Making the World More Dangerous

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Paul’s words in Romans 1:18.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Romans 1:18

Suppressing the truth. We’re really getting good at it here on earth, and it’s making the world a more dangerous place.

“Suppress” is an interesting word. As I understand it, it has the idea of holding something – so it could be possess, or hold back or restrain. The context makes it obvious. The wicked are not holding the truth like a treasure, they are holding it back – trying to ignore it. They have exchanged the truth about God (that He is the Creator of all things) for the lie (that the creation itself – or a part of it – is god).

On the one hand, in this world the truth can be hard to hold on it. It costs us something to get it. “Buy truth, and do not sell it” says Proverbs 23:23.

But the reason why the truth may often seem so hidden to us is because the world has worked so hard to suppress it. To keep it out of our minds. To ignore it.

If you look around, you can see how this is done so expertly. For example, movies often try to imagine a world without God. They can’t do it entirely successfully, because there could be no world without God. But, with a little slight-of-hand, they sometimes make it look like there could be.

In non-Christian meditation practices, so very popular these days, the suppression goes to another level. In Christian meditation, of course, we are meditating literally on the truth – God’s Word. But in non-Christian meditation, we are constantly warned to “not pass judgement”. Of course there’s sometimes the aim to think about nothing. But other times we are told to observe the world, or our own thoughts, but to accept only, never judge.

Jesus wise words to the crowds in Jerusalem are completely ignored – “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).

So we are to listen to the voices around us that are trying to create an imaginary world without God, and an imbalanced morality with no foundation. And while we’re listening, we are to judge nothing. How convenient for those who wish to suppress the truth and promote the lie!

Of course this makes the world a much more dangerous place. Filled with people who never judge (at least not about important moral or spiritual issues – they can choose a diet or productivity plan, of course), and at the same time with more and more easily consumed messages that aren’t true at all.

Every once in a while you look around and think – it’s almost like there’s a Mind at work behind all of this! And, of course, there is (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-3). But, how much have we really needed his help? We’re pretty good at suppressing the truth completely on our own.

May God make us those who are “truly” disciples of Christ. As Jesus himself said,

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