God’s Word never ceases to amaze in how relevant it remains. Anyone who thinks the Bible is an outdated collection of dusty writings isn’t paying attention. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul penned these words in his letter to the Church in Rome: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen” (Romans1:25).
We see this verse continue to play out in Western countries all over the world. Societies and cultures founded on the principles of Scripture and their faith in God have abandoned the truth of God’s Word to follow their desires, lusts, and pleasures (2 Timothy 3:1-4; 1 John 2:16). They are exchanging truth for lies, convinced their wisdom is superior to God’s (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).
Zooming in a little, we see the same malady inflicting our churches. Once noble institutions are now caught in an endless slide of compromise and capitulation to the culture. Where once they were the unassailable bastions of society, many are now little more than weekly entertainment experiences that offer little depth and are becoming ever more irrelevant in a world desperate for their leadership. Modern churches, too, are exchanging truth for lies (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Better to be accepted by the culture than to stand opposed to it seems to be the marching orders of the day (James 4:4).
It’s not just countries and churches exchanging truth for lies, it’s every one of us. Every day, we choose the lies of Satan over the truth of Christ (John 8:44). We choose to pursue the pleasures of the world rather than the beauty of God. While few of us worship carved statues, we are all prone to worship things created by our hands or the hands of others. We idolize singers, musicians, athletes, speakers, business people, and even pastors. We too often desire to be more like someone else in the world than to be like God. Wanting what others have is nothing more than coveting and violates God’s law (Exodus 20:17).
When we worship things of this world, we are exhibiting our selfishness (Philippians 2:3-4). We are saying we prefer the perceived good things of this life more than we desire the genuine goodness of the things of God (Matthew 6:19-21). That trade is illogical and insane. Why do we seek those things that cannot last over the gifts of God, which cannot fade (1 Peter 1:3-4)? God is truth and everything this world offers is a lie (John 14:6; Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 14:12).
We need not spend our lives exchanging the truth for lies. We know the One who not only has the truth but is the truth (John 14:6). When a blind man receives his sight, he doesn’t spend the rest of his days stumbling around and looking for someone new to guide him. Yet, this is how so many of us live our lives. Even though we have the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, we spend our lives pursuing something we think will be better.
There is nothing better in life than knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). There is no pleasure more rewarding than meditating on the love of God (Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 63:6-7). No endeavor will bring more success and satisfaction to your life than digging into the riches of God’s Word (Psalm 119:11; Psalm 119:72). Don’t exchange the truth of God for the lies of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:3). Hold fast to the truth of God’s Word and find life as God intended it (John 17:17; Deuteronomy 30:19-20).