GUARDIANS OF TRUTH
2 Timothy 3:1 – 4:8
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
The term “post-truth” became widely used in the late 2010s when established sources of truth—Government, Science, logic and rational thought—were challenged and millions sought alternative views and held onto facts that were rarely backed by data. People sought to legitimise their perceptions rather than mould their perceptions to the data they have. People even sought to challenge and cast doubt on established data sources.
When you destroy the established guardians of truth, then people can just make up their own truth, or choose the truth they prefer to follow, or choose their own basis for judging right and wrong.
In the church, we have prominent Christian pastors and leaders who claim authority based on their success in attracting followers, success in accumulation of wealth and the power that comes with it, success in being able to wield the power of God in healing, in miracles and in the ability to predict the future.
Paul however tells Timothy that he is a trustworthy teacher because he is transparent, practising what he preaches, and TImothy knows how he lived, how he practised the Word he taught, how he was willing to endure and suffer to hold true to the Word. Paul had no qualms in commending to Timothy others who were equally faithful to the Word and most of all, Paul commended the Word itself to Timothy, so that he may be thoroughly equipped. In his life and ministry the reward that Paul looked forward to in his long and faithful obedience to God was “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.”
There are people who seek to deceive and there are people who are ready to be deceived. There are people who want to control and people who can never think for themselves and prefer to give control away. There are people who are given over to their own sinful emotions and desires, who are selfish, greedy, hateful, conceited and hedonistic, and seek to justify their sin.
Yet, instead of devoting ourselves to learning and practising God’s truth, Christians become consumers, seeking entertainment, interesting ideas to tickle the mind, or we listen only as is the practice of church life but we never take the preached word seriously and we discard and forget the word once the sermon is over. Worst of all, we no longer are taught by the Word regularly, preferring to be comforted by random verses that promise much but do not remind us of our responsibility to truth.
These days, the Word of God is being diminished, corrupted, distorted and rendered ineffective by our careless attitude to it.
Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, Paul tells us. Thus responsible teaching of the Holy Scriptures must be from teachers who are examples to the congregation of how Scripture may impact their lives, so that members may become “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”, moulded by the word they are taught.
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”