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Loving the Truth

by Phil Maxwell 11/21/02

I’ve believed the ‘Son of God’ doctrine for 33 of my 43 years, since the first time I picked up a Bible and read Matthew. For most of those years, the only ones I knew of who agreed with me were my wife, Brenda, and my near and dear brother of 20 years, Eric Halleck.

I guess I always “knew” there were others out there, but only through the advent and growth of the internet over the last few years have I actually become acquainted with any. I now know quite a few, have regular email from others, many of whom are still amazed to find they aren’t alone.  I even know of three churches that have “crossed over” to this view.  There is even an increasing amount of published literature entering into the fray in recent years.

After all these years, one might think I’d be thrilled at this rising tide of agreement with what I’ve always seen, but I can’t really say I am. What I have found over the years is that while “orthodox Christianity” may dub me with labels like cultic, heretical, and anti-Christ because of this doctrine, that really isn’t the root of the division. If it were, than this growing tide would resolve the isolation I’ve felt, but I’ve found that wherever the Lord sows, the devil sows also, and neither this nor any other doctrine prevents that. Just as I’ve found a number of true brethren who hold Trinitarian and Oneness views, I’ve also found a number of genuine enemies who hold the same ‘Son of God’ view I do.  

Thus, I conclude that love of the truth, not possession of it, is what matters most. God isn’t sending a great delusion to those who don’t hold the truth, but to those who don’t love the truth. I have found the following three things that transcend all doctrinal creeds, to strongly compete with love of the truth:

• People want to believe that what they believe is true. (Resistance to change; i.e. pride, fear.)
• People want what they believe to be affirmed by others. (Human affirmation; i.e. vanity, carnal.)
• People want others to believe the same as them. (Aversion to differences; i.e. envy, faithless, self-exalting.)

When these things win out over peoples’ love of the truth, they impede their love for one another, which I read as being far more important to Yahshua than secondary doctrines. When I read Ephesians 4, I read that this – loving one another as Christ commanded – is the means that true knowledge of the Son of God will come, not vice-versa. To have the truth is not necessarily to love the truth, but earnestly loving the truth is a guarantee to having it eventually.

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