A FEW OTHERS MATERSPrint This Page.

n this chapter we will speak of a few other matters, namely: (1) upholding the absoluteness of the truth, (2) taking care of our physical health, (3) daily habits, and (4) marriage and virginity.
ONE
Every worker of the Lord must uphold the absoluteness of the truth. This is possible only when a man is delivered from himself. Many brothers and sisters are not absolute to the truth; they are affected by people, things, and personal feelings. If a man is not absolute to the truth, he will, in the course of his work, sacrifice God's truth for man, himself, or his own desires. A basic requirement for being a servant of the Lord is to not sacrifice the truth. We can sacrifice ourselves and our desires, but we can never sacrifice the truth. The problems with many workers stem from the relationship with their friends, intimate acquaintances, and family. The truth is compromised by their friends, immediate family, or relatives. God cannot use such people. If the truth is the truth, it should not be compromised, whether by our own brothers, our relatives, or our intimate friends. Suppose the son of a Christian worker expresses a desire to be baptized. If his father realizes that this matter relates to the truth, he will pass this matter on to the leading brothers in the church and leave it to them to decide whether or not he is ready for baptism. But the problem is that the co-worker presumes that his son is qualified for baptism, and in so doing, he sacrifices the absoluteness of the truth. He has been influenced by the father-son relationship, and he is no longer absolute to the truth. If he is absolute to the truth, he will go along with the direction of the truth as it is laid out in the church; he will not bring his personal relationships into the situation. Consider another illustration: In a certain place a controversy arises. A number of the saints may be favorably disposed toward a particular group of brothers and side with them, whereas a number of others may have a preference for another group of people and line up on their side. Instead of sitting down and counting the cost of being absolute for the truth and of following the truth, they are influenced and directed by their own emotions. This does not mean that the brothers are not speaking about the truth. It only means that they are not absolute to the truth. They have not brushed the truth completely aside; they still have some care for the truth. But they are not absolute to the truth. Being absolute to the truth means that no personal feelings or family relationships are allowed to stand in the way of the truth. In spiritual matters, the truth is compromised as soon as human relationships are taken into account. As soon as human relationships become involved, God's word and His commandments are discounted through human factors, and the truth is compromised.
The Bible contains many ordinances and commandments. These ordinances and commandments are from God, and God's servants need to preach and announce them. On the one hand, it is tiresome to consider those who are only speakers but not doers. On the other hand, we cannot be a servant of God if we cannot preach beyond what we can practice. This is because the truth is absolute. The standard of the divine Word must not be lowered to the level of our personal attainment. We cannot tamper with the truth in any way in order to justify our own deficiencies. This is what it means to be absolute to the truth. We have to transcend ourselves, our own feelings, and our own personal interest in our speaking. This is a high requirement for the servants of the Lord. We must beware of doing things one way as they affect other brothers and sisters but doing them another way as they are applied to our spouse or our children. The truth is always absolute. God wants us to uphold the absoluteness of the truth. If God's Word says something, it is so, no matter who is involved. We cannot make exceptions just because of some special relationships. If we do, we are lowering the standard of God's truth. I am not talking about speaking untruths; I am talking about sacrificing the absoluteness of the truth. We have to learn to uphold the absoluteness of the truth. We cannot forfeit its absoluteness just because someone is our relative. We are here to follow the truth, not man, and we are here to maintain the absoluteness of the truth.