THE CENTRALITY OF THE WORD OF GOD The word of God, the expression of the truth, must be loved if men are to be saved. The doom of those who do not love the truth is declared by Paul to the Thessalonians, ". . . because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Tomorrow:
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for THOU HAST MAGNIFIED THY WORD ABOVE ALL THY NAME." (Psa 138:2) ". . . for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!" (Amplified Bible)
Devotion 22 of 30
The "love of the truth" can be received by all men. That is why those that do not receive it will "be damned." What God proclaims in the gospel is good, it is lovely, and it is a blessing. To love that truth is to prefer it, to be willing to sell all to obtain it, if necessary (Matt. 13:44). Anything that stands in the way of appropriating the truth will be abandoned if that truth is loved. If, however, men do not choose to love the truth, God will release the floods of delusion upon them that they may believe a lie and be condemned.
The psalmist declared his love for God's communications (which things do not approximate what we have in Christ): "O, how love I Thy law," he declared (Psa. 119:97). "Thy law do I love," he twice exclaimed (Psa. 119:113, 163). In a zealous effort to express his heart he said, "I love thy testimonies" (Psa. 119:119), "I love Thy commands" (Psa. 119:127), and "how I love Thy precepts" (Psa. 119:159). Not content to be casual, he stressed the situation: "I love Thy testimonies exceedingly" (Psa. 119:167).
IT FREES FROM DELUSION
The enemy of truth is the "father of lies," Satan (John 8:44). Reaching back into the history of our arch-foe, Jesus said, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." As God cannot tolerate the lie, so the Devil cannot tolerate the truth. God "cannot lie" (Titus 1:1), and Satan has "no truth in him." Divine effort centers in the truth, devilish activity focuses upon the lie.
The only power Satan has is delusion. He cannot overpower or overwhelm any of the sons of Adam that do not submit to his wiles. He has, in fact, been "destroyed" by the King of glory (Heb. 2:14), "spoiled" of his goods, and "made a show of openly" (Col. 2:15). Notwithstanding, his delusion has a captivating power that will bring men down to hell, if they are not freed from it. Their freedom is not accomplished by exorcism, or some mystical power. It is truth that liberates from Satan's dominion. Men are held captive by their thoughts and concepts, as well as by their defiled conscience. That bondage restrains them from coming to Christ, that they might have life (John 5:40).
The success of Satan is unparalleled; he has deceived "the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). Every son of Adam that reached the age of accountability has succumbed to his wiles. Like our ancient parents, the lie has brought results with alarming consistency to all outside of Christ. Into every facet of life, the devil has woven deception.
There is the "deceitfulness of riches" (Matt. 11:32), designed to lull men into complacency concerning the determined end of all things. Even in religion he has servants that "lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). Unrighteousness itself is deceptive, and thus lures many an unsuspecting soul into its snare (2 Thess. 2:10). "Many deceivers are entered into the world" (2 John 7), and they have set themselves against Christ. Evil men, working under the influence of Satan, "wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:13). False gospels, false Christs, false doctrines – they are all in Satan's arsenal.
It is against this backdrop that our Lord asserted, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. . . . If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:32, 36). Free from delusion, and thus free from Satan! Liberated from deception, and therefore liberated from satanic bondage (2 Tim. 2:26). All sin is the result of delusion! Men are deceived into thinking they can ignore the truth, embrace the cursed, and live as though there was no eternity – that is why they sin. But when the truth is embraced, reality is perceived, and the hold of iniquity loses its grip. The "liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. 5:1) is not license, but freedom from deception. False and erroneous views not only obscure the truth, they enslave to sin.
The mission of Christ essentially deals with the liberation of men. That Sabbath day in Nazareth, when Jesus stood to announce the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, He made that clear. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18). Here was a detailed view of the truth making men "free" – of the Son making men "free indeed." The "gospel" preached to the poor was the announcement of liberty; the proclamation of freedom from sin.
The word of God is the "sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17), and "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17): liberty from the dominion of sin, liberty from a defiled conscience, liberty from condemnation, liberty from Satan and his delusions! When Christ makes us free, we are no longer the servants of sin. Our wills are freed, our eyes are opened, and our hands are strengthened. This freedom is so dynamic that when we "resist the devil" he flees from us (James 4:7). There is no greater evidence of freedom than having a fleeing adversary! He cannot abide in a sphere of truth. He could not stay in heaven, and he cannot stay in you if the God of heaven and His word are dwelling in you richly (Col. 3:16).
All of these things are traceable to the WORDS of God. It is His words that have conveyed to us His thoughts. His words have provided us with insight into the real nature of things. As they were embraced by faith, satanic power was broken, delusion dissipated, and freedom enjoyed. God's children have freedom to serve and worship God, and freedom to deny ungodliness. Thanks be unto God for His word; His wonderful word!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the liberating power of Your word.