Lately, I’ve been sitting with a realization that has stayed with me longer than I expected. It began as a quiet thought, one that surfaced while I was reflecting on how truth is recognized—and resisted—when it becomes costly. Almost unexpectedly, my mind returned to the story of Solomon’s judgment between two women claiming the same child. It’s a passage I’ve read many times, yet this time it felt different. What once seemed like a strange and obvious test began to reveal something far more searching: not a measure of cleverness, but a revelation of the heart. As I lingered with the story, it became a lens through which I began to see the way truth and falsehood still contend with one another today.
Two women came before King Solomon, each claiming to be the mother of the same baby. Faced with two identical claims, Solomon proposed a shocking solution: “Bring me a sword,” he said, and commanded that the living child be cut in two. One woman immediately cried out for the child to be given to the other woman, so that the baby might live. The other responded coldly, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him in half.”
For a long time, I struggled to understand this story. Who would be foolish enough to agree to such a thing? It seems like an obvious giveaway. But the story is not about intelligence—it is about love for the truth and regard for life.
Falsehood’s Tactic: Disguise
The first tactic falsehood employs is disguise. Scripture tells us that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Many false teachings and heresies present themselves as Christian and claim to be rooted in the Bible. On the surface, they may sound biblical and faithful. Yet their true foundation is not the Word of God itself, but the authority of a church or leader’s interpretation of Scripture. Bible verses may be quoted, but often they are removed from their context or twisted to serve a predetermined agenda.
By contrast, someone truly rooted in Scripture allows the Bible to interpret itself. Scripture interprets Scripture: clearer passages illuminate those that are more difficult, all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible carries a unified, Christ-centered message and does not contradict itself, because it is the coherent work of the same Spirit.
In Solomon’s story, the false mother disguises herself as the true one. Both women claim the same child. In the same way, falsehood always claims to be the truth. That is the first tactic.
But because falsehood is ultimately false, its arguments cannot withstand sustained examination. When its claims are tested against the full counsel of Scripture, inconsistencies and contradictions inevitably emerge. When this happens, falsehood turns to its second tactic.
Falsehood’s Tactic: Relativism
The second tactic is relativism. When exposed, falsehood responds by leveling the field: “If my interpretation is false, then everyone’s interpretation is false. If this is only my interpretation of the Bible, then yours is just an interpretation too. No one can claim greater authority. All interpretations are equal.” This way of thinking should sound familiar—it mirrors much of modern society’s approach to religion, politics, and morality. There is my truth, your truth, and his truth, but no absolute truth.
This is the false mother’s response: if I cannot have the child, then neither should you. Rather than yielding to the truth, she would rather destroy it so that no one can possess it. This posture is rooted in selfishness and indifference to life. The true mother, however, is willing to surrender her own claim if it means the child will live.
Likewise, when an argument can no longer stand against Scripture, the humble response is to seek the truth, even at great personal cost. The prideful response is to tear down all claims to truth so that no one else may stand on it either.
May Christians today would be granted Solomon’s wisdom and discernment. We live in an age overflowing with information, yet much of it is driven by falsehood and selfish ambition. The enemy delights in confusion and division. May we instead put on the full armor of God, wield the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God—and learn to handle it rightly. May we pray at all times in the Spirit, abide in the true Vine, and remain anchored in Christ, who alone is the Truth.
