The Truth Will NOT Set You Free

John Wesley once said that religion did not consist in orthodoxy, or right opinions. Indeed, “A man may be orthodox in every point; he may not only espouse right opinions, but zealously defend them against all opposers….He may be almost as orthodox - as the devil, (though, indeed, not altogether; for every man errs in something; whereas we cannot well conceive him to hold any erroneous opinion,) and may, all the while, be as great a stranger as he to the religion of the heart.”

A bit of a shattering thought, that: “…a man may judge as accurately as the devil, and yet be as wicked as he.”

Truth will not set a person free. Truth, applied, will. Which is what Jesus meant when he articulated that famous verse from the Gospel of John: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Holding to the truth in the gospels apparently meant following Jesus to the lost, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, and the naked.

Too many would rather talk the truth, and correct all others’ theology, without first applying the truth to their families, to the needy in their communities, to the Christ-less masses around the world. And don’t get the impression this columnist thinks preaching of truth is unimportant, or that a strong, biblical statement of faith and the worldview that proceeds from it are not critical. Indeed, here is the statement of my own seminary and, here, of my denomination. Strong statements, both. And necessary.

But merely statement of truth is dangerous. Thomas Henry Huxley once said, “The great end of life is not knowledge, but action. What men need is as much knowledge as they can organize for action; give them more and it may become injurious. Some men are heavy and stupid from undigested learning.”

Interesting that the Hebrew word for “know,” yada, according to cholar Marvin Wilson embraced much more than information. Facts and orthodoxy were not enough; it also implied a response in the practical domain of life, in behavior and the morality that informed that behavior. In short, says Wilson, to “know” was to “do.” It went well beyond the cognitive domain. It meant to put truth in motion, to act.

The yada of Hebrew is first used, interestingly enough, of sexual relations: Adam encountered/experienced Eve (Gen. 4:1). At its most profound level this word expressed the desire of God that His people would know Him – not just intellectually, but in a much more intimate and experiential sense. They would experience their God – love Him, interact with Him, develop an intimacy with Him, and act on His behalf.

On the radio program I host, we recently discussed People’s “Most Beautiful People” issue. It is comprised of good-looking people from Hollywood, basically. But the question to my listening audience was this: Who are the people in our culture today that are beautiful, in a biblical sense? My own choice included Bruce Olson, of Bruchko fame – who traveled down to South America as a very young man with the gospel and became a missionary legend. Incredible book, beautiful man. I also offered the name Charles Colson, a man who is a brilliant thinker and writer but who is more at home in the prison sharing truth with men and women in need. Doers of the Word, both.

The older I get, the more I have started defining beauty and Christlike ministry in terms of “truth applied,” instead of simply “truth talk” and heresy-hunting. It seems to be consistent with the mind of Christ: “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”