Friday, February 18, 2022

day no. 15,824: lies belie

"Those who love a lie are not constrained by facts and can fight dirty, or not, as it pleases them. They can twist a how-do-you-do into something sinister. They craft their accusations in such a way that any and every response is more proof of their claim. Truth, on the other hand, is constrained by its own nature and the bounds of Scripture.Truth fights by the rules, and lies fight lawlessly. This might seem like an insuperable disadvantage, but there is something else to consider: Truth fights under the covenant blessing of the triune God, while lies are in the service of the devil, who loves to double-cross and abandon his own instruments. When Judas was hunting for the rope, the devil wasn’t trying to save him." -- Douglas Wilson and Randy Booth, A Justice Primer

"In fighting those who serve devils one always has this on one’s side; their Masters hate them as much as they hate us. The moment we disable the human pawns enough to make them useless to Hell, their own Masters finish the work for us. They break their tools." -- C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength

At first glance it seems as though falsehood has the upper hand. It can lie or tell the truth, whatever happens to suit it. Meanwhile, truth is forbidden from lying. And while it seems like this tips the scales in favor of falsehood, it only seems that way. Without truth, lies are powerless. Lies are only effective inasmuch as they are believed. Lies known to be lies are impotent. They can only inflict damage when they are believed as true. Lies need the truth in order to work -- in order to exist. But truth does not need lies. It can live without them... and someday, it will.

Revelation 21:7-8
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

"Truth should do what truth does the best, which is to move on straight ahead. Truth fights when it has to, but it fights in the path, in order to stay on the path. Bunyan’s pilgrim was not chasing over the meadows in order to go Apollyon-hunting. He fought, but he fought because Apollyon was in the path. We have our tasks assigned to us, and it is most important that we remain faithful in those tasks, whatever liars may say." -- Douglas Wilson and Randy Booth, A Justice Primer


Nothing is better at going straight forward than truth. While lies may have the freedom to leave the narrow path and wander, they don't have the freedom to stick to the path. Falsehood, by allowing the option of wandering, cannot avoid sometimes wandering off. It is not free to keep to the road. And while lies are off-roading and looking for wild adventure, truth is moving, plodding steadily forward like leaven advancing through the rest of the loaf.

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