The Side of Truth

There’s seriously so much going on in our world today.
Every time we turn on the news, whether you’re watching a liberal or conservative angle, the content is always disorienting and unsettling. Divisions have never been more highlighted – from race to politics, to masks or no masks. Every report seems to be placing a wedge between two sides, and while facts don’t seem to have any bearing on narratives these days, it seems as if the agenda is not only set to destroy and divide America, but, most disturbingly, it is infiltrating and dividing the church, and the church is America’s only hope.
The ultimate question should be, “Am I on the side of truth?”
That’s where I take my stand, not choosing the right or the left, Democrat or Republican, but rather the side of truth – biblical truth, which tells me that my God is completely sovereign over everything, and His existence comes with a standard: moral truth and righteousness.
With a standard of righteousness comes the exposing of unrighteousness. This biblical world view also tells me that there’s a real enemy, and his lust is to destroy anyone or anything that reflects the God of the Bible, which is why I want to address our foundation as a country and why it is currently crumbling.
Notice I said foundation. The foundation is the most important part of any building or structure, and the enemy, through lies and progressive ideology, is taking bricks out of that foundation one at a time, and yes, I am talking about America because I live in America. I am a Christian, in the land of America.
The primary purpose of government is to protect its citizenry by restraining evildoers. The best and simplest outline of government was written 2,000 years ago by a man named Paul, in a letter to his friends in Rome.
He wrote, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1).
Seven hundred years earlier, a preacher named Isaiah stated, “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; it is He who will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).
To affirm God’s role in governments is not to call for a theocracy; rather, it affirms America’s founders’ position that our rights come from God.
Were our founders perfect people? – No. They had birth defects like all humans from the beginning of time. However, through God’s providence, we live in a country that birthed a document known as the Constitution, of which the first 10 amendments establish the Bill of Rights, and this document was righteous – why?
The Declaration of Independence affirms that all authority comes from God, as “we are endowed by our Creator” with certain unalienable rights, meaning those rights that cannot be taken away because they are given by God. We possess the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
An old hymn writer aptly noted, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee.” Our document’s beauty was its recognition of our first freedom – the freedom to exercise our faith, with no national church. Free exercise of religion – something valued, and perhaps COVID has exposed you to how quickly those rights can be stifled.
To agree with these purposes of government, we have to agree that evil exists. If you are inclined to say that evil doesn’t inherently exist in man, then consider the name Hitler. Also consider ISIS, with its fatwas, explicitly detailing how to rape female slaves and kill women and children who step outside their traditions.
How far we have fallen from good graces because we deny the existence of evil. We nod at the spirit of relativity, which says truth changes with time. We accept all forms of immorality under the guise of being “open-minded” people. 
Sadly, many Christians are even dissuaded from speaking out against sin in our culture, so I wonder what they would think of a John the Baptist, who called out Herod, the Prophet Nathan, who exposed David’s sin, or a Stephen, who accused the religious leaders of murdering prophets. The devil’s biggest lie is to keep biblical truth silenced.
The ten Boom family tells a story of how a pastor refused to hide a Jewish baby and mother in his home because it was going against German laws, and he could lose his life.
“You say we could lose our lives for this child,” Casper ten Boom, Corrie’s father, said to the pastor. “I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.”
Casper ten Boom died for hiding Jews, along with his children, Betsie and Willem, and grandson, Kik. There is never a time not to stand for righteousness’ sake.
To depart from the Lord and be silent is to welcome the world’s erosion and corruption, and any movement that adds division over unity should be looked upon with suspicion, especially as it enters the church.
The Lord was the great unifier. He was the ultimate revolutionary voice of His day. His Gospel proclaims, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, nor male and female; for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28), and that is why knowing our Bible gives us the proper frame of reference that makes all of the difference.
This isn’t a war for the White House. It’s is a war against the church house. Against the Body of Christ.
This is good versus evil, truth versus lies, and isn’t “what side are you on?” This is, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”
ED. NOTE: Maher is the teaching pastor at Coastal Christian Ocean City and is president of Soldiers For Faith Ministries. Social media and website: @TruthOverTrend.