Articles
Offended by the Truth?
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Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? (Gal. 4:16)
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When we go to a doctor to have a strange ailment checked out, we might not like the diagnosis we get, but we want to know the truth about what ails us. It's the first critical step toward an effective treatment.
When we hire an HVAC expert to examine our broken air conditioner, we may not like his estimate to fix it, but pretending he doesn't know what he's talking about won't make our house any cooler.
And when our investment advisor tells us that market trends suggest it's time to make an adjustment in our portfolio, it's probably in our best interest to listen.
In all these cases, the truth may be painful, expensive, or inconvenient, but it is still essential to our well-being. Truth is truth, even when it hurts.
Why should it be any different with our souls?
Take, for example, the subject of human sexuality. The Bible addresses this topic frequently, providing an abundance of guidance on how to manage this precious gift.
- The Bible teaches that sexual activity should be confined to marriage between a man and a woman. No casual sex between friends, no homosexuality, no adultery, no polygamy (1 Cor. 6-7; Heb. 13:4; Eph. 5:25-33).
- The Bible teaches that we (especially men) should not even look upon another with lust in our hearts (Matt. 5:28: Prov. 6:25). Even our thoughts must be held in check.
- The Bible teaches that divorce for any reason other than infidelity is forbidden (Matt. 5:31-32; 19:9). If our marriage is hard, we must try harder.
Sexuality is just one dimension in a much broader moral landscape that God lays out for us. What the Bible teaches about anger, revenge, envy, pride, covetousness, personal responsibility, and a host of other moral issues are equally challenging.
God's intention in providing these instructions is not to squelch our enjoyment, but to enhance it. Of course, in our promiscuous culture, people take offense at all these constraints. They label as "haters" those who seek to practice and teach what the Bible says on these matters. They are offended by the truth; but the truth is still the truth, whether they like it or not.
When we get our feathers ruffled over the high standard the Bible places in front of us, we are only putting our own immaturity on display. In moral behavior--as in healthcare, home maintenance, and financial security--we need to be challenged to do better. But that first requires a willingness to accept the truth.
--David
