What is two truths and a lie?

Perhaps you’ve been in a group of people you don’t know before and played this common icebreaker game.  To get to know each other better, everyone shares three facts about themselves, two of which are true and one which is false. The rest of the group must guess based on first impressions which of the three statements is false, and in the process, everyone learns some interesting nuggets about the person sharing the statements. If you’re competitive like me, you might think the most fun part of the game is being the sharer and trying to find a lie that is so believable you can deceive everyone else. Or maybe your truths are so outlandish that it throws others off the scent. Either way, this game is a lighthearted illustration of how the most effective forms of deception work.

The reality is that we have an enemy who constantly schemes to deceive us (Ephesians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 2:11). In fact, Jesus calls Satan “the father of lies” and says that lying is his “native language” (John 8:44). The primary strategy he uses to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) is deception, but he is incredibly subtle in the ways he lies to us. Just like the game two truths and a lie, his attempts to deceive us often come in the form of partial truths or even wrapped between truths to confuse us.  Consider the first temptation in Genesis 3. The serpent told Eve that eating the fruit would open her eyes and even suggested that she might not die. When Adam and Eve ate of it, they did not immediately die, at least in a physical sense, and in a way their eyes were also opened to know good and evil. Similarly, when Jesus was tempted in John 4 Satan used Scripture to try and entice Jesus to make a foolish decision.

I’ve discovered in my own life that when I sin or make poor decisions it is often because I have believed a lie, and many times that lie is neatly wrapped in a partial truth or two. The goal of this blog is to encourage you to grow in your understanding of truth and ability to recognize harmful lies by growing in the skill of self-reflection, learning to know God and listen to his voice, and to study the word of God with an open mind to learn the truth, even when it confronts you in uncomfortable ways.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is a spiritually oriented blog written from the perspective of a Christ-follower who wants to help you examine the thoughts you believe and separate truth from lies. I’ve heard many well-meaning Christians oversimplify this by saying “I believe the word of God, it is always true!”  I agree with that statement, but a genuine desire to understand truth requires a soft heart and diligent mind. As Jesus says “he who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).  It is possible to know something, believe it is true, and still latch on to a harmful lie in the middle. I’m not going to pretend I have it all figured out or that this blog should be considered truth on the same level of Scripture, but I would like to invite you on a journey to mutually discover and discern truth by committing to a deeper study and understanding of God’s word, honest self-reflection, and listening to the voice of the Spirit.

Thoughtful, respectful conversation is always welcome, as engaging with others who challenge our beliefs is often a critical part of how we refine our understanding of truth. My prayer is that this blog may encourage you, challenge you, and inspire you to seek and know the truth as it transforms your life.