The 7 Untruths

Thom Gardner’s Strongholds of Untruth and Scriptural Responses to Them

I have been asked to summarize the 7 lies that the world tells us and the Christian response I enunciated in my Advent II sermon.

1. Fear – the lie that I am alone in the dangerous waters of life.

Response: God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

2. Rejection – the lie that “I don’t fit in, I don’t belong.”

Response: I am accepted in Christ (Ephesians 1:18) and God has reserved a place for me in his Church on earth and in his Kingdom in heaven (I Corinthians 12:18).

3. Worthlessness – the lie that “I am worth less than others.”

Response: I am God’s treasure, his glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18), made in his image (Genesis 1:27) and accounted worthy of life of his one-begotten Son.

4. Shame – the lie that “I have crossed the line of God’s grace, and that I am therefore unworthy of his love.”

Response: Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).

5. Insecurity – the lie that “I am a helpless victim in a world that is out of control with nobody to trust.”

Response: I predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11).

6. Defilement – the lie that “I have been ruined for life by what others have done to me.”

Response: I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).

7. Hopelessness – the lie that “I will never…I can never, and I should just give up and give in to despair.”

Response: I can do everything [that God wants me to do] through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

There are other verses that could have been cited to support these points, but I have selected the ones I thought best apply to countering the falsehoods. I hope you find this helpful.

Father Young