Obedient When Convenient

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts. – Psalm 51:6

I have a love/hate relationship with the Truth, and I suspect I’m in good company.

Doctrine and apologetics are attractive to me, though I’m a layman in both categories. Expository teaching is something I thrive on, and like millions of believers in 2016, I mourn, not over the death of the truth (which can’t die) but over disobedience to it in my country and, often, in the modern church.

But anyone can yack away about their high view of Scripture. The issue isn’t whether or not we believe God’s Word academically, but whether our obedience to it trumps our convenience. Because awesome as it is, much of the Bible accuses and corrects me, exposing areas I’d rather leave under wraps. So the Literalist or Fundamentalist label I wear doesn’t mean much. My willingness to let Scripture do its job within me is the acid test as to how seriously I take the Bible.

It all began with a lie.

Which brings up the ancient and so-human problem of deciding whether to take God at His word, or amend it until it says what we hope it means, rather then what it really does.

Eve fell for that one. The Serpent assured her that when God said “You’ll die” He must have meant something else. (Genesis 3:4) He also in the same breath duped her into thinking God’s prohibitions were unfair, denying her something she was entitled to, and that what He forbade would actually be life-giving. All lies, accepted and then acted on. Every human misery experienced to this day has its origins in those lies.

Now when my theologically liberal friends revise scripture to justify modern sins by interpreting Thou Shalt Not as really meaning Be True to Thy Self, I can get pretty smug about their carelessness with the Word. But when that same Word describes my pride as an abomination while using the exact term it also uses to condemn homosexuality (Proverbs 6:16-19) or my criticism of others as hypocrisy (Matthew 7:3-5) you’d be surprised how smoothly I wiggle out of it, telling myself not to get too literal, too legalistic, too hard on myself.

My, what a doctrinal Conservative I can be, until doctrine calls me out. Only then does my hyper-tolerant “God may have meant something else so let’s bathe it all in grace” approach kick in. Yet when I try amending God’s clear instructions, I join the serpent in asking Hath God said?

Funny how the lies we believe influence the decisions we make, decisions we often wind up lying about as we try to cover them up, minimize their impact, or avoid dealing with them. In fact, Adam’s response, after going along with Eve’s deception, was to lie and evade until his heartbroken Creator nailed him. (Genesis 3:8-12)

Lies were believed, then acted on, then told, then regretted. So it goes.

In fact, show me a Christian involved in ongoing secret sin and I’ll show you an adept liar, and a pretty accomplished sneak as well.

Because to keep repeating a forbidden, un-confessed act, you’ve got to pretend you’re doing well, make up excuses or stories when you’re nearly caught, then cover your tracks. If you’ve been there, and I have, you know exactly what I’m talking about. To give yourself to unclean behavior is to believe the lie that you’re entitled to it, and that you’ll never reap the consequences. Worse, perhaps, is the habitual lying that usually accompanies the behavior. It can’t help but reduce your peace and vitality, reducing you, overall, in the process.

It Seems We’ve Stood and Talked Like This Before —

Satan, for all his cleverness, hasn’t changed all that much, nor have his tactics. Today he’s likely to approach you with the same line he fed Eve:

“Hath God said?” (Translation: Maybe He didn’t really mean what He said)

“You shall not die” (Translation: Consequences won’t come, because somehow you will be the exception to the rule of sowing and reaping)

“Your eyes will be opened.” (Translation: Go ahead, it will relax you, soothe you, benefit you somehow.”)

Whether the thing in question is a simple fantasy you’re tempted to entertain, or an adulterous relationship you’re being drawn into, you’ll hear this spiel and make a choice. Somehow I think you’ll recognize the lie when you hear it, and will know full well its’ falseness.

Still, you can even lie to yourself about that, telling yourself that even if the thing is wrong, maybe it’s not that terribly wrong. You’re human, you have needs, you can always confess it in prayer after you indulge and be forgiven, so what harm will really be done?

I know experience has shown how gracious God is, and how quickly forgiveness is extended without punishment being exacted. I guess we can all safely say we haven’t gotten what we deserved.

But I also know there’s no such thing as really “getting away with it.” A wounded conscience, robbed peace of mind, shame, diminished confidence, and spiritual dryness are all their own punishments, dealt out not so much by God but by the logical outcome of stepping over your own integrity.

So let’s do ourselves a favor today by walking in peace, not lies. The day requires plenty from us, and by the end of it, we’ll get the sort of rest and sleep we’ve earned. We already know about the wages of sin, but tonight, I hope we’ll enjoy, deeply and steadily, the wages earned by resisting it. There’s a rest to be had from a day of walking in truth, and in these days when darkness and lies are all the rage, it’s awfully nice to have that sort of rest to look forward to.