Kristen and I recently discussed the difference between truths people claim to believe and truths that seem to drive people’s behavior. In relationships it might be something like “I know so-and-so loves me, and I love so-and-so”, but then engaging in conversation and behavior which demonstrates anything but mutual love. Simply put, you could call it being a hypocrite.
I call the first Confessional Truths, truths we confess to believe when confronted. I call the second Operational Truths, truths we use to make decisions about our behavior.
Imagine I have been promised by a trustworthy benefactor to be paid one billion dollars next Friday. Because the giver is trustworthy, I believe them. Then a friend in need comes to me and asks for all the money in my savings account. I tell him no, I can’t afford to give him that much money. The Confessional Truth: I will receive one billion dollars next Friday. The Operational Truth: I might need the money in my savings account for buying my next car. Hopefully, the hypocrisy is apparent. My Confessional Truth did not define my behavior, another set of Operational Truths did.
So what’s the point?
We have been promised by a much more trustworthy benefactor a much greater sum, because God has purchased us by the blood of Christ and sealed us by His Holy Spirit to inherit life everlasting. It may not be next Friday, yet it is more certain than next Friday. If we confess this to be true, does it drive our behavior? Maybe this is why the man cried to Christ, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”. Lord help us live out the truths we confess. Let our belief in Your promises define our actions. Let every thought, motive, and action be captive to Christ. Maybe this is what Christ meant when He saw Nathaneal and said “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”. Not that Nathaneal’s Confessional Truths were necessarily correct, but in what he Confessed he also Operated. The opposite of a hypocrite.
Consistency between Confessional and Operational Truths does make anyone right. It just means they’re not a hypocrite. How to have correct Confessional Truths is a topic exceeding this blog post, but I will say this: Christendom knows and agrees on enough that our disagreements are no excuse to not behave in a Christ-like manner.