Lies Change the Truth
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” Romans 3:21, 22
Counterfeit
If someone tried to pay with a Monopoly $20 bill, it is easy to see it is a fake.
If someone paid with a well copied counterfeit $20 bill it would be accepted.
Both are counterfeit. One is closer to the real.
Truth plus a lie is still a lie.
a. A lie added to the truth does not change the lie to truth.
b. A lie added to the truth changes the truth into a lie.
c. The truth stands alone and needs nothing else.
Seeming Biblical Contradictions
The Bible teacher is often faced with the seeming paradoxes of God’s word and resulting faith.
Some truths seem to contradict other truths.
a. Since the Word of God IS truth, both sides of a seeming Bible contradiction are truth.
b. When the Bible presents a truth, we are responsible to teach it with all the force we can despite another scripture seemingly contradicting it.
c. Assume the Word is correct and you are not.
The seeming contradiction is on our side, not God’s. There is an answer.
If we could always understand God, then we would be God.
a. There is nothing kept secret that will not be revealed.
b. One Holy Spirit ministry is to lead and guide us into all truth.
“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:20-26
Romans 4 - Describing the salvation of Abraham seems to contradict James.
a. Yet, James is talking about our faith before people, after salvation by faith, our visible works.
Romans 4 and James 2 do not contradict but complement each other.
God can see the faith in our heart and needs no works. People on the other hand cannot see our heart and need to see the visible proof of our salvation - our works produced in love.
True faith will display itself to those around and not to God only.
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
“For each one shall bear his own load.” Galatians 6:5
Our Responsibility To Any Seeming Contradictions is Choice
The responsibility of man is clearly taught from man’s beginning. It is his choice in each situation to choose against ourselves and for God and His righteousness.
We need to believe the truth about ourselves, our sin, and to believe God’s answer, His righteousness.
There is no magic in faith.
a. It not enough to say you believe. You must believe the right things.
b. And you must believe them in the right way. There is a type of faith that is totally vain. “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:19
Faith’s Foundations
Any scriptural corresponding characteristics given to faith form a foundation for it.
Faith is worthless if it has no foundations.
a. You can have faith to drive your car across a bridge when you know it is structurally sound.
b. If the bridge has been compromised, faith will not keep the car from being wrecked or preserve your life.
A welded beam needs a good weld, secure.
a. A bad weld does not make steel strong but compromises it.
b. A good weld adds to the integrity of the steel.
In the same way, faith cannot be built on truth and error.
a. Truth does not make the error truth.
b. Error makes the truth error. It turns it into a lie.
When teaching, reinforce (weld) your points with Bible examples from both the Old and New Testaments.
Salvation does not come by faith plus your good works:
a. Such as giving money, baptism, church attendance, etc.
b. Your added works make salvation, not salvation.
Jesus Is THE Truth
There is NO truth outside of Jesus Christ. He said so.
He is the ONLY way to God. He said so.
There is SOME truth in religion, but the error negates the truth, turning it into a lie.
A lie has the intent to deceive. Using truth to promote a lie makes the truth a lie.
Religion may say God is love:
a. But saying then He cannot send any person to Hell is a lie.
b. Adding the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of mankind is a lie.
c. God will judge sin and those rejecting salvation through Jesus
All religions mix truth with lies, some more than others.
Even spiritual assumptions must be derived from the whole of truth - scripture
a. Believers have the responsibility toward mankind and God to bring salvation based on the word of God, not parts of it mixed with human viewpoint.
b. The creature is responsible to the Creator, not vice versa.
