When the Devil Tells the Truth
Consider the truthfulness and orthodoxy of the following statements and actions:
“I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” – Mark 1
“He ran up and bowed down before Jesus…” – Mark 5
“She kept on shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God who proclaim to you the way of salvation.'” – Acts 16
Acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God: excellent.
Bowing down before Jesus as the Son of God: excellent.
Discerning that Paul and Silas are sent by God with his message: excellent.
And in each case, demonic.
Every word and action above were offered by people who were sadly and tragically demonized. Sometimes even a devil can tell the truth; he can and often will if it serves his larger, lying purpose.
Statements and actions that appear orthodox and truthful can be the outcry of a misguided spirit. They might be ‘right’, but at the same time they can be a malignant, unloving, desperate scream designed to wound rather than heal.
Mere accuracy is not enough; orthodoxy can become deadly in the hands of misguided truth-tellers who appear to care more about defending their positions than caring for those in pain. It’s important to learn this lesson: just because someone tells the truth or defends the truth doesn’t mean they’re faithfully representing the One who is the Truth.
Perhaps you’ve experienced something like this on occasion: you’re listening to a sermon or message and can’t say that what you’re hearing is wrong but in your heart you know something is definitely wrong with the messenger. Your internal alarm signals have begun to go off and, despite the incontestable conclusion that the message you’re listening to is accurate, your heart is indisputably telling you, ‘Danger!’
The Mark of the Christian Leader
So what would mark someone has a faithful servant of Jesus? At the end of the day, it’s a matter of character. Yes, elders must be “apt to teach”, but every other qualifying mark for leaders in God’s house is a matter of character not charisma (see 1 Tim 3). A life marked by humility, service, kindness, compassion, hospitality, and a loving home are what we are taught by the Scriptures to look for in the life of a trustworthy leader. Yes, their teaching needs to be accurate. But their life, while always imperfect and acknowledged as such, is the crucial issue in confirming the trustworthiness of a leader we can follow.
The Mark of the Christian Church
The Church in the world is not to be present as a fearful wall against the wicked, a compromised community conforming to majority opinion, or as a militant force looking to dominate the culture. The Church is a faithful presence in this world that is called to bear witness in word, deed, and power of another world yet to come.
Fearful retreat, capitulation to the fashionable, popular, or powerful, accusatory finger pointing, and political triumphalism aren’t part of the Christian mission. Foot-washing most certainly is. We are here to be ministers of reconciliation and servants of the Savior. That’s it. That’s the job. And when people telling the truth or acting in worshipful ways do so with a view to gaining or maintaining power, manipulating and controlling others, or appearing to be holy over against the neighbors they despise and disparage, one cannot help but wonder which spirit is motivating their attitudes and actions.
When Jesus said, “By this will all know you are my disciples”, he did not conclude the sentence with ‘the precision of your theological formulations’ (important as they are), or ‘the passion of your personal worship’ (fiery though it may be). No, the ‘this’ for Jesus, the tell-tale sign of true truth-tellers was and is, ‘love for one another’. Look for love and a humble, servant heart; in such a setting, you won’t be deceived when the devil tells the truth.