Can You Handle It?
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 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. —John 8:31-32
Some of you may have seen the 1992 American Courtroom drama “A Few Good Men” starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. Apart from the horrible language, it’s a great movie. This film revolves around the court martial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The defense lawyers are searching for the truth surrounding the murder of a fellow Marine. In the courtroom, the defense lawyer asks the Colonel to take the stand in hopes they will get to the truth. In a very heated cross-examination the colonel yells, “You want answers?” and the defense lawyer said, “I want the truth”. The truth was necessary for the Marine’s freedom. A very frustrated Colonel says, “You can’t handle the truth!” These words ring in my mind every time I think about truth. I will agree with the colonel in that I’m not sure we can handle real truth and, even more, do we really want to know the truth? Some days I’m a little more fragile than others and on those days I’m not sure I want to know the truth.
In another courtroom drama Jesus stood before Pilate. Jesus is on trial for blaspheming and was asked if He was a king? Jesus replied, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice”. Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” I believe this is a great question! What is truth? And why is truth so important that Jesus would be willing to come to earth to testify for truth? Truth is essential to living our life in freedom. Finding truth gets harder when truth is mixed with lies. Often we call this half-truth. But the reality is that there is no such thing as half-truth. A small white lie is still a lie; it can never be truth.
As we look at some of the things we have believed about our circumstances, our God, and ourselves, is it possible we have believed some lies about them all? If it’s true that truth brings freedom, then it’s also true that lies bring bondage. It’s amazing to me that someone can make a negative comment and we will accept it as truth even when there’s no foundation of truth in it. Can you think of a time someone passed judgment on you that was not true but you accepted it as truth? Jesus knew we would fight trying to discover what is truth and what are lies. Therefore, truth is part of the Christian’s armor.
Lies can be traced back to the beginning when satan lied to Eve about God and they believed him. Instead of defending Himself, God asked Eve a very important question that we must ask ourselves: “Who told you that?” For us to know what is true and what is not true, we must choose whom we listen to. Truth is not a feeling; truth is facts that are reliable and can be trusted. Here are a few facts (truth) Jesus has told us:
- We are forgiven-not condemned
- We are overcomers in Him- not overcome by circumstances.
- We are fearfully and wonderfully made- God has a plan for our lives.
- Christ will supply all our needs-no need to worry.
As God asked Adam and Eve who told you that, we must discern whom we will listen to. Living free from the opinions of others and believing what God says is accepting God’s word as truth and choosing to believe it.
Further Reading: Gen 3:8-11; John 3:17;John 8:31-32; John 14:6; John 18:33-38;Eph 6:14;Psalm 139;1 John 5:4; Phil 4:19
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