Does God's Truth Offend You?

Does God's Truth Offend You?

by: Bill Bratt

Does God’s truth offend you? When someone presents a Bible truth to you, are you offended? Would you rather believe in fables than the truth that you can find in the Holy Scriptures?

Most people know the truth about the origins of the world’s holidays but most people would prefer to believe these fables and continue to practice them and perpetuate them by passing these traditions on to their children and their children’s children. Fables are rooted in the very fiber of our society, our customs and our minds. These fictitious legendary stories are something that people enjoy immensely and it is probably the highlight of their year.

What does God say about Fables?

The apostle Paul gave the following charge to Timothy: "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: {2} Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. {3} For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; {4} and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:1-4).

Many Christians have turned from the truth of God to fables.

The apostle Paul also told Timothy: "To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. {3} As I urged you when I went into Macedonia; remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, {4} nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith" (1 Tim 1:2-4). Timothy was to avoid fables and practice godly edification.

Godly edification is to teach and build the church in moral and religious knowledge of the truth of God. To be Godly is to be devoted, serious and earnest to God’s way of life.

What is Truth?

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word "truth" as: "Conformity to knowledge, fact, actuality, or logic. Sincerity; integrity; honesty." "Truth is most commonly used to mean correspondence with facts or with what actually occurred."

What is the Bible definition of "truth?" The answer is found in John 17:17 (NKJV) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

God’s word is truth. The Bible is the written word of God. We are to live by every word that God speaks. Let’s look at Matthew 4:4 (NKJV): "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

All Christians should desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. This is what God expects of His true worshipers. The apostle John quotes Jesus as saying: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. {24} "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" John 4:23-24 (NKJV).

God Can’t Lie

God is perfect, truthful and cannot lie. The apostle Paul stresses this point in his letter to Titus: "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; {2} in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" Titus 1:1-2 (NKJV).

Satan is the father of lies and there is no truth in him: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" John 8:44-46 (NKJV).

Buy the Truth

Our attitude should be to love God’s truth and to reject the fables of this world’s society. God’s truth is precious and we should desire to buy it: "Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding" Proverbs 23:23 (NKJV). Truth is like the pearl of great price: "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it" Matthew 13:46 (NKJV).

God’s truth will make you free from fables and the world’s ways: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8:32 (NKJV).

The Bible no where tells you to keep Christmas, Easter or Sunday as days of worship. Does this truth offend you? God has revealed His seventh day Sabbath and his seven holy day annual Sabbath festivals throughout the scriptures, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. All of God’s festivals are listed in Leviticus 23 where God says that these festivals are "His feasts": "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {2} "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts" (Lev 23:1-2). Please read the entire chapter of Leviticus 23 and learn about God’s festivals which reveals God’s plan of salvation and His truth.