True for You - Philippians 3:16

  

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. Philippians 3:16

 Loose With the Word Truth

People get confused. I have even heard it from believers. They say things like, “That’s true for you but not for me.”

Of course, in some contexts that’s right. One person could say that they went to a soccer match, and it was the best day ever. Another person, went but hated it. The soccer match was great: that’s true for you.

See, we are so loose with the word truth (in English anyway) that I think we get truth mixed up with opinion or preferences.

Still, I’ve heard people say that something was true for me, when we were talking about Bible truth. And they may have even meant that we had different interpretations of something. Different interpretations are different people with limited knowledge trying to get at something.

For instance, there are disagreements within the church about things like baptism, communion, the sabbath, and the Lord’s return. They are looking at the same scriptures and coming to different conclusions.

One might say, “What you think about the Lord’s return might be true for you, but it’s not true for me.”

And that’s not true.

There are things that are true. There are beliefs about God that are true. There are ideas that can’t both be true.

For instance. You can’t say that it is both biblical and unbiblical to baptize infants. It’s one or the other. Yet, good godly men who have studied the scripture carefully disagree on it. But it is either correct or incorrect to to baptize babies. It’s not both.

What I’m saying is this: There are things that are just true. God declared it. It’s true.

Now there are also things that are true that I don’t have enough facts or experience to understand or conceive of yet. I am learning.

To whom much is given, much is required.

A Tale of Two Christians

There are Christians who have grown up in the church, gone to Christian schools, attended Christian universities, gone to seminaries, and pastored churches. And then one day, they break God’s law that they good and well know to be true. Then, they live under conviction of the Holy Spirit. He’s not done with them, but He’s not going to let it slide.

There are others who grew up in foster homes, were regularly beaten and abused, used drugs and alcohol, and did whatever they pleased until they met Jesus. They have not attained the same amount of truth. And still, it is amazing how fast a new believer can learn!

The first one has read the bible cover to cover every year for the past fifteen years. The second one heard John 3:16, and barely knows how to read, but he is eager to learn everything he can.

Both are believers, but their immediate expectations are going to look different. What they each know to do is different.

The truth is still the same. If either of them commits adultery or cheats at a game of cards, he will have to deal with the consequences. The truth is the truth.

And God empowers both kinds of people. Both were dead in their trespasses and sin and are now alive in Him. Both are new creations. Neither of them can be separated from the Love of Christ. Ever. Both can choose to walk in the light and be filled with the Holy Spirit, to not quench the Spirit.

And those things might look very different in their lives.

But God is truth. And He has proclaimed true things about ALL believers. And those true things identify me on even my most messed up days.

And He calls all of His children to know His word. To learn who they are in Him. To live like Children of the King. To live up to whatever truth they know.

And by the way, one of those things He says time after time on the pages of the Old and New Testament is to seek Him. Seek. That’s active. That means look for Him. Look for truth about Him. Look for the truth about how I am supposed to live for Him.

Lord, You have blessed me with truth. Your word is truth. You have given me more translations to read in English than I will ever get around to read. I am rich. Jesus, teach me. Give me the grace to seek you earnestly in humility. You have begun a good work in me. Keep doing it! May I seek your face until you call me home. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.