If you were to ask me what one of my major struggles in my walk with Christ was, I would most likely tell you that I struggle to make God's truth my truth; in other words, I do not easily make the fact a truth in my life. The fact that Christ loved me enough to send His one and only Son to account for my sins, and I can't even seem to live in out everyday!?
When I say fact and truth, we automatically assume they have similiar meanings, which they do, but when you look at these two words in the grand scheme of things, they couldn't be any more different. The dictionary definition of fact is: something known to have happened or to exist. For example, whether you believe it or not, everyone has at least heard that Christ died as an atonement for our sins. After all, we celebrate Him every Christmas and again in March or April, for Easter, and it is written in the Bible. Truth, according to Dictionary.com, means conformity with fact or reality, sincerity in action, or constancy. Now are you beginning to see the difference? If we applied the written fact to our lives, perhaps the knowledge that Christ is the Ultimate Sacrifice, would our lives look any different? Maybe we'd begin to love with a fraction of the love Christ showed His sinful world. Maybe we would have reason to shower mercy and grace on the people in our lives.
God not only sent His Son to save the lost, but He provided us with a one of a kind Survival Guide, His Word! James 1:18 says, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." This verse reminds me of a sermon I heard this summer in Nashville, while on a mission trip with our church! The speaker, Pastor Sutton, talked about the importance of God shaping us in His own image. She pointed out that the world has a multitude of brands: Nike, Polo, you name it we've got it. All those brands are just waiting to make you who you are, to define you. If we don't take the intiative to brand ourselves with Christ, the world will label us. As this verse says, the word of truth has given us life; it has taught us the characteristics of God. Pastor Sutton took it further and encouraged us to see the Bible as our birth certificate. Your birth certificate tells you all about yourself, who your parents are, your date of birth, your name, and many other bits of information that define who you are. As the Bible tells us, when we are born again, "the old has gone, and the new has come." We have a new certificate of birth, the Bible, so put it into use, let it be a lamp unto your feet.
Further down in James, however, God warns us. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22) This is why I love James, pretty straightfoward. In fact, this verse also reminds me of a story, a lesson in history class to be exact. Our class was talking about the American Revolution. The colonies wanted separation from England. Many philosophical authors wrote lengthy pamplets on which side they were on. Philosophical writings are intriguing and get people thinking; they help you to better understand your values and beliefs, but as my teacher referred to them, "They are just words on paper." It wasn't until the Declaration was written that we went to war, and our beliefs were put into action, and it all became a reality. God has placed to same call on our lives. When we open up His word, He doesn't want it to just be "words on paper," He wants His fact to be absorbed and come alive in our lives.
James 2:26 says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." Just like you can't have a body without a spirit and faith with deeds, you can not merely listen to the fact of the Bible without making it a truth in your life. Neither is of greater value; they are both of equal importance. In order to make an impact, we must know that truth is a direct correlation of translating God's fact into our daily lives.
<3 Abby
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