Never Lost in Translation

 

“But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

—John 16:13

Have you ever watched one of those interpreters for the deaf and wondered if they were delivering the message correctly? What if the interpreter had an agenda other than to clearly express what the speaker was saying? It might be quite dangerous, right?

Well, we have an enemy, Satan, or the devil, about whom 1 Peter 5:8 says:

prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Satan makes it his mission to misconstrue, mistranslate, misrepresent, and otherwise distort the truth with what often looks like truth.

The Apostle John, both in his gospel and again in his letters, speaks often about the importance of understanding the truth, and the way in which our enemy likes to derail that truth. In fact, in John 8:44, the Apostle writes:

When he [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Throughout Christian history, churches and groups of Christians have been led astray from the truth by Satan’s wiles. They may have been well intentioned, even devoted to the Kingdom of God. But, somehow they managed to get taken in by false doctrines that ultimately ruined their faith.

We’ve all heard of cults whose members have been derailed from the truth by strong and manipulative leaders. Those leaders, much like their father the devil, have schemed and lied in such clever ways as to persuade a whole group of people to follow in an ungodly direction.

Do we consider how dangerous a wrong translation of God’s Word can be? Do we seek to avoid it as the Apostle warned? And, how do we keep from getting tricked into believing wrong doctrine and a misinterpretation of the truth?

When Jesus left earth in order to return to heaven, He told His disciples about the Holy Spirit, the “Counselor.” He is the one whom the Father promised to send to us.

Jesus taught, as recorded inJohn 10:1-21, about the true “sheep” who would know the voice of their true Shepherd. He urged them to listen clearly. We too, gullible and weak—perhaps even more than the first disciples—need to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit when reading God’s Word and listening to those who claim to preach and teach truth. We need to weigh what we’re being told against the whole counsel of God’s Word. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.

Oh Lord God,

Please keep all those who truly desire to follow hard after You to know the truth You share in Your Word. Protect them from error and help all who teach Your Word to do so with integrity and clarity.

In the midst of the lies and confusion of our present world, may Your timeless Word come to us in these days with power and the authority of the Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus Name. Amen.