Truth And Nothing But The Truth!!!

TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”-John 8:31-32

Nothing quite like a dose of truth at the onset of a New Year! There is no substitute for truth. Honestly, where would World Economy go, if truth doesn’t undergird all of its transactions? Truth is so important in this World that paradoxically even in the Crime World of “LIES”, people have paid for their lives for not speaking the truth! Even in an as mundane an act as hiring an auto-rickshaw in the Indian context, imagine the reaction of the commuters, if they learn that meter designed to calculate the fare has been tampered with. Continuing to blow the trumpet about the importance of truth…ever wondered how the lie-detector machine works? Oh boy…on the principle that normally all of us speak the truth. Normal heart-beat and pulse-rate of a person speaking a lie would go awry, immediately registering on the “lie-detector” facilitating the authorities to nail the truth, as it were, straightaway. Amongst others’, one ennobling action of truth is that of liberation. Where truth is, fetters’ of a lie are bound to lie unshackled.

In this New Year’s message, I intend to focus on the truth in each of the three Christian doctrines of …Justification (a sinner is forgiven on accepting Christ as his/her Saviour), Sanctification (a forgiven sinner is transformed into a Christ-like image) and Glorification (Christians get raptured or on their departure from the Earthly realm reach the Heavenly shores whichever were to occur first).

Justification…

To be justified, is to have a right standing with God. Those of us born with an innate, Adamic rebellious nature can never get a right standing with God of infinite holiness by way of our finite human effort or reasoning. If the degree of human effort or intelligence were the criterion to get a right relationship with the Holy Creator, then where and how would one fix the limits for them? If limits are then set by finite human reasoning which tends to glorify the best, the beautiful, the intelligent and the mighty, then the rich or the strong or the most intelligent ones’ would apparently race ahead of “a common man in the street” in reaching the “target” of finding God’s favour (can it ever be measured?). Now viewing this paramount subject of getting the right relationship with Him, from the Almighty’s angle itself, remember first and foremost that God is fair. Would He not give equal opportunities to all in the most important subject of meriting the right relationship with Him? Yes, He would never allow the principle of fairness (which is at the core of His character) to get grossly violated by fixing “standards” which only the strong, rich or the intelligent can hope to attain. Oh yes, He loves the strong, the rich and the intelligent lot for it is not their fault that they were born that way. By the same token, He loves the poor, weak and simple ones’ too for it is not their fault either that they were born that way. Whatever be our social status or physical stature or IQ level, all of us born with an inborn, rebellious Adamic nature (Romans 3:23) need to get into a right relationship with the Most High One.

It is because God in His infinite wisdom knew that fallen man can never merit a right relationship with His perfect person by dint of finite human efforts that, He Himself offered way out of the impasse. Let the Bible take over…

Now God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us “not guilty”—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like. Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.-Romans 3:23-24 (TLB)

We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Romans 8:3

The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof. You only need to ask forgiven sinners’ like Yours Truly when they passed from “death” to “life” on trusting Christ to know more about the nitty-gritty of this truth. None would be condemned for being born a sinner but would be condemned to Hell, only if he/she chooses to die as one, without ever seeking Christ, the only truthful way of redemption (John 14:6) from the shackles of sin, lies and eternal death.