THE NATURE OF DECEIT: PART 2
FEAR OF THE TRUTH
© Orest Solyma 
The Church of God in Williamstown
WEB SITE: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sanhub/index_.htm

What are the greatest mysteries anyone could possibly know? What are the greatest mysteries someone might have the stupendous privilege of coming to understand, of loving coherently and passionately?

Surely the most wonderful, the most rare and precious mysteries are:
(a) The Mystery of God
(b) The Mystery of Love
(c) The Mystery of Truth! 

Though I have already given some answers to such questions, some here, and many elsewhere are puzzled. What are the real and biblical answers to these questions? And most importantly: how can you be sure of answers given?
Many would not deny that these mysteries are extensively addressed in Scripture. Nearly all religions, philosophers, many poets, song-writers, scholars, thinkers, and people such as us seek answers to these questions. 

The opposite, or antithesis of each of these mysteries would be: 
(a) Denial of the Mystery and Knowledge of the Godhead - hence the inevitable acceptance of the mysteries and knowledge of Satan (Gn 2:9,17; Jer 9:24; Jn 17:3).
(b) Denial of the Mystery of Love. The result is a culture that feeds enmity, hatred, abuses, persecutions (Jn 3:16-18; 1Cor 13:13; 1Jn 3:1-3; 4:9).
(c) Denial of the Truth -- which firstly results in inaction and inertia, unwitting sustenance of lies, deceptions, illusions (Jn 6:63-66; Jude 4; 1Jn 2:22-23). 

On the other hand, such denials inevitably lead to extreme activity in various forms of unreasoned anger, causeless hatred, lying propaganda, defamation, persecution, schemes to destroy and kill (Jn 7:19; Acts 3:14-15; 14:22; 2Tim 3:12-13). 

Reasons for my considering such vast questions include expressions of doubt, uncertainty, anxiety voiced in these kinds of questions: "What is the Truth? Whom can I trust? How can I trust even my own judgment? How can I be certain? Do I really understand? How can I know I'm hearing the very Truth of God? And how do I discern the difference between opinions about Scripture and true explanation of Scripture that is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit? I've trusted 'men of God' in the past and now I find I've been mislead and deceived! Why have I been deceived? Why have I been so easily mislead? Who is teaching the Truth, if anyone?" 

In attempting to answer these quite legitimate fears and anxieties let's look at the Scriptures for answers. But please do not neglect to take to heart that each of us has personal responsibility in testing, in questioning, in verifying what I say. Many of us have heard the injunction: Don't believe me, believe the Bible. Yet each of us is guilty of consistently neglecting to properly check our Bibles. Far too often we did not check if in fact the Scriptures mean what the speaker said they mean. Too often we did not check to see if there were contradictions with what was said. Often we may have been afraid of disagreeing. A major cause of fear was our seeing people disfellowshipped because they disagreed - and years later they were found to be right! Is this not blasphemy of the Word of God? Were the lambs being tended or scattered? Who had the wrong attitudes? Who was ignorant? Please read Jer 23, Ezk 34, Mal 2:1-9 and many similar Scriptures for the answers. 

TRUTH AND FEAR
One of the greatest encouragements I've had, over the past 8 years particularly, has been from 2Tim 1:7: 

To me this means God's Spirit is a spirit of courage, of real and motivating hope, of fearlessness in what foolish man can do! This verse tells me that God's Spirit gives power to resist temptations and power to overcome evil with good. The Spirit gives sharp discernment and insight into seeing what is true! The Spirit gives self-discipline, control over the mind so that truth is accepted and error is confidently rejected. Error is sin which has to be rebuked as Isa 58:1 tells us: Mic 3:8 similarly says: Why is there such reluctance to prove all things from Scripture? Why do people rely on people, and contradict what was said by Jeremiah, who spoke to the religious people of his day and who speaks to the religious people of today also: Cursed is the man who trusts in man (17:5; also see Ps 146:3; Isa 30:1). 

Amazing answers are in the Gospel of John: 

Christ is here asking them to show Him where He is wrong. What sin has He done? Where is he wrong in the Scriptures? They refused to do that! Why? Because the Scriptures they would have to turn to would expose their errors, their false beliefs, their stupidities! So it is a dire reluctance to admit error, to admit the need to repent! Key questions put by me to the Council of Elders, to the National Council in Australia and others have not been answered, have been ignored, or an empty reply such as: "It is not UCG policy to consider the possibility of the ministry not being paid" given.

Christ goes on to say in Jn 8:46:

Then He was accused of having a demon because He spoke so boldly.

Rom 8:14-19 surely goes with these thoughts:

Have we forgotten: If God if for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)? Who or what can separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ (Rom 8:35)? Who promised us irrevocably that He would never forsake us, and would raise us in the Resurrection (Jn 6:39-40)?

IJn 4:13-21 has more wonderful things to say: 

For us to have boldness in the Resurrection, surely that godly boldness, that necessary courage, is growing and evident now! What are being told here? That godly love, which is the gift of God, removes doubt, anxiety, confusion. The Truth of God and the Love of God stand on unshakable foundation (Heb 12:25-28; Rom 8:31-39). Truth is unafraid of any challenge. Truth is sure, is certain, is irrefutable, is coherent and consistent. Jesus Christ, the apostles, the prophets, show no evidence of doubt that destabilises, that has long-term confusion, or anxiety. Yes, many people show little evidence of doubt, uncertainty, confusion in religion that is not based on the Scriptures. That kind of certainty is the kind of certainty that lives in the hearts of advertising agents constructing advertisements for big corporations. What happens when the figments of the imagination fail?  

Continuing with 1Jn 4:19: 

How extraordinary! Humanly it is far easier to love or dislike someone we see with our eyes and humanly think we know and understand. Yet too often we claim to love God (Merely humanly?), who we also think we know and - with human understanding.  And the expressions of that love are defined by God in His Word - not by our own, human definitions of love, kindness, patience and mercy.
Divine love is courageous, is forthright, is unafraid of the Truth, hungers for the Truth, seeks the Truth, protects those who seek the love of the true God, wants to always be with those who love the true God and His Truth. The love of God does not fear men.  

In summary of this sub-topic let's look at what Moses, in the last month of his life, said to the church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38): 

And in the N.T., what is the effect of seeking the Truth? 

THE COST OF SEEKING REVEALED TRUTH
In the 4th Song of the Servant (Isa 52:13-53:12) [Song 1 is Isa 42:1-9; Song 2 is Isa 49:1-13; Song 3 is Isa 50:4-11], we see: 

If we were to check Isa 51:9-11; 52:10-12; 62:8-12 we would find that "the Arm of the LORD" is Jesus Christ. Let's look at Jn 12:37-40: Why would God, through Jesus Christ, not want to heal people of their spiritual, psychological, emotional, social, and even physical injuries of their own sins? How light is that? Jesus Christ has obviously lost the plot here and is too much like the God of the O.T. Like so many theologians we should reject this piece of prophecy and instruction. It does not have that human understanding and compassion toward family members. These are the games people play with the Word of God! Just how great is the sacrifice for living by the Word of God? Is it too much? (See Jn 6:63-69 also).

Let's consider part of the great parable chapter in the N.T. 

Would not this self-evidently show that God is willing to give people the Truth, is willing to give people His love: on the conditions that these same people come to God in zeal, in hungering after righteousness, in repentance, in a biblically described passion to live by every Word of God? Here is a parabolic example of what I mean: Suppose I were to prove to you from Scripture, and contrary to the teaching of others, that Jesus Christ is not co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, what would you do? Eternal Life depends on that question being answered: It is logical and self-evident that the One sent is forever subordinate to the One who sends (See also Jn 5:26; 8:42; 12:49; 14:28; 1Cor 15:24,28).  

FURTHER PROOFS OF RECEIVING TRUTH
When Jesus Christ said that the Truth of God would set us free (Jn 8:32), He laid on us immense responsibility!
Two weeks ago I heard the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Oceania, Stylianos, say, "Freedom is the greatest trial!" Experience in striving to live by the Word of God verifies this. Scriptures already covered here seem to verify this, do they not? This freedom - to do anything we like - as long as we do not break any Law of God, as long as we live by every Word of God, creates great difficulties for us! Human nature dislikes difficulties. Human nature wants to avoid, flee from, pretend that the difficulties are not really present. This is true especially where difficulties challenge personal opinions of what is right, what is good, what is true, what is fair, what is wise, what is compassionate, and such like. The human mind, which is deceitful and self-deceiving (Jer 17:9; Prov 14:12; Rom 8:7), denies itself any pain, or suffering, or difficulty which presents itself and demands some changing so that one conforms to God's wishes, and is transformed by the words of Truth.  

Generally, an argumentative, accusatory, defensive, truth-denying, fearful, reclusive position presents itself in the behaviour of the one who will not consider what is the Truth. Blustering, huffing, puffing, uncomfortable, and awkward body language often expose the one unwilling to look at Scriptures which contradict past human traditions, and opinion-based notions.  

Though this is all a gift of God, we should see that the gifts of God are given where the recipient really wants to learn, wants to change, wants to give his/her life to the Will of God, wants to be transformed and brought before the Throne of God.

What I'm doing is sharing current spiritual experience and realisation with you. At the same I'm time hoping to further inform and assure, as many as hear this, of the awe-inspiring process of knowing the true God and His Son are with you.  

Notice what Paul says on this in his epistle to the Church of God in Ephesus: 

Such words need to be put to poetry and orchestral music with a vast choir of male and female voices resounding the messages to huge and enraptured crowds.  Let's look at some more of this superb letter to the saints:  Paul wrote a wonderful letter to the Church of God in Colossae, a short distance just S.E. of Laodicea:  What are the effects of Christ in you? Do we compromise? Do we set our own agenda of motivations, thoughts, opinions, decisions, words, actions, compulsions which deny the Word of God? Should that be the case then the outcome is self-evident! We cannot say "Lord, Lord, have we not done the Work, and have we not trusted in You?" and at the same time have not done the Will of the Father of Jesus Christ (Matt 7:21-23; Ezk 18:25-32)  To Colossians 2:1-4: If I am persuasively deceiving, then it should not be difficult for lots of ministers to prove me wrong. Not one has attempted to prove me wrong. A very few have said they disagree. But proof is never forth-coming. 

In 1Tim 3:9 we are urged to hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 
And notice Paul's purpose in speaking, preaching and writing: 

The Church is those people who consistently seek the Will of God, who love those of the Faith, who endure in the Faith, who reject error as it is revealed to them. What are the limits of God's patience if we do not do what we know we should do? Do we tempt God with such inactivity?  AND IN CONCLUSION:
Rev 3:18-19 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent! 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches of God, (and with whom may be more and more grace, godly peace, and a Spirit-powered Christianity.)

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