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Jesus said, “The truth shall set you free.” A modern paraphrase of that is; “The truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off.” I believe both statements are true. 

Sometimes the truth makes us mad because the truth confronts us or calls us out. The truth challenges us to make changes in the way we think or the way we act. Conviction does not usually make us happy! Even though, hopefully we hear the truth, and we do make changes that make our lives better and makes us more authentic followers of Jesus. 

Which makes me wonder why those of us who read the Bible aren’t offended more often. I want to challenge what has become the model of a person of mature faith. The model is of a person who is stalwart. They never change. They have believed the same thing for 20, 30, or 50 years and their convictions have never wavered. This stance of staunch firmness is often viewed as maturity against the shifting waves of culture where people and their morals just go with the flow. 

But if the Bible teaches us the truth and the truth sets us free (after making us mad) then a mature follower of Jesus should be a person who changes and grows as they are confronted by truth. 

If we read the Bible every day, week after week, year after year and it only reinforces what we already believe or already do, then, we are either living a perfect life or we are not listening. I don’t think it is the former. I would go as far as to say that if we still understand God the same way and believe the exact things we believed 15 years ago, then we haven’t matured any. 

I believe the model for a mature believer is one who holds their beliefs humbly. One who is willing to listen to the truth and be moved by it. One who is even willing to be changed by it. Authentic faith is pliable and open to change of mind and actions. 

The truth will set us free. Often it will piss us off. But ultimately it will change us. I believe that is the point.