be if we are unwilling to intervene when truth is lying….

We see Matthew 7 declaring “many on that day will say Lord, Lord….yet later it tells us “He will say I never knew you.” The truth of this passage is that some are convinced they are Christians today yet have no relationship with Christ. A religion…maybe…a relationship?..maybe not. Some even believe in God…yet deny Christ as the sacrifice that paid our sin debt. Listen…a relationship with someone is a vibrant and fluid thing! There is no relationship with only 1 person involved. A relationship always takes 2. There is love, communication, communion, fellowship,obedience for love sake, etc. If Christ is only a name to us…then we may have a religion yet no relationship.  There is a change that occurs as the Holy Spirit moves into our bodies to dwell and enlists us as the feet and hands of Christ Himself. We soon feel things like conviction of sin…..immorality…attitudes…lack of love for others. We begin to say NO to many things…and YES to other things! Our vision changes and we are ever changing into His likeness…making up our minds to lay aside every weight! Things begin to bother us when they bother Christ. We begin to see others first! We are pulled to help others…to grab hands in despair! We are moved to make the most of each day to honor His Name…We are willing to let it all go for the sake of others to see His goodness! We come to a place where the things of this world really do grow dim in the light of His glory and grace! if we have none of this..maybe just maybe…our truth is actually a lie.

A few things to ponder as you ask Him if any of your “truths” are actually Lies…

When the Truth lies
Christians are killed
Paul was convinced
Of religious appeals.

When the Truth Lies
Satan grabs hold
Of just enough truth
With a slight twisted scope.

When the truth lies
Will you see the net?
Remember O Satan
In the wilderness?

When the Truth lies
An ear is cut clean
Peter misused
His sword indeed.

When the Truth lies
Generations are told
Grace is accepting
The sin now that roams.

When the Truth lies
Women are chained
Held in a prison
With undue forced shame.

When the Truth lies
Callings denied
When race and gender
Are mis-defined.

When the Truth lies
The Spirits refrained
From doing His work
In Christ’s Holy Name.

When the Truth lies
The lines become blurred
Law is enforced
And life is usurped.

When the truth lies
Some stand at the gate
Knocking and knocking
But Christ says too late.

When the truth lies
Christ’s heart is unknown
Yet scriptures are spewed
With hatred bemoaned.

When the truth lies
Death is so near
For darkness has veiled
Our Saviors sweet tears.