A
half-truth is a partial revelation. It can give us a wrong or false impression that's all there is to be said of a subject whereas there are other facets worth
considering.
Fullness of revelation only comes when all the pieces of the jigsaw
puzzle are put in place.
This blog, PORRIDGE FOR THE SOUL, does not believe in sharing with you half-truths but the whole truth.
To illustrate what I mean by half truths, let's consider the subject of FEAR.
PERFECT
LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR
Does it mean we do not have to fear God anymore?
Does it mean we do not have to fear God anymore?
Many point out that perfect love casts out fear, citing 1 John 4:18. * Does it mean then that we do not have to fear God anymore?
Well, it is true to a
certain extent that we need not fear as God
loves us. But we also have to consider the other side of the coin. We need
to have reverential
fear of God. For more, check out Is Fear Positive Or Negative? : http://bit.ly/1iFjeql
While 'perfect love casts out fear' is true, it is not a full revelation. We also need to consider reverential fear of God.
While 'perfect love casts out fear' is true, it is not a full revelation. We also need to consider reverential fear of God.
The
Bible also reminds us repeatedly “Do
not fear” when we face trials and adversity because God will not forsake us. For more, check out Fear Not, Stand Firm: http://bit.ly/1jc5Nxu
So
there are negative as well as positive aspects of fear.
In summary, a full biblical understanding of fear is something like this:
In summary, a full biblical understanding of fear is something like this:
We are exhorted not to fear because God
loves us and will deliver us in times of trouble. But we also need to have reverential fear of God, which keeps us on our toes, spiritually speaking.
By
now, you would have realised that half-truths are not valid and can be misleading. Like Paul, we must
uphold and share the whole truth. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of
God” (Acts 20:27).
Assumptions based on half-truths provide fertile
ground for deception to thrive. Or to put in another way, deception is often
based on half-truths.
That’s why Tozer warns, "Heresy is not so much rejecting as selecting.”
By examining the whole Bible,
we do not dwell on half-truths or emphasise one truth at the expense of another
equally fundamental truth.
When we pit the whole counsel of God against
false teaching, the latter collapses like a house of cards. That is why it is
important to be diligent in studying the Word—not only part of it but the whole Word.
Do check
out whether the following premises
in red are
valid or merely based on half-truths:
- Once we are saved, we will remain saved (OSAS, once saved always saved, eternal security). http://bit.ly/GM5Srz
- All our future sins are forgiven at conversion. http://bit.ly/18wc9Rb
- There is no need to confess sin as we merely need to rest in the imputed righteousness of Christ. http://bit.ly/19yBzuD
- We can afford to banish sin consciousness from our lives as the sin issue is a thing of the past, being settled once and for all when we believed in Jesus. http://bit.ly/GDv4QL
- Repentance is merely changing our way of thinking. http://bit.ly/15qK4KI
RELATED POSTS
CHERRY PICKING
When we select portions of scripture which are
attractive and agreeable to us, we are distorting the truth.
THE DIVINE MAKEOVER
Harbouring an image of God that is attractive and
agreeable has its dangers.
TRUTH HAS WINGS
Let us dwell on the whole truth, not
half-truths.
UNPALATABLE TRUTHS
Minimising the significance of harsh truths has its
dangers
Footnotes: *
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to
do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).
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