"Never Able To Know The Truth"

II Timothy 3:5-7

5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I

t is a very sad situation that so many people spend so much time involved in church, yet remain without the truth of God. Most often, this "involvement" runs the gamut (so to speak), showing that mere involvement is not enough to ensure that one acquires the truth of the Lord.

Amongst things keeping people from the truth are: 1) believing that one already knows what truth is; 2) believing that one already possesses truth simply because of one is, and 3) being in defense of one's "stand." Paramount to avoiding the latter is an understanding of the fact that the Word needs no defense.

The greatest problem in the Church world today, is the problem of sin. Quite possibly, in all of Church history, there has never been as vocal a people as those who profess to know the truth, but remain blatantly in sin. There has never been a time when the truth did not lead one away from sin. In fact, the whole purpose of the truth is to "educate" us that we can be free from sin! This is the essence of truth.

Currently, a phenomenon is sweeping the nation concerning a simple phrase" "What would Jesus do?" we, the blood-bought and washed believers on whom the Lord is depending to lead this world from sin, ought to be the first to embrace and remember this. Yet, when it comes to application of even basic knowledge concerning the Lord (that is, even what is imparted to us through the infilling), we fall far below expectations.

Perhaps, this is most clear in our defense of ourselves and everything concerning us. When we allow the devil to trick us into indulging I this most futile, time-consuming "pursuit," we show that we have failed to understand the Word. How have we failed? In not gaining the essence of the life of Jesus. His sacrifice for us is encompassed in the fact that His life defended none of what He was (or did), but was marked by a silence in all things personal. This, all the more, proved to focus attention on the one Who was most important.

Men are "put off" by defensiveness, therefore, it will be impossible to win others to the Lord if we so indulge ourselves. In that the devil has been operating quite a successful offense since before Jesus even came on the scene, it is incumbent upon us that we learn to do the same. We spend too much time on ourselves and differences between each other to be able to recognize the real threat that we face.

It seems as if we will never understand that time spent trying to defend oneself against "things" that happen is time wasted. You see, try as we might to "avoid and avert," if we will serve Him, we will suffer persecution. There is no better way for Him to show exactly Who He is to the unredeemed. Of course, this is only successful as we turn situations over into His hands.

The answer to solving the problems in our walk with the Lord are found only in accepting that He has already given the answers to whatever might concern us. The answers that we need are not contained in our changing ourselves. We are not to be sufficient in our own power. For so long, we have "worked at" trying to be "different." This is not, and was never possible. The only recourse that we have no change anything is to be saved. This, and this alone, solves all problems. Unless we are willing to do this (with all of its ramifications), we will, indeed, be "never able to know the truth."