HIS KINGDOM OF TRUTH

Where God Reigns in Self-Giving Love

Article 2 of 4: Understanding Biblical Faith and Truth

The Foundation We Have Built

In our first article, we discovered what Biblical faith actually is. We saw that faith is not human belief, personal confidence, or religious achievement. Faith is a gift from God - the Father's own faithfulness made available to us through Jesus Christ. We learned that faith unites us to Christ, gives us access to grace, and transforms us by replacing SELF with Christ's life. And we discovered that faith brings joy and peace because we are no longer trying to generate spiritual life - we are receiving it from the One who is Life itself.

But faith must rest on something. Faith must have an object. We cannot simply believe in believing. We must believe something specific, trust someone in particular. And this brings us to the question that defines everything: What is truth?

This is not an abstract philosophical question. This is the most practical question you will ever face. Because the truth you believe determines the kingdom you inhabit, the life you live, and the destiny you embrace. Truth is not one option among many. Truth is the dividing line between life and death, between light and darkness, between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of lies.

Let us see what Scripture actually says about truth.

Part One: Truth Is a Person, Not Information

The modern world treats truth as information - facts to be learned, data to be processed, propositions to be evaluated. Religious systems treat truth as doctrine - beliefs to be affirmed, creeds to be memorized, theology to be systematized. But this is not what Jesus taught. Jesus made the most stunning claim ever uttered by human lips:

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)

Jesus did not say, "I teach the truth." He did not say, "I know the truth." He did not say, "I show you the truth." He said, "I AM the truth." Truth is not something Jesus possesses - Truth is who Jesus IS. This changes everything.

The Truth Became Flesh

John begins his Gospel with this profound declaration:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)

Jesus is the Word - the Logos - the complete expression of God's nature, mind, and will. He was with God in the beginning. He was God. Everything was made through Him. In Him was life. He is the light that shines in darkness. This is not metaphor - this is reality. Jesus is the Truth because He is the perfect revelation of the Father.

Then John says something stunning:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The Word - the Truth - became flesh. Truth is not an abstract concept. Truth walked on earth. Truth ate meals. Truth wept. Truth laughed. Truth taught. Truth healed. Truth died. Truth rose. Truth is a Person, and that Person is Jesus Christ.

Notice what John says: Jesus was full of grace AND truth. Not grace without truth. Not truth without grace. Grace and truth together, inseparable, united in the Person of Jesus. This is crucial. False religion separates grace from truth - offering either harsh truth without grace, or cheap grace without truth. But Jesus is FULL of both. He is absolute truth expressed in absolute grace. He is perfect holiness united with perfect love.

This brings deep joy. We are not seeking abstract truth that judges us from a distance. We are encountering the Living Truth who loves us with the Father's own love. This brings lasting peace. We are not trying to figure out truth on our own. We are meeting Truth face to face in Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Truth Reveals Jesus

Jesus promised that after He returned to the Father, He would send the Spirit of Truth:

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-14)

The Spirit's work is to guide us into all truth. But notice - the Spirit does not speak on His own authority. The Spirit takes what belongs to Jesus and declares it to us. The Spirit glorifies Jesus. The Spirit reveals Jesus. The work of the Spirit of Truth is to show us the Truth, and the Truth is Jesus.

This means that all genuine spiritual experience leads to Jesus. Any teaching, any experience, any revelation that does not point to Jesus, glorify Jesus, and make us more like Jesus is not from the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit always reveals Jesus because Jesus IS the Truth.

Jesus said this clearly:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:6-7)

To know Jesus is to know the Father. To see Jesus is to see the Father. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus. Not because God is exclusive, but because Jesus IS the full revelation of God. He is the Truth. He is the Way. He is the Life. There is no truth about God apart from Jesus because Jesus is God made visible, God made knowable, God made accessible.

This is where joy overflows. We do not have to search for truth in a thousand different places. We do not have to compare philosophies and weigh options. All truth is found in Jesus. This is where peace settles. We are not wandering in confusion. We are standing on the solid rock who is Christ the Lord.

Pilate's Question and Jesus' Answer

When Jesus stood before Pilate, facing death, He made a declaration about His mission:

"Pilate said to him, 'So you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'" (John 18:37-38)

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. His entire mission was to reveal truth - not truth as information, but truth as reality. Truth about God. Truth about humanity. Truth about sin. Truth about salvation. Truth about the Kingdom. And everyone who is of the truth - everyone who belongs to the truth, everyone who is born from truth - listens to His voice.

Then Pilate asks the question that echoes through the ages: "What is truth?" And notice - Jesus does not answer with words. Jesus IS the answer. Truth was standing right in front of Pilate, but Pilate could not see it. Truth incarnate was about to be crucified, but the representative of human power and philosophy could not recognize Truth even when staring Him in the face.

This is the tragedy of human SELF. SELF seeks truth as if truth were something to possess, to control, to use for self-advantage. But Truth is not a what - Truth is a Who. And that Who is Jesus Christ. We cannot possess Him. We can only bow before Him. We cannot control Him. We can only surrender to Him. We cannot use Him. We can only be transformed by Him.

Part Two: The Two Kingdoms

Scripture reveals that there are only two kingdoms in existence. Not many kingdoms with many truths. Not a spectrum of gray between light and darkness. Two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Truth where God reigns, and the kingdom of lies where Satan rules. The Kingdom of Life and the kingdom of death. The Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness. Every human being lives in one kingdom or the other. There is no neutral ground.

Jesus Declares the Division

Jesus made this division crystal clear:

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." (Matthew 12:30)

There is no middle position. You are either with Jesus or against Him. You are either gathering with Him or scattering. You are either in His Kingdom or in the enemy's territory. The idea that we can remain neutral, that we can pick and choose elements from both kingdoms, that we can blend truth with lies - this is itself a lie from the father of lies.

Jesus described the two kingdoms using multiple images:

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Two gates. Two ways. Two destinations. The wide gate and easy way leads to destruction. Many travel this road because it requires no death to SELF. It accommodates human nature. It allows self-reliance, self-righteousness, self-promotion. But it leads to destruction.

The narrow gate and hard way leads to life. Few find it because it requires the death of SELF. It demands surrender. It calls for complete trust in God rather than trust in self. But it leads to life - real life, eternal life, the life that is truly life.

Notice that Jesus does not present a third option. He does not say some roads are better than others, or that sincere seekers will find their own way. He says there are two ways - one leads to destruction, one leads to life. Choose.

The Father of Lies Rules the Kingdom of Darkness

Jesus identified the ruler of the kingdom opposed to God:

"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

This is the starkest language imaginable. Satan is a murderer from the beginning. He does not stand in truth because there is no truth in him at all. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature - lying is what he IS. He is not called "a liar" - he is called "the father of lies." Every lie that has ever been told originated with him. Every deception, every falsehood, every twisted half-truth comes from the father of lies.

And what is the first characteristic mentioned? Murderer. Lies and death go together. Lies kill. Lies destroy. Lies bring death. The father of lies uses lies to murder - to kill souls, to destroy lives, to bring humanity into bondage and death.

Paul describes Satan's kingdom this way:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Before Christ, we were dead. Not sick, not struggling, not trying our best - dead. We walked according to the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air (Satan). We lived in SELF - the passions of the flesh, the desires of the body and mind. We were by nature children of wrath. This is the kingdom of lies - a kingdom of death, ruled by the father of lies, populated by those dead in sin.

But notice what Paul says next:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6)

Two words change everything: "But God." We were dead, BUT GOD made us alive. We were in the kingdom of lies, BUT GOD transferred us into the Kingdom of His Son. We were children of wrath, BUT GOD made us children of love. This is grace. This is truth. This is the gospel.

This is where joy erupts. We are not in the kingdom of death anymore. We have been made alive with Christ. This is where peace settles. We are not under Satan's rule anymore. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. The battle is won. The kingdom has changed. We are no longer slaves to lies - we are citizens of Truth.

Transferred from Darkness to Light

Paul describes this transfer of kingdoms explicitly:

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)

God delivered us from the domain of darkness. This was not a negotiation. This was not a gradual process. This was a rescue, a deliverance, a transfer of kingdoms. We were in darkness - the kingdom of lies, death, and Satan's rule. God reached in and pulled us out. Then He transferred us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son - the Kingdom of Truth, life, and the Father's love.

Peter says the same thing:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

We were in darkness. God called us out. We are now in His marvelous light. Not because we found our way. Not because we were good enough. But because He called us out of darkness into light. From the kingdom of lies into the Kingdom of Truth. From death into life.

And notice the purpose: that we may proclaim His excellencies. We have been saved not just for our own benefit, but to display God's glory. We are witnesses to the Truth. We are living demonstrations that God delivers people from darkness into light, from lies into truth, from death into life.

This is joy - to know we have been delivered. This is peace - to know we are in the Kingdom of light. Not hoping to get there. Not working to stay there. We ARE there, by God's grace, through faith, because of Christ's work.

Part Three: Light and Darkness Cannot Coexist

One of the most crucial truths in all of Scripture is this: light and darkness are mutually exclusive. They cannot mix. They cannot blend. They cannot coexist. Where light is, darkness is not. Where darkness is, light is not. There is no gray area, no spectrum, no middle ground. This applies to truth and lies, to the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, to life and death.

God Is Light - In Him Is No Darkness At All

John makes this absolutely clear:

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)

God is light. Not has light, not gives light, but IS light. And in Him is no darkness at all. Not a little darkness. Not some darkness. No darkness AT ALL. This means there is no mixture in God. No compromise. No blend of truth and lies. He is pure light, absolute truth, complete goodness.

And if we claim fellowship with Him while walking in darkness, we are lying. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot live in the kingdom of lies while claiming citizenship in the Kingdom of Truth. We cannot walk in darkness while claiming to walk in light. The claim itself is a lie if our walk contradicts it.

But if we walk in the light - if we live in truth, if we abide in Christ, if we remain in the Kingdom of God - then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Notice the order: walking in the light comes first, then fellowship, then cleansing. We do not clean ourselves up in order to walk in the light. We walk in the light, and His blood cleanses us.

This is peace - we do not have to make ourselves clean before coming to the light. We come to the light, and the light cleanses us. This is joy - we are not striving to maintain purity. We are walking in the light, and the light does the purifying work.

No Partnership Between Light and Darkness

Paul makes the same point with even starker language:

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God." (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)

Paul asks five rhetorical questions, each expecting the answer: NONE. Righteousness has no partnership with lawlessness. Light has no fellowship with darkness. Christ has no accord with Satan. Believers share no portion with unbelievers. The temple of God has no agreement with idols. These are not compatible. These cannot be mixed. These are absolutely opposed to each other.

This is not about personal relationships or social interactions. This is about spiritual kingdoms and ultimate allegiances. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot live in two kingdoms. We cannot mix truth with lies and expect to have truth. When you mix light and darkness, you do not get gray - you get darkness. Light dispels darkness or darkness overcomes light. There is no coexistence.

Paul continues with God's declaration:

"Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

The call is clear: Come out. Be separate. Touch no unclean thing. This is not legalism. This is reality. You cannot remain in darkness and expect to have fellowship with the Father of lights. You cannot keep one foot in the kingdom of lies and one foot in the Kingdom of Truth. You must come out fully, completely, decisively. And when you do, God welcomes you as His child. He becomes your Father. You become His son or daughter.

This is where true joy comes from - being welcomed by the Father, being received as His child. This is where deep peace comes from - knowing we are no longer divided, no longer trying to straddle two kingdoms, no longer living in the tension of compromise. We are fully in the light, fully in Truth, fully in the Father's love.

You Are Children of Light

Paul reminds the Ephesians of their new identity:

"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Ephesians 5:8-11)

Notice the language: you WERE darkness. Not "you were in darkness" but you WERE darkness. That was your nature, your identity, your reality. But now you ARE light in the Lord. Not "you have light" but you ARE light. Your nature has changed. Your identity has changed. Your reality has changed.

And because we are light, we walk as children of light. We do not try to become light by walking rightly. We walk rightly because we ARE light. The fruit of light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. These are not things we manufacture - these are the natural fruit that grows when we abide in the light.

We are told to take no part in the works of darkness. Not to improve them. Not to manage them. Not to control them. Take NO PART. And more than that - expose them. Bring them into the light where they are revealed for what they are. Light exposes darkness. Truth exposes lies. Life exposes death.

Jesus said the same thing:

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:19-21)

People loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil. They hate the light because light exposes. But whoever does what is true comes to the light. Not to hide, not to pretend, not to cover up - but to be exposed, to be revealed, to show clearly that their works have been carried out in God.

This is the difference between the two kingdoms. The kingdom of lies hides in darkness, covers up, conceals. The Kingdom of Truth walks in the light, transparent, open, with nothing to hide. Those who live by SELF fear exposure. Those who live by Christ welcome it. SELF must hide. Christ has nothing to conceal.

This is freedom - to have nothing to hide. This is joy - to walk in the light without fear of exposure. This is peace - to know that when light shines on us, it reveals not our sin (which Christ has cleansed) but His work in us.

Part Four: Truth Sets Free, Lies Enslave

The Kingdom of Truth is the Kingdom of freedom. The kingdom of lies is the kingdom of slavery. This is one of the most important truths in all of Scripture. Truth does not restrict - truth liberates. Lies do not offer freedom - lies imprison. Every human being is either free in truth or enslaved by lies. There is no third option.

The Truth Will Set You Free

Jesus made one of His most famous promises:

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John 8:31-32)

Notice the sequence: Abide in His word. Become His disciples. Know the truth. Be set free. This is not intellectual knowledge - this is experiential knowing. This is relationship with Truth Himself. This is living in, remaining in, staying connected to Jesus who IS the Truth. And when we know Him, we are set free.

The Jews responded with offense:

"They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, "You will become free"?'" (John 8:33)

They thought they were free because they were Abraham's descendants. They thought their religious heritage made them free. But Jesus exposes their slavery:

"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" (John 8:34-36)

Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Not sometimes enslaved. Not partially enslaved. A slave. And a slave has no permanent place in the house. But a son remains forever. The difference is not between good slaves and bad slaves - it is between slaves and sons. Between those enslaved by sin and those freed by the Son.

And then the promise: If the Son sets you free, you will be free INDEED. Really free. Truly free. Completely free. Not free to do whatever we want (that is just slavery to different desires), but free to be who we were created to be. Free to live in truth. Free to love the Father. Free to serve without compulsion. Free to give without grasping. Free to die to SELF and live in Christ.

This is joy - to be truly free. This is peace - to no longer be enslaved. Not pretending to be free while remaining in bondage, but actually, really, genuinely free because the Son has freed us.

Two Masters, Two Slaveries

Paul explains this same truth in Romans:

"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:16-18)

Everyone is a slave to something. The question is not whether you will serve, but whom you will serve. You are either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. A slave to SELF or a slave to God. A slave to lies or a slave to Truth. There is no autonomous freedom where you serve no one. That itself is a lie from the kingdom of lies.

Being a slave to sin leads to death. Being a slave to righteousness leads to life. But notice - we do not become slaves to righteousness by trying harder. We were set free from sin and THEN became slaves to righteousness. Freedom from sin comes first (by God's work), then slavery to righteousness follows (as we live in that freedom).

Paul continues:

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:20-23)

When we were slaves to sin, we were free from righteousness - we did not have to be righteous. But what fruit did that produce? Shame. Death. But now we have been set free from sin and become slaves of God. And the fruit? Sanctification. Eternal life. Not death but life. Not shame but glory.

The final contrast: The wages of sin is death (we earn death through sin), but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. We earn death. We receive life. Death is wages - payment for work done. Life is gift - freely given by grace. This is the difference between the two kingdoms. The kingdom of lies pays death. The Kingdom of Truth gives life.

This brings deep joy - we are no longer earning death but receiving life. This brings lasting peace - we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness, which is true freedom.

Stand Firm in Freedom

Paul's letter to the Galatians addresses those who were trying to mix law with grace, trying to blend the old covenant with the new, trying to return to slavery after being set free:

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

Christ set us free FOR freedom. Not for a new kind of slavery. Not for religious obligation. Not for law-keeping. For freedom. Real freedom. True freedom. Freedom to live by the Spirit. Freedom to walk in love. Freedom to serve without compulsion. Freedom to give without calculation. Freedom to be who God created us to be.

But freedom must be defended. Paul says stand firm. Do not submit again to slavery. The danger is real. After being set free, we can return to slavery - not by losing salvation, but by trying to add human effort to God's grace, by mixing truth with lies, by attempting to live partly in the Kingdom and partly in the world.

Paul explains what this freedom looks like:

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Galatians 5:13-14)

Freedom is not license to serve SELF. Freedom is liberty to serve others in love. The flesh wants to use freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence. But true freedom uses liberty for love. We are free FROM sin so we can be free FOR love. Free
FROM SELF so we can be free FOR service. Free FROM death so we can be free FOR life.

And notice - when we serve one another in love, we fulfill the entire law. Not by trying to keep rules, but by living in the freedom of the Spirit, walking in love, giving ourselves away. This is what freedom looks like in the Kingdom of Truth. Not doing whatever we want, but joyfully, freely, willingly giving ourselves for the good of others, just as Christ gave Himself for us.

This is joy - to be free to love without restraint. This is peace - to be free from the burden of self-preservation and self-promotion. We are free. Not free to sin, but free FROM sin. Not free to serve self, but free FROM self to serve God and others. This is the freedom of the Kingdom of Truth.

Conclusion: Living in the Kingdom of Truth

We have seen throughout this article that truth is not information, not doctrine, not philosophy. Truth is a Person - Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the full revelation of the Father. To know Him is to know truth. To follow Him is to walk in truth. To abide in Him is to live in truth.

We have seen that there are only two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Truth where God reigns in self-giving love, and the kingdom of lies where Satan rules in self-taking death. Light and darkness. Life and death. Freedom and slavery. Every human being lives in one kingdom or the other. There is no neutral ground, no middle way, no gray area between these two kingdoms.

We have seen that light and darkness cannot coexist. We cannot mix truth with lies and expect to have truth. We cannot blend the Kingdom of God with the kingdom of the world. We cannot serve two masters. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with Him and with one another. But we cannot claim fellowship with Him while walking in darkness.

And we have seen that truth sets free while lies enslave. The Son sets us free - really, truly, completely free. Not free to do whatever we want, but free to be who we were created to be. Free from sin, free from SELF, free from death, so that we can live in love, serve in joy, and give ourselves away in the same self-giving pattern as Jesus.

Throughout all of this, we have discovered that living in the Kingdom of Truth produces joy and peace. Not the shallow happiness that depends on circumstances, but the deep joy that comes from knowing we are in the light, united to Christ, free from slavery. Not the fragile peace that requires everything to be perfect, but the unshakable peace that rests in the faithfulness of the Father and the finished work of the Son.

The Choice Is Clear

You cannot avoid this choice. You are either in the Kingdom of Truth or in the kingdom of lies. You are either walking in light or walking in darkness. You are either free in Christ or enslaved to sin. You are either abiding in Truth or believing lies. There is no middle position.

Jesus Himself said you must choose:

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:24)

The principle applies beyond money. You cannot serve God and SELF. You cannot serve truth and lies. You cannot serve light and darkness. You will love one and hate the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both.

Joshua presented the same choice to Israel:

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Choose this day whom you will serve. Not tomorrow. Not someday. This day. Now. The choice is urgent because every moment you remain in the kingdom of lies, you remain enslaved to death. Every moment you delay coming to the Light, you remain in darkness. Choose life. Choose truth. Choose freedom. Choose Christ.

The Invitation Stands

Jesus is calling. He is the Truth, and He is inviting you into His Kingdom. Not someday in the future, but now. Not when you get your life together, but in your brokenness. Not when you figure everything out, but in your confusion. Come to the Light. Come to the Truth. Come to Life.

Jesus said:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

This is the invitation. Come to Jesus. Take His yoke. Learn from Him. Find rest. Not the burden of religion. Not the slavery of law. Not the exhaustion of trying to be good enough. Rest. Peace. Joy. Life. Truth.

Will you come? Will you step out of darkness into light? Will you leave the kingdom of lies and enter the Kingdom of Truth? Will you stop trying to serve two masters and commit fully to the One who is Truth? Will you let go of SELF and embrace the self-giving life of Christ?

The Father is waiting. The Son is calling. The Spirit is drawing. The Kingdom of Truth is open before you. Come into the Light. Live in the Truth. Be free in Christ.

Looking Ahead

In this article, we have explored what Biblical truth is - not information but a Person, Jesus Christ. We have seen the two kingdoms that exist - the Kingdom of Truth and the kingdom of lies. We have understood that light and darkness cannot coexist, and we have discovered that truth sets free while lies enslave.

But now we must face the most challenging truth of all: How do we enter this Kingdom? What is required to move from darkness to light, from the kingdom of lies to the Kingdom of Truth, from slavery to freedom? And this brings us to the third article: The Death of Self.

In our next article, "The Death of Self - The Narrow Gate," we will see that the Christian life is not about improving self, managing self, or believing in self. It is about the complete death of self. We will explore what Jesus meant when He said we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. This is not comfortable teaching. This is not popular doctrine. But this is the truth - and as we have learned, truth sets us free.

We will discover that the death of self is not the end of joy - it is the beginning. It is not the loss of peace - it is the entry point. When self dies, Christ lives. When we lose our life, we find it. When we surrender everything, we receive everything. This is the paradox of the Kingdom. This is the narrow gate. This is the way to life.

Until then, rest in this: You have been called out of darkness into marvelous light. You have been transferred from the kingdom of lies into the Kingdom of Truth. You have been set free by the Son, and you are free indeed. Walk in the light. Live in the truth. Stand firm in freedom. This is joy. This is peace. This is life in the Kingdom of God.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)