What is Truth?

Last week we started in Ephesians 6 to set the groundwork for studying spiritual warfare. We likened it to fighting a difficult-to-treat infection, one whose culture and sensitivity results showed resistance to human opinions, cultural norms, and even our best efforts.

Today we will explore the practical side of dealing with the real battles we encounter on a daily basis.

As a recap from last week, remember:

• We don’t use carnal/earthly weapons to fight a spiritual battle (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

• We identify who the real enemy is, the devil and his army, and who the real enemy is not, people/flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:11-12)

• We don’t approach the battle in our own strength, but suit up in the armor prescribed by God (Ephesians 6:10-11,13)

• We stand firm in the victory already won by Christ for us (Ephesians 6:11,13-14)

Paul told us what to do, now we’ll discover the most important part, how to do it, starting today with the first essential piece of armor mentioned, the belt of truth.

“Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth…” Ephesians 6:14

Satan’s primary mode of operation is by deception. He is referred to in scripture as the deceiver, the father of lies, and an imitator, one who disguises himself as an angel of light. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, Satan, sin, and death were all defeated. Satan was rendered powerless. He was completely disarmed and remains that way. That is, to the extent that we stop providing the enemy with weapons.

By virtue of his nature, Satan’s goal is to entice us to abandon the truth. Once we leave the truth of God and appeal to our own suppositions, what’s acceptable in the culture, how we feel, or what others think, we venture into enemy territory, his realm of deceit. And we make ourselves vulnerable to believing a lie, leading to defeat.

So this begs the question. How do I avoid assisting the enemy in my demise instead of walking in the victory Christ won for me? Paul says to gird your loins with truth. Put on your truth belt every day. OK, that sounds way too spiritual. What does that really mean?

Let’s illustrate.

In the garden of Eden, Satan approached Eve to have a discussion about God. In Genesis 3, he slithers up to her and poses a question, “Indeed, has God said…?” Eve entertains his question and responds with the commandment that God had given to her and Adam. Well sort of…  She added her own flavoring to it, revamping it a little. She left out a bit here and added a section there that God had not even mentioned. Compare God’s actual commandment in Genesis 2:16 to what she replied in Genesis 3:2-3. Similar, but not quite the same, and because she was already leaning in the direction of an untruth, she became vulnerable to believing Satan’s full-blown lies in vs 4-5.

Because she forgot that what they enjoyed, God had freely provided, she listened to the voice of His enemy. Because she made God seem more restrictive than He is “You shall not eat from it or touch it”, she started viewing the tree from Satan’s perspective. And because she didn’t know the truth (what God had already spoken on the subject) well enough to refute his words, she believed his lies. She ate and gave to Adam who was standing nearby and invited sin and death into their existence.

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate”  Genesis 3:6

She relied on her limited knowledge instead of God’s revealed will. She trusted her feelings instead of His prescribed word.

Contrast this with the encounter Jesus had with Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Three times Satan tempted Jesus. And three times, Jesus appealed not to His feelings (hungry), not to His position (Son of God) and not to His power (omnipotent). His appeal was only to what God had already written on the subject relative to the temptation at hand.

He demonstrated exactly what we are to do when confronted with a temptation or a lie of Satan…declare what God has already written about that specific issue. Jesus used scriptures relevant to the attack. And instead of defeat like Adam and Eve in the Garden, the word of God uttered by Jesus caused Satan to leave. Who knew he was so allergic to God’s truth?

But what is truth?

Truth can be defined as an objective standard applied to any situation. Our profession operates by way of objective data. Although a person’s subjective view of their condition is considered, we don’t just rely on how they feel to determine their state of health. Tests are run, blood pressures are taken, urine is collected, levels are drawn. A standard outside of their feelings is required to determine the truth.

According to John 17:17, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” The truth is God’s definitive word on any subject. In John 8:31-32, Jesus, speaking to those who believed in Him, said “If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Notice that continuing in His word is directly connected to knowing the truth. And what’s even more interesting is the word, which is the truth, provides freedom. Freedom from what? Sin. Everyone, He says, who commits sin is a slave of sin, so if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed (vs 34-36).

Well, what is Satan tempting us to do? Sin. He wants us to leave the freedom of the truth to be enslaved by a lie.

So continuing in God’s word (vs 31) indicates we are dedicating time to becoming familiar with what God has said. We study it to discover God’s standards, precepts, and expectations. We look to it to determine what God has said about our specific struggle, our specific questions, our specific problems. We search the scriptures to understand God’s character, appreciate His faithfulness, and rely on His sovereignty. We become so familiar with Who God is, when Satan presents a lie that refutes what we know to be true, or a temptation to sin, we will have an “It is written” response that causes him to flee.

If we are to expect victory in our spiritual warfare, we have to put on (and keep on) the belt of truth every day. That is, increasingly relying on God’s word as our standard to measure truth and utilizing its direction to guide our life’s decisions. Only then do we experience the true freedom Christ came to give.