SUMMER 2002
   
 
SCRIPTURE STUDY
BY GIBBS FRAZEUR
Sincerity vs. reality
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” -- Proverbs 14:12

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” -- John 14:6
Do I understand you correctly–that you don’t believe in absolute truth?” I asked Steve. “Absolutely,” he responded. I let out a chuckle as a smile appeared on Steve’s face. Immediately, he realized the irony of his
statement. Steve was a fellow employee of a local supermarket where I worked years ago during “off hours” to supplement my freelance photography income. Steve and I rarely shared the same point of view, which made for lively discussions. In spite of our differences, I always wanted Steve to know that I respected him. Steve was very sincere and passionate about what he believed.

For many in our culture, sincerity is erroneously equated with truth. Each belief system has its own foundation from which everything else is constructed. But no matter how sincere an individual may be about something, that doesn’t necessarily make it correct. For example, no one sincerely believes that if you plant light bulbs in a cornfield they will produce a crop of floor lamps, yet other equally outlandish ideas do exist and are sincerely believed despite their (often subtle) deviation from truth.

Twenty-four years ago while attending college, I took an anthropology class. At the time I was not a Christian. I clearly remember the first day of class when the professor went to the chalkboard and scribbled: “Man is an animal.” Then he told the class that the entire course’s material would be based on that premise and that if “anyone had a problem with that, they could leave the class and enroll in a different course.” The professor was laying the foundation of his belief system and knew that everything that would be taught rested upon it.

My experience with both Steve and the college professor, while having taken place years apart, serve to illustrate a very important point: It is not sincerity that creates or even changes truth.
For many in our culture, sincerity is erroneously equated with truth. Each belief system has its own foundation from which everything else is constructed. But no matter how sincere an individual may be about something, that doesn’t necessarily make it correct.

We can be sincere but, in the end, be sincerely wrong. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Our foundation must be built upon truth. In today’s culture it’s common for folks to “pick and choose” their beliefs and build a new faith or belief system based on a conglomeration of ideas.

Those of the Christian faith have been described by unbelievers as being “closed-minded.” That same accusation could be leveled against your long-distance telephone company. It requires that precise numbers dialed in proper sequence be used if your call is to reach the intended destination. Randomly chosen numbers and combinations simply will not work.

Jesus Christ, likewise, in His “closed-mindedness” offers the assurance of salvation for those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior. He says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It is this absolute truth that is the bedrock of our belief system and hope for the future.

My prayer is that speaking the truth in love, the Lord will enable us to share this assurance of truth with others.

Gibbs Frazeur is a freelance photographer based in Alpharetta, GA.
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