The Truth About Truth

In today’s society, truth is no longer absolute, but what you make it to be.  It is relative.  Some people believe that there is no such thing as absolute absolutes.  But how can they be absolutely sure?  To make such a statement as that is in itself of claim of an absolute truth, and therefore, contradictory.  Without truth, how can we be said to have any rights at all?  The truth is staring us right in the face yet people will deny what they know just to fit in, or to be accepted. Dishonesty is acceptable in our society today, and in our culture it has become a common habit.  The truth about truth is that it can’t be avoided, it will always be truth regardless of whether you want it to be or not.       

First off, let's talk about the meaning of truth.  Truth may be defined as the way things really are.  Whatever reality is, that is the truth.  But not many people are willing to accept reality, or the truth.  There’s a quote by Winston Churchill, and he says, “the truth is incontrovertible; Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.”  The truth cannot be changed, no matter how hard we try, or how much we wish it could be changed.  It’s always going to be there, as solid as a rock, hitting us in the face whether we like it or not.  Truth is truth and it can’t be avoided.  Either something is right or something is wrong.          

                   

In our society, there are people who claim to have their “own” truth.  But there is no such thing as “your truth” or “my truth.”  There is only the truth.  It is not possible to live in a world where your truth and my truth have genuineness.  The problem with their truth is that it is in conflict, in direct opposition of the truth.  There are so many people who believe that multiple religions can be right.  Take a look at the Muslim faith and the Christian faith.  The Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet.  But they don’t believe that He was God’s son or God Himself.  But Jesus claimed to be God, if Jesus isn’t who He says He is then wouldn’t that make Him a false prophet? Those are two so-called truths that contradict each other and they cannot both be right.  They cannot both be truth. 

I believe a big reason so many people are opposed to the absolute truth is because they’re so used to being fed lies.  They’re prone to falsehood.  It’s a sad realization of how many people don’t want to acknowledge or accept the truth if it doesn’t match what they want to believe.  But here’s the catch- “Truth will always be true, even if no one believes it; and falsehood will always be false, even if everyone believes it” (Os Guinnes – A Time For Truth).  Truth is exactly what it is named, and it will always be that. Regardless of whether or not it hurts you or sets you free.  It’s the truth.        

Now the question is asked, where does truth come from?  Let’s look at scripture.  John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life…’” Again in John 8, “…’if you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and truth will set you free.’” For some people, this is a hard pill to swallow because for generations so much of mankind has wanted to earn salvation or find their own way to God.  But, if we conclude that the Bible is true, we have got to make decisions based on all of it- not just the parts we like.  Christ, as God, is the personification of truth.  He embodies truth.  Truth in the Bible is revealed as the character of Christ, His teachings and His promises.  Anything that does not agree with the Bible is false.  Take the use of relativism for example.  It is the idea that truth, knowledge or morality only exist in relation to culture and are not absolute.  But that doesn’t line up with the truth in the Bible. 

 

Truth is a weapon.  In Ephesians Paul describes truth as part of the armor we are to put on as we live simultaneously in the physical and spiritual universe.  Having the belt of truth buckled around our waist helps us to hold everything together.  It gives us a system for thinking about things and filtering them through biblical understanding.  When you do that, it’ll be harder for the enemy to blindside you. 

There will be times when truth requires us to do things we don’t always want to do.  For example, in the book of Daniel, we see the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  They were faithful to the Lord and did everything in their power to serve and bring glory to Him.  But they were commanded by the king Nebuchadnezzar to worship him and his gods.  The three brothers knew the consequences of disobeying the king, to be thrown into a fiery furnace.  But they knew the truth- that God is the One True King and He is the only one worthy of their praise.  They stood by that truth, and did not bow down to the king or his idols.  As a result, the king sent them into the fiery furnace as their punishment.  But, for standing up for the truth, and living to serve only God, the Lord rewarded them and saved them from the fire.  They weren’t afraid to speak the truth, even if it meant dealing with the horrifying consequences.  All that mattered to them in that moment was the truth.  That being said, we won’t always be rewarded for speaking up for the truth.  As a matter of fact, in a world where acceptance- or tolerance, is the highest ideal, standing up for the truth in public could more than likely get you slammed. You'll most likely be made fun of or ridiculed.  But as long as you are speaking the truth in love, then you’re doing the right thing.  Truth isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t make it any less true.       

There are instances when Christians have compromised on the truth.  For instance, our society has determined that homosexuality is perfectly acceptable.  As Christians we don’t need to go very far into scripture to realize that it is not acceptable in the sight of the Lord.  It doesn’t line up with the truth in the Bible.  But there are Christians who will compromise on this truth.  By not speaking up against it when it is brought up, and just keeping hush about it, they don’t cause any trouble, and just go with the flow.  But as Christians, we cannot afford to just go with the flow, if the flow is directing us away from God and His truth.          

Knowing the truth is truly a wonderful thing.  But it is not enough.  We must act on the truth.  More important than knowing the truth is to live out the truth.  Walk in truth.  Wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth are all attributes of Christ and we should strive to seek after it.  After Him.  Ask yourself, what do I define truth as?  Is the truth I claim to be true, really true?  Or am I bending the truth, molding it into what I want to fit under the description of truth? 

Don’t shy away from the truth.  It will not change, and you will not be able to avoid it.  Even if it means being ridiculed or not well liked, in the end, the truth will set you free. 

That is the truth about truth.    

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