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The truth of the gospel is redemption. The fact that Christ came in the flesh (John 1:14), paid the redemptive prize with His own life (1John 4:9-10),gave what it takes to be recreated after the nature of God (Eph 4:24) and gave us all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). Anything that contradict he fact that all is done is a lie.
Now, it is the truth that saves and sets free. Jesus speaking in John 8:31-38 that " you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free". Having an encounter with the truth provides freedom. The truth purifies, sanctifies, redeems and delivers. Now talking about upholding or standing for the truth,no one can stand for who or what he does not know and so the number one prerequisite for upholding the truth is to have a personal encounter with the truth and that means getting born-again.
If you haven’t met Christ, there is no way you can stand for the truth of God’s word. You need to have a good grasp on the word,be firmly rooted and established in it (1Pet1: 12, Eph4:15). You need to have a thorough knowledge of the truth before you can stand its defense.
Believing,knowing and obeying the truth are also very important(1Pet1: 22). Obeying the truth also entails walking in it (2Tim 2:8-26) doing what it says(James 1:22). With this you will be able to declare fearlessly, with great boldness and courage that which you believe and walk in it.
The apostles in Acts 2:14-36, 3:12-14, 4:1-22 spoke the truth fearlessly even at the expense of their lives. Paul was always ready to stick out his neck and lay down his life for the sake of the gospel(Acts 25,26,27) etc. These people stood in defense of the truth not minding the consequences. You need to uphold the truth at all times irrespective of the people involved. Paul in Gal 2:11-14 withstood Peter for doing something contrary to the truth of the gospel.Also note that there is always a price you have to pay for standing up for the truth.
People may reject,despise, persecute and may even try to kill you, but remember, Rom 8:18 says, "The afflictions and suffering of this present time can not be compared with the glory to be revealed in us ". Is that not exciting? You should dispense the gospel at all times with this at the back of your mind, because it is he who endures to the end that will be saved. 2Pet3:17-18 reminds us of the possibility of losing out on the truth due to the challenges that go along with it.But remember that Jesus did not promise a rosy life in this world but He said, " cheer up for I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The truth stands to lose nothing if you don’t stand for it because nothing can be done against it. It remains and abides forever. It cannot be destroyed, it is eternal and immortal. But remember that there is a reward for everything and since you were saved by the truth there is no reason why you should give upstanding for it as long as you live. Isaiah 10:27- " And it came to pass in the day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder,and his yoke from off thy neck and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing"
. A commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted portion of the bible is the one quoted above. Many times, the ignorance of Christians in this present day world pushes them to make them blasphemous statements and draw ridiculous conclusions about and from the Holy Scriptures. These days, almost anything goes in Christendom. However, the injunction of Paul in 2 Tim2:15 resounds clearly. There is need to rightly divide the word of truth, to correctly explain the word of truth if we are to stand as approved men in the sight of God.