A couple of weeks ago Patsy and I had the opportunity to watch Brett and Curtis Garrett in the Randall Theater production of “Fractured Fairy Tales.” It was great fun to see how the authors had taken the seed of well-known fairy tales, in this case “Cinderella” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and then ran with them in a totally different direction. The trial of Goldilocks was definitely unlike any courtroom I have ever been in.

In Matthew 4 we read about Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to sin after 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. In that attempt we see that Satan fractured or misapplied three Old Testament passages or themes. As Satan used these themes, each had a grain of truth, but then he twisted them to suit his own plan and purpose.

I would like to say that fracturing and twisting God’s word doesn’t happen very much, but the truth is it is done all too often, misapplying or taking God’s word out of context to promote a position that scripture doesn’t support. And the problem is that those who do the twisting can make it sound so good that those who do not really know or understand God’s word can be deceived.

That’s why, as Paul addressed false teachings in the church in II Timothy 2:15, he charged Timothy to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

In John 8:31 and 32 we read, “To the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teachings, you are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

Correctly handling God’s word of truth takes time, it takes study, and it takes seeking God’s understanding and leading through prayer until we receive it. However, it is all worth it when we experience the power and the freedom, freedom within the boundaries God has set and freedom from others twisting his word, which comes from knowing and understanding God’s truth.

Seeking to Know and Live God’s Truth,

Mark