"Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." ~ John 8:32

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

You Can Spot a Counterfeit

Have you ever considered that for every counterfeit, there has to be a real?  For example, the fact that counterfeit money exists means that real money has to exist. Otherwise, there could be no counterfeit money. 

The same is true in the philosophical realm. The fact that lies exist means that truth has to exist. Otherwise, there would be no lies.

The critical question for us becomes, then, how do we tell the difference between the truth and the lie? And why is knowing the difference so important?

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:32). Knowing the difference between truth and falsehood has everything to do with our freedom. If the truth makes us free, then the lie makes us slaves. 

But how do we know what is true and what is false?  Again, Jesus tells us how.  "Your Word is Truth" (John 17:17).  Jesus is saying that the Word of God, the Holy Bible, is Truth.  So, if we want to learn how to recognize what is true, we can go to the Holy Bible.  Everything written therein is Truth. 

As we go about our daily lives, we will face situations where we need to know if what we are hearing is a lie or the truth. All we have to do is measure what we hear by the standard of the Word of God. If what we hear agrees with the Word of God, then it is true. If what we hear contradicts the Word of God, then it is false.

I like to tell a little story to illustrate this concept.  When my husband hangs a picture for me, he asks me if the picture is straight.  I may tell him that the picture is tilted to the right.  My husband may think the picture is tilted to the left. 

Since we are not sure who is right, we go get the level.  The level is an instrument that measures whether something is straight or not. The level does not lie. It tells us the truth about the position of the picture.

The Bible is the level for determining whether a philosophy or a concept is true or false. The next time you are not sure whether what you are hearing or reading is true or false, get out your Bible and measure what you have heard or read by the level of the Word of God.  His level will always keep you from deception and, in so doing, keep you free.

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