11/29/2022
One of the innumerable reality shows out is called, "American Pickers." The show portrays a guy who makes a living traveling back roads from coast to coast searching for hidden gems and "restoring forgotten relics to their former glory, transforming one person's trash into another's treasure" (History Channel web site).
Sometimes what appears to be junk actually has great value, and what looks like a treasure is actually junk. But how can you tell? How do you determine if something old has great value or is just . . . old? How do you determine if something old, like the Bible, has great value or is just antiquated and out of date? Do we evaluate truth the same way? What looks like truth to you might look like trash to someone else. How do you determine whether or not something is true? We live in a culture that desperately needs to rediscover truth! We need to know what is true, why it’s true, and what difference that makes to our lives.
Josh McDowell tells about a conversation with Amber, a 16 year old girl – a Christian from a solid youth group. McDowell: “Is it wrong to engage in premarital sex?” Amber: “Well, I believe it’s wrong for me.” McDowell: “But do you believe that the Bible teaches that premarital sex is wrong for everyone?” Amber’s eyes shifted back and forth as she weighed her answer. “Well, I know it’s wrong for me, and I have chosen not to have sex until I’m married. But I don’t think I can judge other people on what they do.”
McDowell’s conclusion? Amber has been conditioned to believe that truth is not true for others unless they choose to believe it. That’s why over 80% of teenagers in America claim that “all truth is relative to the individual and his/her circumstances.” Folks, whether you struggle with this issue or not, with over 80% of the next generation claiming that all truth is relative, we need to figure out what we can do to change our current direction before we go over the cliff! I don’t pretend that one blog posting will cause an entire culture to change course, but maybe it will be a starting point for some people--maybe even for you!
In Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul writes, "Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:5b-6). The two "G Words" Paul uses are not always associated with truth: gospel and grace. For some, the gospel, that is the Good News that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), tells a story that may be true for some but not for others. And many people attempt to put grace at one end of a spectrum and truth at the other end, as though they are opposites. They are not. Grace is true, and truth (genuine truth) is grace-filled. They are two sides of the same coin. The gospel is the coin. The gospel is true, and it is the fullest demonstration of grace.
Not everyone believes this, however. Some consider the gospel and the Bible, which gives a written record of the gospel, as outdated, irrelevant, and not true--at least not true for everyone. "American Pickers" might pass right over it and not recognize the incredible treasure it truly is.
So what does this have to do with us? If we're going to change our culture's current direction, we have to show people the grace and truth of the gospel. Yes, we have to tell them as well, but if people don't see the gospel lived out in our own lives, they certainly won't receive it into their lives. We need to practice our faith at home, behind closed doors, at work, in schools, and everywhere else we go. And what does this look like? It looks like Jesus. It's about us loving people. It's about us being kind to children. It's about us helping our neighbor. We are living the gospel, and in so doing, people are much more open to hearing us explain the gospel. Malcolm Forbes once said, "Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Let's stick with our job which, according to the Apostle Paul, is to "show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:3). What is the letter of your life saying to those around you? Hopefully it's telling Jesus' story (the gospel) with grace and truth.
