We Live in the Friction

"The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."

Proverbs 14.15-16

We live in an age where the person who shouts loudest is most often perceived as correct. In an era filled with scandal and relative truth, these can be most confusing times. For the child of God, this creates a particular challenge: living in this scenario as people of conviction guided by the absolute truth of God tends to rub society the wrong way. Yet we are convicted of truth through God's word and the Holy Spirit in our lives, so we live in the friction.

In the New Testament, John encourages the Church to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4.1). In the following verses, he gives further elaboration on this point: spirits which confess truth do so in the light of confession that Christ has come. The spirit of truth acknowledges God's redemptive work throughout human history, even as it seeks to confront, cope with, and resolve the chaos of human experience. In order to accomplish these goals, our understanding of truth must have the confession of Christ as the objective standard against which it is measured. In other words, we have to take seriously what Christ has done and what He taught, applying His teachings into our own lives.

Let us remember that "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death" (Proverbs 14.27). God's truth is available to guide us, certainly for our benefit, but even more for the glory of God revealed in us.

Bibliography

ESV Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001. Kindle.