RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

A few years ago, the President of the United States confessed he’d had “an inappropriate relationship” with an intern at the White House, and that he had “misled people.” Citizens immediately began to debate whether the President should remain in the country’s highest position. Some said he should be removed from office, while others said he should resign. But one thing became clear to everyone: the American baby boomer generation had become accustomed to deceit being a normal part of life.
What is deceit, and why is it so wrong? How does one find victory over deceit if it has been a part of their character?
First, we need to understand that truth and deceit are incompatible. They can’t live in the same house. In fact, deceit is often the withholding of truth. It’s telling a partial truth but not “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Deceit differs from overt lying in that a lie directly contradicts the truth. But deceit is much more subtle. Usually rooted in selfish ambition, it simply doesn’t give a full disclosure of the truth .
Justice is built on truth; and without truth, there can be no justice. Once truth is compromised, justice ceases to exist. That’s why the actions of that President were so grave. If truth doesn’t have its way, the entire system of Justice collapses. If that were to happen, it would be only a matter of time for the nation to fail as a world leader.
But for individual Christians, there’s an even more critical issue. Our goal as a believer is to become like Christ. One description of Jesus in the Bible continually amazes me. John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, described Jesus as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In the debate over the President’s conduct, we heard two distinct voices. One demanded truth. The other cried for grace. One said that justice was the issue. The other claimed the need for forgiveness.
But when we look to the Savior, we see absolute truth and perfect grace. He carries justice in one hand and forgiveness in the other. In Him there is no partial truth or incomplete forgiveness. The standard for the Christian is not our nation’s judicial system or any other political system. It’s not the daily opinion polls. The standard is absolute purity and perfection. It’s full forgiveness. It’s simply Jesus. There’s no deceit in Him. He is absolute and total truth. If we are to know His forgiveness, we must come clean about the dirt in our lives. There’s no room for half-truths. They lead only to total deception.
If we are to experience victory over deceit, we must learn to be painfully honest. John wrote in his first epistle, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8, 9). Notice in that passage the interconnection of truth, justice, and forgiveness — and also the linkage of denial and deceit. The victorious Christian life is lived in the light of the truth. Victory can be seen only in truth’s spotlight.