Insuppressible truth

Untruths, cover-ups, and falsifications cannot last in the long run, but the truth is unkillable. Proverbs is not poetic but a promise you can take to the bank:

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (Proverbs 12:19, ESV).

Unkillable, I would say, like Jesus was unkillable. When the forces of evil in high places finally drove Him to an early grave, they soon found to their dismay that He could not stay dead:

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24, ESV).

Indeed, it would seem to be a law of physics that the earth must cough up both Jesus and the truth about everything, and that truth cannot remain hidden. A mysterious force at work in the bowels of creation will not allow otherwise.

This is a great consolation for us when we find ourselves in a situation in which we are telling the truth about something—but it sure does look like we’re lying! Everything, all the circumstantial evidence, points to our indictment.

It is here where the difference between faith in God and no faith in God is palpably appreciated. I am presently in a situation that looks bad. I have not been able to present myself effectively to prove my innocence, being halting of tongue. Moreover, at every turn, when coincidences might have fallen in my favor or against it, they have perversely fallen against me to fortify the case of my guilt. I say perversely, but this is way too one-sided to be anything but the craftiness of Satan or the allowance of God to paint things as black as they can so that He can better glorify Himself when the truth is sprung.

The Apostle Paul finds himself in a demonic conspiracy of sorts in Corinth. It is Paul against the super-apostles. They are charismatic speakers; he is not. They know how to use psychology to get people to put them on pedestals. Because Paul is singularly focused on his people’s spiritual well-being and not on looking good, he does godly acts that turn out to be damaging to his reputation.

Let us remember this:

“… we cannot do anything against the truth …” (2 Corinthians 13:8, ESV).

All we need do is stand back and watch God be wonderful. For something out of the blue will surely hurl in suddenly to change the lay of the chessboard. This is the Lord’s way from time immemorial, and it is the comfort of the saints to do right and trust God.