Monday, July 30, 2012

Do You Believe That “The Truth Will Set You Free”


Do you believe the truth will set you free, or do you believe that the truth will set you free as long as you’re not offended by it? To be honest, the TRUTH is neither friend nor foe, it is simply the TRUTH. The truth is, “We do not see the world as it is. “We see the world as we are.” Hum? Perplexing? This quote summarizes the idea that truth, the truth that one perceives, is subjective and can be wrong. We have long been taught that the truth will set us free, and that seeking the truth is a worthy goal. What if there is no absolute truth? What if there are just degrees of truth (or lies) that we tell ourselves? Presently, America is in a Truth war over “Same Sex Marriage” The Queers are feeling very neglected by the Moral Majority of American Society all do to the fact that most of us will never, ever be OK with “Same Sex Marriage” Bottom line is Homosexuality goes against the forces of nature. Like it or not, this is a TRUTH.


Homosexuality is un-natural. Here is why. Former teen heartthrob turned conservative opinionate Kirk Cameron visited Piers Morgan and talked about faith and politics, though Morgan had to work to get some answers. When he did get answers on social issues, however, Cameron’s declaration that homosexuality was “ultimately destructive to so many foundations of civilization” left him somewhat shocked.   Cameron noted that he watched many people on cable news “to try to give me a clear picture to know as a father what to teach our kids,” and to that end, Morgan started quizzing him on social issues. “I feel like I just got imported into the Christine O’Donnell interview you did in August,” he replied, clearly uncomfortable, but eased up when Morgan explained that his question stemmed from a desire to know him as a father better.

                                               Kirk Cameron

So he gave his position on gay marriage. “Marriage was designed by God a long time ago… it’s almost as old as dirt. I would never attempt to redefine marriage.” When asked if he considered homosexuality a sin, he answered, “I think it’s unnatural, I think it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many foundations of civilization.” Morgan didn’t question it, but followed up asking what Cameron would do if his child were gay. “Just because you feel that way doesn’t mean you have to act on everything you feel,” he told Morgan. He footnoted his statements with the fact that “I believe all of us are sinful,” so the word meant only a human status.


Morgan asked him also about abortion, which Cameron opposed in all circumstances, even in rape, saying that killing “a little creature made in God’s image” would be “compounding the problem.” Cameron’s comments on homosexuality offended many, including GLAAD, which issued a statement and has put together a petition against Cameron: Notice how the Truth hurt here. This is typical by the Queers and the Liberals, if we the conservatives, and yes I do sit about as far to the right as I can sit, so I do mean we. Anyway, my point is this, The Truth will set you free, and however the truth hurts.  The queers are reeling over the truth these days, simply because not everyone is waiting on the doorstep to welcome them and their gayness into society with open arms. Thank God we do still have an overwhelming majority of traditionalists in the country because quit frankly, the queers are an embarrassment to America the beautiful and an abomination before God. There is nothing natural about Sodomy, absolutely nothing at all. That is brutal honesty, which is the Truth.


What if, as some insightful, anonymous person once purported, “People tell themselves stories, and then pour their lives into the stories they tell”? Meaning is created in life. Neutral events are made subjective by interpreting them through the lens of perception. “Truth” is merely a product of perceptions; perceptions are colored by experience, which is then filtered through the current state of mind and altered even further. By the time the neutral event is processed in this manner, it is little more truth than fiction. Yet personal truth is accepted wholeheartedly. I say not really, because no-one wants to hear personal truth, because its constructive criticism and offensive.


One of the best-known Scriptures, at least within the Church, is a statement by Jesus: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) This Scripture is frequently employed by many sincere Christians in order to justify their separation from other’s including people who say they are Christians, over what they conceive to be “truth,” that is to say, their particular brand of orthodoxy. The question that confronts every Christian is this: What is “the truth” that Jesus alludes to?


Is this “truth” dogmatic truth? Is it right orthodoxy? Is this “truth” abstract truth? Is this “truth” simply an understanding of intellectual knowledge of facts recorded in the Bible? As one approaches this well-known passage, one faces the influence of pre-understanding in one’s interpretation. The abuse of this Scripture, in many instances, has fractured the Body of Christ into warring factions, each claiming to be the only ones who have a handle on the “truth” that Jesus speaks about in John 8:32. This essay is not designed to castigate God’s people for their lack of understanding, but rather the purpose of this paper is to help break down the barriers that separates the ones for whom Christ died.


The truth is the queers are in great denial here. The advocates of anti-marriage and anti-family sexuality face yet another foe: the truth is in the Beginning we read in Genesis that God created nature itself. God created the world in a natural order; man is who has made things un-natural. According to the above-mentioned Pew Poll, the next most frequent reason given for opposing gay marriage is that “homosexuality is not natural/normal” (9 percent). The cap in this Pew Poll was (10).


This response is followed by “the purpose of marriage is to have children” (4 percent), which also recognizes a purposeful and thus “natural” design for human sexuality. In his epistle to Christians living in Rome, the Apostle Paul speaks of an undeniable “law” regarding normative human behavior that is written on the hearts of mankind “to which their own conscience also bears witness” Those who would reject this law find themselves in opposition to the Divine intent for mankind, a reality that every culture from the dawn of civilization has either recognized or failed to acknowledge at its peril. The power of the innate realization that there is something fundamentally “unnatural” about homosexuality even among those who consider themselves non-religious should not be underestimated, and may well provide the vital motivation that will turn back the seemingly invincible juggernaut of the queers agenda.


What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?"

                                               Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by fire


Let’s look at this truth. The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is recorded in Genesis chapters 18-19. Genesis chapter 18 records the Lord and two angels coming to speak with Abraham. The Lord informed Abraham that "the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous." Verses 22-33 record Abraham pleading with the Lord to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah because Abraham's nephew, Lot, and his family lived in Sodom.

Genesis chapter 19 records the two angels, disguised as human men, visiting Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot met the angels in the city square and urged them to stay at his house. The angels agreed. The Bible then informs us, "Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom both young and old surrounded the house. They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.'" The angels then proceed to blind all the men of Sodom and Gomorrah and urge Lot and his family to flee from the cities to escape the wrath that God was about to deliver. Lot and his family flee the city, and then "the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities..."

In light of the passage, the most common response to the question "What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?" is that it was homosexuality. That is how the term "sodomy" came to be used to refer to anal sex between two men, whether consensual or forced. Clearly, homosexuality was part of why God destroyed the two cities. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to perform homosexual gang rape on the two angels (who were disguised as men). At the same time, it is not biblical to say that homosexuality was the exclusive reason why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were definitely not exclusive in terms of the sins in which they indulged.

Ezekiel 16:49-50 declares, "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me..." The Hebrew word translated "detestable" refers to something that is morally disgusting and is the exact same word used in Leviticus 18:22 that refers to homosexuality as an "abomination." Similarly, Jude 7 declares, "...Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion." So, again, while homosexuality was not the only sin in which the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah indulged, it does appear to be the primary reason for the destruction of the cities.


                                             Sodom and Gomorrah Suffers Gods Wrath


Those who attempt to explain away the biblical condemnations of homosexuality claim that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was in hospitality. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah were certainly being inhospitable. There is probably nothing more inhospitable than homosexual gang rape. But to say God completely destroyed two cities and all their inhabitants for being inhospitable clearly misses the point. While Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of many other horrendous sins, homosexuality was the reason God poured fiery sulfur on the cities, completely destroying them and all of their inhabitants. To this day, the area where Sodom and Gomorrah were located remains a desolate wasteland. Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a powerful example of how God feels about sin in general, and homosexuality specifically.  

                                           Lot and his Daughters Fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah

JESUS IS THE TRUTH

As one examines the Christian faith, one can say that the Christian faith is faith in Jesus as “the truth.” For one to say that Jesus is the content of truth is a radical departure from the ordinary concept of truth. In the Prologue to the Gospel of John, John writes: “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). With Jesus, truth came into being. Truth is something that happens; in other words, it is something God does. It is in Jesus that grace and truth reaches its pinnacle grace and truth come to realization. In one’s reflection upon the Incarnation, one understands that this supernatural birth is not the pivotal point of the biblical revelation, but rather the work of the redeemer that results in salvation for sinful humanity.

The Gospel of John guides one in understanding the “mystery of God,” which is Jesus Christ (See Colossians 1:27—2:2). The Person of the Mediator must be understood as an act of God an act designed to set men and women free from condemnation (See Romans 5:1-2; 8:1). In the Gospel, one observes that God reveals Himself in Him “the Truth.” God also reconciles the world unto Himself in Him “the Truth.” It is in Him that God redeems humanity (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-19). Jesus is God’s act of atonement for sinful humanity. It is in and through His Son that God gives freedom. It is in and through His Son that God gives Himself. Again, one can say that the sufferings of Christ His passion is the act of God in which He gives Himself and establishes fellowship with both men and women. Is it any wonder that Jesus went to the very heart of redemption when He startled His disciples with the following words: You are from below; I am from above.

                                               Jesus our Savior "By His stripes we are Healed"
                                
You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins (John 8:23-24).  Jesus identifies Himself as the One who came forth from the Father. Some rejected this truth and therefore condemned themselves (8:42). In contrast, there were some who put their faith in Him. Thus, Jesus said to the Jews who believed that He came from the Father and that He was the Christ: and that He was the Christ: John 8:32 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. That is good enough for me ~ Donnie Bolena