Mark Twain said, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.” We see the truth in his words every time we watch the news or scroll through social media. Liberal politicians claim the protests are mostly peaceful, and pundits insist men can become women. The list goes on and on. I know a lot of people who think: I haven’t been fooled, so why should I care?
I think of it this way—firemen don’t set the fire, but neither do they let it burn. They run into it for the sake of others. It’s not their fire, but it is their fight. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us at the Cross? He ran into the fray for our sake. As His followers, this may not be our fire, but it should be our fight. Why? Because ultimately, this battle is about truth and lies, right and wrong, good and evil.
Truth and Lies
When absolute truth is rejected, the only alternative is to believe a lie. And when lies replace truth, anarchy takes over. Rejection of truth is the biblical definition of unbelief. Belief is never neutral—you either believe truth or you believe lies. Just as in the summer of 2020, many today are ignoring the truth they can plainly see in order to lean into what they feel.
The progressive movement—both political and religious—is the result of rejecting absolute truth. Progressives didn’t stop being progressive when Trump was re-elected. Their ideology is still trying to shape culture, regardless of political wins or losses. Remember, our nation’s greatest problems are spiritual, not political.
Paul explains why non-Christians struggle with irrational behavior and actions:
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4).
Right and Wrong
The problem isn’t just the rejection of biblical truth—it’s also the rise of cultural Christianity. This new religion blurs the line between right and wrong by appealing to emotions and fleshly desires.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
How do those who claim to know Christ become so deceived? First, they separate their faith from the authority and accuracy of God’s Word. They twist Scripture to fit their own agenda. Cultural Christians determine what’s good or evil based on what is currently acceptable, not on what is eternally true. But if someone doesn’t know how to tell good from evil, they will not understand right from wrong.
True spiritual discernment comes from the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it is always grounded in biblical truth. Discernment grows and flourishes in an obedient heart:
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13–14).
Final Thoughts
Avoiding evil doesn’t solve anything if we don’t also submit to God when it comes to speaking truth. Running away isn’t a winning strategy; running to is where the victory lies. We didn’t start this fire, but we cannot afford to ignore it. It might not be our fire, but it’s definitely our fight!
