As Christians we should be very familiar with the reality that the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).  Paul stated that all of the unsaved live their lives “According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” Ephesians 2:2. This is not just a serious matter. It is the most serious matter. It has nothing to do with how smart we are or how good our intentions may be, or if we are highly religious or even nice people.  Everyone outside of the glorious work of God where He transforms the heart, will continue to live with a propensity to, “Love darkness rather than light” (John 3:19).

Truth is not only not appreciated by the unsaved but causes distress to those living in untruth. This is humanly what was behind the reactions to Jesus Himself as He taught the truth and was so violently rejected. We know that Jesus Christ (God) is the truth (John 14:6), and that His Word, the Bible, is also the truth (John 17:17). In fact, it is stated of Christ that the means God uses to overcome this sinful dark condition, characterized by that which is false and untrue, into a freedom to know God and His truth is His Word (John 8:32). So how important is the Word of God? Its importance is infinite and of course it is necessary!

With this basic understanding of the necessity and value of truth, we should also know that Satan will do all he can to dilute and destroy the truth. Satan hates the truth. It is no wonder the church is commanded to be, “The pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).  We know it is the mission of the church to bring the Gospel (the term for God’s message of salvation) to those in darkness. The Gospel, which is the leading edge of truth so needed by the sinful world, is especially a target of Satan. Satan loves to counterfeit. He likes to make what is not true look as much like the truth as possible. Why? Because again, it is only the truth that sets men free.

God does not use that which is false, or even almost true, to call sinners to Himself. He is a God of truth and cannot possibly use something false or even what we might think of as being slightly tainted to bring about the work of God. If we put this as a mathematical equation, we could say it like this: Truth plus falsehood equals untruth. Any effort made to manipulate the equation, if it includes lies, it ruins the truth. The element of that which is false can never work toward God’s necessary truth.

We can add to this that the Scripture warns us that in the last days the visible churches will be filled with people, who by Paul’s description, are unsaved (2 Timothy 3). He goes on to say these same people will desire foremost to have their “ears tickled” (2 Timothy 4:3). The idea of “ears tickled” is to tell someone what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Here is where the intersection of Christians gets difficult. True Christianity revolves around the truth, not something less, or in this case more appealing or easier to accept.

If you study John chapter 6, you will find that the majority of those following Jesus Christ did not follow Him any longer because He addressed difficult matters. These were matters of truth. Rather than allow themselves to consider seriously what our Lord said, or seek to understand it, they flatly rejected it. It did not appeal to their flesh. We should all be familiar with the verse, “The heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked, who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9). We cannot trust our own thinking or feelings. We can only trust God’s Word.

The church today is in this battle for truth. GBC is in this same battle. What does Paul mean when he says the church is the “Pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). This letter was written to the Ephesian Church. The city of Ephesus was the home of the temple of the false goddess Diana. It contained one hundred and twenty-seven pillars holding up the structure. Each pillar played a role in maintaining the immense structure of the roof. In Paul’s metaphor, the church is to serve as a pillar to hold up the truth. The word for “support” means the foundation. Both the foundation and the pillars are to undergird the truth at all costs. This is our reason to exist.

You should recall it was Israel’s responsibility to do the same in their time, and their failure led to the temporary transfer of this responsibility to the church. Each of us as members of the church body must contribute to a commitment to this foremost duty. If we fail to do so, we really cease to have any usefulness to our God. I hope that each person reading this is absolutely committed to God’s truth. We meet around His glorious truth each Sunday.

I have said before that I see the church as an oasis in the midst of a dry and thirsty land. I hope you hunger and thirst for God’s Word which is the needed precious truth. Please pray that we will maintain our commitment to know and honor God in all we do to the praise of His glory.