A Hostage to Truth

In light of the world's tumultuous experience in these recent times, it is time that we as individuals reflect upon where we stand and how we relate to these experiences.

As a Bible believing Christian, the sad reality of the human brokenness and frailty of life on earth that is rearing its ugly head is of no surprise to me. And that is true for a lot of us who understood that God does nothing good and kind unless ahead of time He tells us the way things are going to be (Amos 3:7; John 14:29). 

The problem is that we almost become desensitised to human suffering amidst the reality that it was written beforehand thousands of years ago that the exact events that happen today are signs that Jesus is in fact coming very soon and that He is, in fact, real and is, in fact, God. When human on human violence increases in intensity and quantity, when love is replaced with selfish lust, when greed is the driving force of our human decisions - these things are indicators that yes, He returns soon. But We've almost begun celebrating the fact that these things are happening as a sign that He is coming soon. We are ignoring the reality that individuals - you, me, and billions of others - suffer daily from the result of self-centredness and a lack of true, selfless love. And we become, despite knowing these prophetic timelines and signs of the times, self-centred in our own right. 

Paul wrote to the church of Corinth that love is the only thing that gets us to a true place of certainty with God in life eternal:

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  - 1 Corinthians 13:2

A friend of mine uttered the phrase "many people are held hostage by their knowledge of prophecy." It was incredible timing because it had been a thought I had been toying with and ruminating over at the same time. He merely put rhythm and rhyme to the concept - words to my wonderings. I was encouraged that I was not the only one seeing this. I can say especially as Adventists who are a movement that came from the fulfilment of biblical prophecy, we are more often than not on an individual level hostages to the truth we hold. I say this because I in my own experience have said "I could never leave this church, they have the truth." It was not long after that that I left not only the church, but the faith. Love was not binding me to God's church, "knowledge" was. I have been a clanging s Later I managed to correct myself through the ongoing experience of having actually fallen in love with Jesus

I think we have hinged our hope and security on knowledge of what is safe. But in a sermon I listened to recently, it became evident to me recently that knowing what the danger is doesn't save you from it. You must hide yourself in a safe place of refuge. Love of God and of others is that safe place. Jesus explained this in His life. Luke 10:25-28 reads:

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Throughout the bible this has been the consistent promise of life. "Do this and you will live" is Jesus' very own response. He doesn't say "study prophecy till you go cross eyed and then go on a rampage telling everyone what you've read till you go blue in the face and you will live." He simply says "love others and love Me." 

Crazy stuff, huh?

If you are a hostage to knowledge, if you are where you are in your thinking and in your life because you think what you know will save you, then perhaps you need to realign your understanding of the value of knowledge. 

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." - John 17:3

Know of the danger, but know God. And know that He is calling you to love endlessly, despite what day it is in prophetic history.