The Whole Truth
TimeWatch Editorial
June 07, 2016
Today, there is a tendency to soften the message that God has given to be delivered. The popular idea that many more souls will be drawn to the truth because the word is less challenging and therefore more attractive is not new. Those who have tried the softening method have discovered that indeed the numbers have increased, but they have also found that the level of spiritual commitment has lessened.
What is also amazing is that the softening approach, demands even more work than the direct approach. For example, persuading someone to go left, without actually asking them to do so, requires the kind of persuasive technique that borders on the deceptive. In fact, persuading them to go left without providing the necessary information to allow them a comfortable and successful journey is even more misleading. The task now rests upon the persuaders to feed the emotional hunger that has taken the place of personal spiritual commitment.
In the context of becoming members of a church this matter is even more serious. While the numbers have increased greatly, the necessary tools required to transform the life are missing. There is little real joy experienced outside of the building where the psychological influences play upon the emotions. At home, at work, at play, the diet remains the same, the habits become hardened, the goals and aspirations remain unchanged. If there is no physical or neurological transformation created by the spiritual life, then the experience is void of any real value.
As a child grows, it is transformed daily, physically, intellectually and spiritually. The physical change is seen, but the intellectual and spiritual are not readily discerned. Too often, even after years of academic exploration have passed, the intellectual growth is still not that visible. It is the spiritual that knits these three together, providing a harmony that is immediately acknowledged by all.
It is the spiritual that lays the foundation for the formation of a character that can withstand the winds of turmoil that surround us. That spiritual is fed by the clear, unvarnished, undiluted word of God. The specifics of that word must not be downgraded by any means but must be delivered in its entirety. If truth be truth, then it must be the whole truth. No portion can be missing; else the rest bleeds out through the gaping hole left by the omission. A thorough understanding of the creation provides the backdrop for our existence. The threefold entity of body, mind and spirit, is reflected in all of creation. The kinetic definition of matter as solid, liquid and gas is by no means accidental. The fact that human beings are visibly solid, consist of seventy percent water, and yet are dependent upon the air for sustenance, is witness to who and what we are, and from whom we have come. The creation explains our origin but more importantly, our dependency. It causes us to seek instruction regarding the maintenance of our total well-being.
When the spiritual is not properly fed, the physical and the intellectual are both starved. All learning is without true foundation, the absorption of knowledge leads to stagnation, all ambition is motivated by selfishness. Moral decay sets in, and our children are sacrificed with the poison of dysfunctional parenting. Neglected stubs of love, joy, peace, tolerance, tenderness, goodness, devotion, humility, temperance rot within the heart. The lack of the water of life has caused their death. The source of this water is the fountain of truth.
To drink of the water of life is to heal the wounds of the soul. The fresh, clear stream flows through the body, mind and spirit awakening life in the seeds that have been sown. The life is awakened to a newness that is not just a refurbished entity, but a brand new beginning. The organs and the limbs pulse with a calmness that is without stress, the thoughts are clear and perceptive and the character is hid in the hand of the creator. This is truly what is desperately needed today. Testimonies Volume 8, page 297 says:
“The Lord calls for a renewal of the straight testimony borne in years past. He calls for a renewal of spiritual life. The spiritual energies of His people have long been torpid, but there is to be a resurrection from apparent death. By prayer and confession of sin we must clear the King's highway.”--8T 297 (1904)
It is time for that final work to begin.
Cameron A. Bowen
