Truth2Freedom's BlogThe mindset in postmodernism is that objective truth does not exist. But in post-truth, the person believes that objective truth exists, but they subordinate truth to their preferences, or their comfort. In other words, one doesn’t care that truth exists or what the truth is if it doesn’t line up with one’s preferences. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" - George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. Faith in Jesus Christ is our response to God's elective purpose in our life. These two truths--God's initiative and man's response--co-exist throughout the Bible. The gospel is "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John 17:17). People have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed God’s truth for centuries. Some cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief. Believing a lie doesn't make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:3). Truth is our protection and strength (Eph. 6:14). Throughout history, people have tried everything imaginable to gain favor with God. Most turn to religion, but religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses--by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, "There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and affirming His bodily resurrection from the grave (cf. Rom. 10:9-10). There is no other way to God. False religious leaders and teachers talk much about God’s love, but not His wrath and holiness; much about how deprived of good things people are, but not about their depravity; much about God’s universal fatherhood toward everyone, but not much about his unique fatherhood toward all who believe in His Son; much about what God wants to give to us, but nothing about the necessity of obedience to Him; much about health and happiness, but nothing about holiness and sacrifice. Their message is full of gaps, the greatest of which leaves out a biblical worldview of the saving gospel and replaces it with the worldview of postmodernism with its dominant ethical system of relativism. The Bible describes mankind in the end times: “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Spiritual answers cannot be deduced by human reason alone (1 Cor. 2:14). It’s not that spiritual truth is irrational or illogical, but that human wisdom is defective, because it’s tainted by man’s sinfulness, and unable to perceive the things of God. That is why the Bible is so important. It gives us the answers we can’t find on our own. It is God’s Word to mankind. Scripture is divinely revealed truth that fills the vacuum of spiritual ignorance in all of us. Post-truth is the word of the year for 2016 and also the philosophy of the day, According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. In a “post-truth” world, people make choices based on emotion and experience rather than objective fact. So in a post-truth world, truth is irrelevant. What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Christianity is grounded in objective truth. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Objective truth exists because we have God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and Paul and James describe the Bible as “the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). The Psalmist says, “The entirety of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus Himself said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). When Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6), He wasn’t expressing His personal belief or opinion. He was speaking the truth, a fundamental reality that doesn’t change from person to person. It doesn’t matter if our culture thinks all roads lead to God. The truth of the matter is “no one comes to the Father but by [Jesus].” This blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." - George Orwell
Yes i could feel every word (and hope you are well) – burning can strip many a thing bare and yet words remain – as you admirably demonstrate
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Our physical bodies heal much sooner than the heart don’t they?
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Agree. This is the worst pain.
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Your poem has described well both the physical feeling of having been burned as well as the just-as-hurtful kind of burn when kindness is stolen. There really is a parallel here, and your poem expresses this so very well!
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Poetry is a wonderful conduit isnt it?
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Yes the physical and mental searing…both can be just as difficult to heal. Hope your hand is better soon.
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Thanks 🙂
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love this layered fire poem…fire indeed is much associated with hurt, one must be cautious…hope you are better now…
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Your pain is palpable throughout the poem.. hope you’re feeling better and that the injury was not too severe. Beautifully executed ❤
Lots of love,
Sanaa
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WOW! Being tied to the stake of unkindness, fire licking the skin and burning within! Oh! You have captured bullying and worse–
“… nothing hurts tho
quite as much
when kindness is stolen
human fire’s touch
friend or family
devil’s spawn
take inspiration …”
Betrayal by ones nearest and dearest, with all the kindling necessary, burns–
I love how you lead us there and through the ways we hide it to the inevitable dried ink from dulled feeling. A magnificent poem!
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Physically one can take it and rally one’s resolve to take charge! But when hurt emotionally it lingers on and leave us in an unsettling mode. Very true Moonie!
Hank
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Sorry to hear about you hand…hopefully you will recover soon with minimal pain.
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Im amazed my hand is still willing to recuperate with all the injury I subject it to.
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Oh I am so sorry for your accident. The pain must be terrible. I agree the internal wounds hurt us even more.
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Wow! You got injured for your art? You’re the man! Great poem, seriously, Mosk
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Ooh, burning is one of the scariest, nastiest things, I think. But you take the poem deeper than the surface hurt, and that is interesting. I have been loving the wonderful fire photos people have been using, beginning with Sumana’s at the prompt, and this one s particularly striking.
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The line lengths in this work so well…dark and moving.
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Can tell you felt it! Hope your hand is okay!
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__With my apologies, Moonie, I’ve adjusted three lines of your poem into (a sort of… senryu)another form, but they are still -your words and grand thought-_!
__That Hades Flame, please accept my wishes for quick comfort and healing. _m
the devils spawn
when kindness is stolen
a well of dried ink
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I like it (it says it all) – never apologize for your beautiful writing !!!
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How intensely graphic and painful it was to read this. Burns stop our brains from thinking straight and concentrates on no other issue.
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Well written, very powerful the pain of betrayal.
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It stings doesnt it?
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So sorry about your accident, but grateful that it inspired this lovely poem.
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thanks Myrna – I need to pay attention to what I am doing.
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I hope your hand better now.
but, i must say, this poem is written brilliantly 🙂
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Yikes! Out of pain you made beauty. I love the poem.
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Powerrful poem using the concept of fire figuratively. Very well-penned!
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