| “But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” |
| —John 16:13 |
At a public meeting, or on television, have you ever watched one of those interpreters for the deaf and wondered if they were delivering the exact message correctly? If the interpreter had an agenda other than to clearly express what the speaker was saying, it would be quite dangerous, right? Well, we have an enemy, Satan, or the devil, about whom 1 Peter 5:8 says:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil 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, replacing the truth with what often merely 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 8:44b, the Apostle writes:
He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he 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 and distortions. They may have been well intentioned, even believing that they were 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, Satan, 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 distorted interpretation of God’s written Word can be? Do we seek to avoid such distortions as the Apostle John 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 in John 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 written Word, and when listening to those who claim to preach and teach God’s truth. We need to weigh what we’re being told against the whole counsel of God’s written Word. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
Oh, Lord God,
Please keep all those of us who truly desire to follow hard after You to know the truth You share in Your written Word. Protect us from error, and help all who teach Your written Word to do so with integrity and clarity.
In the midst of the lies and confusion of our present world, may Your timeless truth come to us in these days with the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit.
We pray in Jesus Name. Amen.
