I have a simple question for you today. Are you defending the indefensible or are you proclaiming the truth? It’s a simple question. The reason I ask is because no matter what people believe, they think it’s true — otherwise they wouldn’t believe it. It’s a serious question and one that I hope will get you to re-evaluate what you believe.
Defending the Indefensible
I heard someone ranting the other day about diversity, claiming that all people worship the same God in different ways. This person claimed that matter what ‘religion’ you believe in, you should never tell anyone else they are wrong. This view is not new. It’s been around for centuries. The ‘all in one Gods’ however is indefensible. Why? Because it’s a lie, pure and simple. You can’t defend a lie. Truth is truth and a lie is a lie. It doesn’t matter how many people believe the lie; their belief in it doesn’t make it true.
Here’s a dictionary definition of “lie”:
lie
1 [lahy]
- a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.Synonyms:
prevarication, falsification. Antonyms: truth. - something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture: His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.
- an inaccurate or false statement; a falsehood.
- the charge or accusation of telling a lie: He flung the lie back at his accusers.
- verb (used without object), lied, ly·ing.
- to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive. Synonyms: prevaricate, fib.
- to express what is false; convey a false impression.
A lie is false, is ‘untruth’ and is inaccurate. It can be intentional or passed on from others though believed by the one passing it on. It’s indefensible because evidence exists to refute it.
Here’s a dictionary definition of “indefensible”:
in·de·fen·si·ble
-
not justifiable by argument.“the policy of apartheid was morally indefensible”
synonyms: inexcusable, unjustifiable, unjustified, unpardonable, unforgivable; -
not able to be protected against attack.“the towns were tactically indefensible”
synonyms: inexcusable, unjustifiable, unjustified, unpardonable, unforgivable
Meet the Father of Lies
The fallen angel called the devil is the father of lies according to Jesus the Messiah.
John 8:44 You (the Pharisees Jesus is speaking to) are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
It’s no wonder that in the field of spirituality and religion that the devil would invest himself in devising and promoting lies to deceive those who want to know the truth. He invents lies so close to the truth that only those who invest in seeking truth can find them out and refute them. He’ll mix truth with lies to attract more people. He’s an artist with lies and is the biggest deceiver ever. But Jesus Christ has overcome him and you can overcome him and his lies too, through Jesus.
Lies Have to be Defended
Lies cannot be defended because evidence to the contrary cannot be overcome by lies. There is always evidence to prove the lie wrong. That evidence may be easy or hard to find, but it’s there. Lies, by nature, are designed to sound like truth. There’s always some type of deception involved with lies. But in the case of religious or spiritual beliefs, it’s usually not the defenders of the lies being promulgated that actually originated the lie in the first place. The ones proclaiming the lies have usually been deceived themselves. They are sold. They are committed. They truly believe what they are speaking is the truth. They couldn’t be further from the truth.
Lies need a defense because of the existence of evidence against them. You’ve heard the proverb that one lie leads to a dozen lies. That’s because when challenged, other lies have to be stated to overcome the challenges. Since there is no truthful defense, more lies are conjured up and the rabbit hole gets deeper and deeper. This is the nature of lies — they need other lies to support them since truth does not and cannot support them
Truth Needs No Defense
On the other hand, truth needs no defense. Truth is what it is: true. Nothing changes truth and nothing can attack it successfully.
Here’s a dictionary definition of truth:
truth
[trooth] Show IPA
As you can see, truth is indisputable while lies are easily disputed. Truth is “reality” while lies are “fantasy.” Truth is verifiable, lies are indefensible.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Some translations use the word “defense” for the word “answer” in I Peter 3:15. The Greek word for “answer” is ἀπολογία which is often used of a formal answer before a magistrate, or of a written defense of the faith; but here the addition, “to every man,” shows that St. Peter is thinking of informal answers on any suitable occasion. That asketh you a reason of the here that is in you; literally, an account concerning the hope. (Source: Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)
The ‘defense’ this verse speaks of is not to defend the truth, but to defend the person’s belief in the truth. You can see the situation described isn’t a violent one. It’s describing people who come up and ask why you are so filled with hope. They are asking you why you have ‘hope.’ They aren’t attacking Christianity and asking you to defend it.
Truth is it’s own defense. Speaking the Word of God in love is the way to ‘answer’ those with genuine questions as well as those with evil intent. “It is written” was Jesus’ answer to the devil’s temptations and should be your answer too.
Proclaim the Truth in Love
Truth needs no defense, it just needs to be proclaimed. Those who God has called will believe the truth of his Word when they hear it.
Romans 10:14,15 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
The more we proclaim the truth in love, the more the devil has to back off. Truth obliterates lies like a hand grenade obliterates a barn. Pardon my war-like analogy but we are in a spiritual battle for people’s lives.
Ephesians 4:11-16 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
There are plenty of other verses that I could quote but I’ll leave that up to you. Go out and proclaim the truth in love and obliterate the lies of the enemy in the hearts of those who truly seek after God and his righteousness. Our God and our Lord Jesus Christ are with you every step of the way and in every word you speak. Praise God!