The Lie (7)

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…  1 Peter 5.8, 9

Awash in the lie
What David wrote nearly two millennia ago seems especially true in our day (Ps. 12.1, 2):

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 

Sometimes men’s lies seem harmless enough – white lies to cover up a misdeed, exaggerate a claim, or fake a personality shortcoming. At other times the lies people embrace are large and very consequential – Nazism, Marxism, Jim Crow, secularism.

As in David’s day, we see the presence of the lie on every hand; we know, work with, and live alongside people who are prisoners of the lie. They seem happy enough, and they aren’t bothering anyone else. But they live in the fear of death; true happiness eludes them; and there is a disquiet in their souls that leaves them with the haunting feeling they’re missing something in life.

We know this, because the truth of God in Scripture tells us it is so, and we know it because we too struggle to stay clear of the slippery slopes of the lie. We will not be able to help other people until we first are able to recognize the various forms the lie takes in our lives and our day.

Forms of the lie
The forms of the lie are many, and all linked in one grand conspiracy to resist and, if possible, overthrow the rule of King Jesus. Obvious manifestations of the lie include the various false religions of the world, including liberal Christianity in all its forms. All these can make legitimate claims to having insight to truth; but each of them as an overall system denies the glory and scorns the work of Jesus Christ, Who alone is truth.

The lie may capture us in more subtle ways. It may take the form of materialism, the pursuit of things and experiences as the true measure of happiness. Or the people we know may be committed to pragmatism, to a view of life that is relativistic and utilitarian. They may have begun to put more trust in politics and government than anything else, or to believe the lie in the form of evolution as an explanation for the cosmos. Perhaps they have resigned themselves to some absurdist view of life – that life has no meaning and purpose, but that we must soldier on anyway. Or they may be captive to some form of “near Christianity” which, in fact, is keeping them from the Kingdom of God.

In all these ways and more the promulgator of the lie is prowling about and spreading his message throughout our society, titillating the desire for sovereignty in our peers and luring them away from the truth that is in Jesus.

Unmasking the lie
We must study to understand and to unmask the various forms of the lie, and to help people find their way out of the prison house and death grip of the lie by living and proclaiming the truth that is in Jesus.

It is not loving to go about our business indifferent to the plight of people who live foolish, deceived, and doomed lives. We must, like the sons of Issachar, understand the times in which we live and the various manifestations of the lie (1 Chron. 12.32), so that we may reach out with confidence and love to the prisoners of the devil with whom we consort every day.

And we must, as the Apostle Paul commanded, become able students of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2.15), so that we can wield the Sword of the Spirit against the sin-blinded reasons and justifications of those who can resist everything but the Spirit of God in their desperate attempts to preserve their presumed autonomy (Ps. 149; Jn. 6.63).

The love of Christ requires that we immerse ourselves more fully in the truth, live it out in every area of our lives – thus demonstrating the hope we have in Jesus – and then be ready to explain ourselves and the truth of Christ to everyone who will listen (1 Pet. 3.15).

In an age when lies abound on every hand, and everyone seeks only what is good in his or her own eye, Christians must shelter in the Word of God, rejoicing in the truth, and proclaiming the truth that is in Jesus at every opportunity, to all who will listen.

For reflection
1.  What is your responsibility in preparing to unmask the lie? How can you prepare yourself to be more consistent and effective in this?

2.  Is your present approach to reading and studying Scripture sufficient to help you deal with the lie in its contemporary forms? Why or why not?

3.  What are some ways Christians can work together to unmask the lie and advance the truth?

Next steps – Transformation: Find a prayer partner who will pray with you about becoming a more consistent and effective witness to those who are trapped in the lie in your sphere of influence.

T. M. Moore

The Christian life is one of joy in the Spirit. We are called to be bringers of joy to the world. Our booklet, Joy to Your World!,shows why Jesus is the great Good News of Christmas. It’s the perfect stocking-stuffer for friends and coworkers. Order your copies by clicking here.

A PDF of this week’s study, The Lie, is available by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.