“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.“ 1 Corinthians 15:58.
First, let me present a quote from Booker T. Washington that I believe is worth sharing.
“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by a majority.”
This is an incredibly wise statement which, when I look at today, shows me sadly that wisdom is in danger of being set aside in favor of desire.
Let’s look back at the Brett Kavanaugh situation, it was an incredibly polarizing issue where one side, or party, agreed that Brett was telling the truth while the other side, or party, agreed he was lying. The fact that one party was so entrenched in their view and the other side was equally entrenched in theirs, tells me that often times agenda overshadows truth. We should be more interested in what is true rather than what is more advantageous to us. And this is not the only place we find this. We see it in so many areas, especially where it gives one side an advantage over their opposition.
As Christians this is not behavior we should accept from ourselves or any brother and sister in Christ. We must put forth the idea that Truth is truth, and deceit is not. We must be willing to stand up for truth no matter what the cost is, be it to our advantage or detriment. If we have done something wrong we must be willing to stand up and accept it, not letting anyone else take the blame. Cheating is not right just because we gain an advantage. Murder is not right simply because there is a benefit from it, even if we did not do it ourselves. Truth is not relative. If it is, there would be no truth at all. Right is always right and wrong is always wrong. Evil is never good, and good is never evil. And why is this? Because the basis of all truth, goodness and righteousness is God, the unchanging and eternal God who created everything there is. The Apostle John put it this way.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. / And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’” John 1:1-3 / 14-15.
God, who is eternal with no beginning or end, created everything and set it in motion. He also made absolute declarations. He declared what is true, what is right, and what is good. And He made them known to us by His word which He gave to us in the form of the scriptures, both old and new testaments. And because of this, we have no excuse. We are called to present to a watching world all that God has communicated to us. Those things being, in our context here, what is true, what is right and what is good, with no compromise, hesitation or question. Jesus did this when He was here, and we are called to do the same today.
And how can we as Christians do this? By living it out in our lives such that the world sees it. We must never do or say anything that is in any way wrong or evil. Everything we do must be good and righteous. If the world sees or hears of us doing anything sinful or evil, they may choose to ignore us due to our hypocrisy. It is our calling to preach the gospel in all we say and do while avoiding all things that are contrary to God’s ways. If the world does not see us living it out, they will no-doubt turn away thinking there is no reality in what we say we believe.
In closing, it is extremely important to understand Truth is worth standing up and fighting for; Righteousness is worth standing up and fighting for and Good is worth standing up and fighting for. These must be done regardless of whatever cost we may pay. Remember our focus verse,
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58.
Our work for the Lord is never in vain. And part of our work is, as Francis Schaeffer said, “is presenting True Truth, True Righteousness and True Goodness”. Many times this will be difficult and may seem to be to our detriment. However, when we are faithful to God in ALL things, nothing will be detrimental in the end. Remember what Paul said to the Church in Ephesus.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:10-17.
It is important that as Christians we live the Christian life at all times so that the world can see it as absolute truth and also have the opportunity to give their lives to Christ and become true followers of Him. We know it is absolutely true. And we must help others also see that:
1-His Truth is worth standing up and fighting for.
2-His Righteousness is worth standing up and fighting for.
3-His Goodness is worth standing up and fighting for.
This is our calling. Let us get out there and make it happen.
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