Paul warned the elders of the church in Ephesus, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you…and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). These “twisted things” often were not outright denials of the Bible. Rather, they were Scripture reinterpreted to fit the widely accepted beliefs of the culture.

Heresies are deadly destructive, but they’re also attractive because of the bits of truth they contain. They’re like chocolate-covered rat poison. Without its truth-coating, many believers wouldn’t swallow its lies. C. S. Lewis put it this way: “By mixing a little truth with it, they had made their lie far stronger.”

If we believe that sin is never in our best interests, it will clarify many otherwise hard decisions in which we imagine we must choose between helping people do right and helping them be happy. It will also help us understand what true, Christlike love looks like.

Given some of the books and movies that countless Christians are reading and viewing, and the growing biblical illiteracy, churches are extremely vulnerable to false doctrine. God’s truth is needed to ground and guide us.

In April 2017, Randy Alcorn taught a course at Veritas Evangelical Seminary on the subject of evil and suffering. In this clip, Randy warns against us believing our own interpretation of God's Word if it isn't truth. 

All too often, as believers we don’t realize that the greatest kindness we can offer each other is the truth. Our job is not just to help each other feel good but to help each other be good. We often seem to think that our only options are to: 1) speak the truth hurtfully; or 2) say nothing in the name of grace. This is a lie.

In this interview with Perry Atkinson of Dove TV, Randy Alcorn talks about knowing truth and what that brings into your life. For more information, check out Randy's Happiness book. 

Ephesians 4:15 tells us we need to “speak the truth in love.” As Christ-followers, we are not to choose between being loving and being truthful. 

The world is desperately hungry for two things—grace and truth. Jesus Christ is full of both: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). When Jesus stepped onto the world’s stage, people could not only hear the demands of truth but also see Truth Himself. No longer fleeting glimmers of grace, but Grace Himself.