TRUTH IS WORTH DYING FOR

By Akin Ojumu

Truth is a bitter pill to swallow. When you take people’s long held beliefs and expose them for the deception that they truly are, it doesn’t matter how carefully, considerably, measurably, or reasonably you choose your words, you are going to be met with a visceral reaction of anger and resentment. No amount of nuancing or nicety can make the truth palatable for people to bear.

The late R.C. Sproul aptly captured this sentiment in one of his podcasts. 

“Truth inevitably divides. Truth causes controversy. Truth creates uproars. People become furious over debates of doctrines and of theology. Any time the truth of God is proclaimed, no matter how gently, no matter how winsomely, no matter how charitably, when the Word of God is clearly proclaimed, hell itself rises up in fury and controversy comes. 

“Truth is sacred. Truth is something that comes from God. Truth is holy. Truth is worth fighting for. Truth is worth dying for. Truth must not be negotiated or compromised for the sake of peace. We need someone who would say, give me truth or give me death. People don’t relate to that in this day and age. The whole philosophy is, don’t rock the boat. Avoid controversy. For to do that we have to fail to bear witness to the truth.”

Ours is an era where people are drawn to ear-tingling sermons that promise them all the desires of their unregenerate hearts and then some. Messages of brokenness don’t garner a whole lot of likes on Facebook. If you are the type still hung up on holiness, don’t expect much traffic to your YouTube channel. You can be sure your Instagram and Twitter followers will be limited to just a handful of people if you insist on making righteousness a cause celebre.

In a lot of ways, contemporary Christianity bears a stunning resemblance to the days of Prophet Jeremiah. When you compare the response to Jeremiah’s message to how people receive those who are blowing the trumpet and calling the Church back to the historical Christian tradition, the similarities are uncanny. It's easy to understand how Jeremiah must have felt during those many years he spent weeping and telling the people what they loathe to hear.

It was during the latter part of Josiah’s reign as king of the southern kingdom of Judah that Jeremiah first started preaching. Jeremiah was a young man when he caused a mass hysteria in Judah with his fire and brimstone messages. For the next forty-two years, a period that spanned the reign of seven kings, Jeremiah repeatedly warned Judah of the impending wrath of God.

During his reign, king Josiah had instituted spiritual reforms in Judah. He revived the national consciousness by calling his people back to God from idol worship. Under Josiah, religious worship and ceremonies had been re-instituted. At the urging of the king, the people had rediscovered the Law of God. Josiah would summon the people to holy gatherings where he brought out the Law of God and caused it to be read out loud to the people. Together with the people, king Josiah cried out to God in repentance and begged for forgiveness. Josiah pleaded with God to revive His people and restore them back to Himself.

For being a God-fearing king, the people of Judah adored king Josiah greatly. In their eyes, he was a religious celebrity and a spiritual superstar who brought about revival in the land. The king was their hero, and they all looked up to him. As their spiritual father, Josiah was their measure of spirituality. The people's spirituality was fickle and fleeting, it started and ended with Josiah.

It was at the height of the seeming spiritual revival in Judah that Jeremiah began to preach doom and gloom. At a time when Judah was experiencing a renaissance in the worship of YAHWEH, entered Jeremiah with his message of woes and destruction. While Judah blossomed, with peace and security all around, this young prophet started to rain on their parade.

To the people, Jeremiah seemed very out of touch with the times. The man was busy prophesying doom and gloom in the midst of boom and good. As a result, he became the butt of cruel jokes. They poked fun at him because every time he opened his mouth, it was him shouting, “Calamity!” or “Destruction!” And for this, he was buffeted with insults, showered with contempt, and socially distanced.

After a while, the constant public humiliation eventually got to Jeremiah. The social isolation to which he was subjected became too much for him to bear. Because of the heat he was getting from his own people, the young man considered abandoning his ministry all together. The ostracization by family and friends became so severe that he was tempted to adopt the go along to get along attitude. Jeremiah was almost sucked into the “Spiral of Silence.”

What I write will drive you into a rage. What I say will rattle your cage. My intention is not to entertain you, and I have zero interest in thrilling you. My one and only goal is to show you the truth that’ll help you know God better. And by knowing God better, you’ll make your soul right with Him.