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WHOSE TRUTH ARE YOU LIVING?
WHOSE TRUTH ARE YOU LIVING?
(David Dann)
The psalmist spoke to God, saying, "The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psa. 119:160, NKJV).
With the psalmist's declaration in mind, please notice that a recent CNN news article reports the following:
"Dwyane Wade has opened up about his daughter, Zaya, identifying as transgender. 'Me and my wife, my wife Gabrielle Union...we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we're proud allies as well,' he told host Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday's 'Ellen.' 'We take our roles and responsibility as parents very seriously.' The retired NBA star explained that Zaya was born as Zion, assigned male at birth, but wanted to live her truth…'Zion, born as a boy, came home and said, "Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I am ready to live my truth. I want to be referenced as 'she' and 'her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya," Wade recalled…'We're just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self'" (Marianne Garvey, CNN.com).
These developments should serve to sound warning alarms with regard to the following:
1. Unreliable standards. When a biologically male child is encouraged to "live her truth" by identifying as a female, one must question the meaning of the word "truth." By definition, "truth" is: "the true or actual state of a matter…conformity with fact or reality" (Dictionary.com). When a male child feels that he should be a "she," those feelings neither represent the actual state of the matter, nor do they conform to fact or reality. What has taken place in the Wade household simply serves as a reminder that we now live in a postmodern society in which each individual is encouraged to adopt his or her own "truth" in spite of the facts. However, God's word remains the unchangeable and unshakeable standard of absolute truth. Rather than leaving each individual free to live his or her own truth, Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, "Your word is truth" (Jn. 17:17). The only reliable standard of truth by which one may live is the word of God.
2. Parental failures. With respect to the duties of parents toward their children, the apostle Paul writes, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). Rather than leaving each child to decide his or her own "truth" and live accordingly, parents must teach their children the truth of God. The Bible teaches that, "He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female'" (Matt. 19:4; cf. Gen. 1:27). Parents are responsible for teaching their children that they cannot change what God "made them" with regard to gender and sexuality. What has taken place in the Wade household is simply a reflection of what is also taking place in households all over the world. Parents are utterly and completely failing when it comes to communicating the will of God to their children.
3. Tragic choices. While Mr. Wade claims that he and his wife intend to give their son "the best opportunity to be her best self," nothing could be further from the truth. By encouraging their son to travel a path based on a grossly distorted view of reality they are actually encouraging his destruction. With regard to leading children astray, Jesus warned, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matt. 18:6). Rather than being something of which to be proud or being cause for celebration, what has taken place in the Wade household is very sad and tragic. Sinful rebellion against God and His created order will not go unpunished (cf. Rom. 1:18-32; 2 Thess. 1:6-10).
Conclusion
The inspired wise man writes, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 14:12). The idea that you are free to live your "truth" is simply another lie of the devil. The ones who will spend eternity with God are those who submit to His unchanging standard of truth and walk in it (cf. 3 Jn. 3:4). Whose truth are you living?
