Guarding Against Untruth

In a world where opinions run rampant and people are constantly vying to have their voices heard, it can be hard to navigate through the noise to redeem goodness and truth in the midst of it all. We need help to stand firm against the bombardment of division that was birthed at the Fall, especially in regards to what is true.

So how do we know falsehood when we see it?

I have learned to recognize untruth as anything that goes against the true interpretation of the Word of God. No one can just pick and choose verses and have them mean whatever they want. Context is extremely important, including the background of the passage. Also, any type of teaching that causes “dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned” is not of God (Romans 16:17-18).

We can know truth when we prayerfully seek the Lord to give us wisdom and insight to help us accurately understand His Word (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 9:10; Jeremiah 29:13; James 1:5; James 3:13-18; Psalm 119:160; 1 Corinthians 1:30). "How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood" (Psalm 40:4).

It is also helpful to seek wisdom and guidance from other believers who have been in the Word longer and have studied God's Word more deeply, such as pastors and elders, as well as other older godly men and women in the faith (Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 9:9; Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 12:15; 1 Timothy 5:17).

Scripture warns us that many will arise and lead others into lies (Matthew 24:11, 24-26; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Matthew 7:15-20; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 1 John 4:1). Guarding against untruth means knowing what Truth is. And Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

We find truth when we look to Christ (Ephesians 4:17-24) and the example He set for us during His time on the earth (Ephesians 4:15). He is the Word in flesh (John 1:14), and He became a sacrifice on our behalf so that through Him we could obtain salvation and an eternal inheritance (John 3:16; John 14:1-4). He was there from the very beginning when the world was created (John 1:1-4), as was the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1-2) whom we have received through Christ and who helps us to live out truth (John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:13).

We can trust that Jesus is always with us, to lead and to guide us in truth till the very end: "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).