“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2
The topic of truth cannot be discussed without the consideration of power. Power has the ability to influence our understanding of truth. And here’s a caution: the further a truth statement travels from reality, the more dangerous it becomes.
According to Jesus, God’s truth is powerful. It is a force for good, for freedom.
Those who understand truth and proclaim it with clarity gain the ability to influence others. Doing so creates momentum. Momentum amplifies influence—and amplified influence centralizes power in a leader.
Power, however, is a neutral force; it can be utilized for good or for evil based on the motivations of the user — and sadly, those motivations can change over time.
Good motivations produce selfless leaders who sacrifice to declare and defend truth and to provide the blessings of freedom and peace for the cherished people they lead. When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice.
Evil motivations produce selfish leaders who demand submission and conformity. They view subordinates as nothing more than pawns to be moved about and sacrificed in their ambitious quest for power. When the wicked rule, the people groan. We call them tyrants.
In 1887, Lord John Acton penned these famous words in exasperation, “Power tends to corrupt—and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” We are equally exasperated. Can greatness and goodness abide together in the same person? The answer is yes—and Jesus Christ is the perfect example of it. See Philippians 2.
For power and goodness to abide together in a leader, the leader must be selfless. There is a fine line in the human soul that stands between self and selflessness—and keeping on the good and selfless side of the line requires the spiritual disciplines of humility, divine purpose, and selfless sacrifice.
Consider Billy Graham and his evangelistic team’s Modesto Manifesto. It was a structure of accountability that held team members to the highest levels of integrity regarding finances, sexual purity, support for local churches and clergy, and truth in advertising. It worked — and a powerful man remained a good man. Billy finished well — and the people rejoiced.
Truth-Camouflaged Lies
Good liars know that an effective lie must contain a bit of truth. Outright lies, those which contain no element of truth, are easy to identify. Effective lies contain enough truth weaved into the narrative to make them plausible. Lies strategically laced with truth are very deceptive.
This is why Paul wrote, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” and “his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” See II Corinthians 11:12-15. Satan and his accomplices would not be effective if they dealt in outright lies. Instead, they disguise their nefarious intent in a cloak of half-truth. This strategy makes our enemy very good at deceiving the unsuspecting.
The devil weaved truth into his deceptive conversation with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. He didn’t question God’s existence or power. Instead, he cast doubt on God’s motives. It made the lie plausible—and the people groan.
Hitler did it by using the suffering and death of Jesus at the hands of the Jews to justify to Christians the extermination of the Jewish race—and the people groan.
Politicians scatter enough Christian-ease and Scriptural truth into their speeches to gain the support of Christian voters. After the election, they talk and act differently—and the people groan.
Christian charlatans twist the truth of God’s Word just enough to make it pay off for them. They have no qualms with duping and extorting fellow Christians—and the people groan.
Christian enslavers used Genesis 9:18-28 as the justification for the enslavement of African people. It was a horrible twisting of truth. Christian racists and bigots still use the passage to justify racism and bigotry—and the people groan.
In Christian households, tyrannical husbands use Ephesians 5:22-24 to force their wives into submission while completely ignoring verses 21 and 25-33. Another horrible twisting of the truth. For far too long, Christian women have suffered abuse at the hands of their truth-twisting husbands—and the people groan.
We live in a world inundated by false narratives camouflaged with enough truth to make them plausible—especially for those who are eager to be complicit in the sham. My friends, when we get truth wrong, the people groan.
Is your truth right and good? Is it humble and selfless and sacrificing? Does it lead others toward the blessings of freedom and peace? Does it cause people to rejoice? If it doesn’t, then I challenge you to scrutinize your truth. Do you know why you believe what you believe? Have you allowed your beliefs to be scrutinized by others? Have you taken the time and effort to understand God’s Word and to interpret and handle it correctly? It’s a big ask — and doing so will require sacrifice — but it’s worth it. When we get truth right, the people rejoice.
(Note: This is the fourth installment in a series of articles on the topic of truth. Previous articles are always available online at http://www.webbweekly.com.)
