Truth

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" - John 8:21-32

"Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.' Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth'?" - John 18: 37b - 38a

"Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong." - Francisco d'Anconia, Atlas Shrugged


"Deal with the truth as you find it, not the truth as you wish to find it." - Toirdhealbheach Beucail

What is truth? This thought popped into my head as I was wading my way through Atlas Shrugged - but also has been a theme as I have made sojourn here in New Home, in many many ways a sort of mini-remote island experience cut off from friends, family, church, and most activities that I did as well as a great deal of news. It has been a time where for a great deal, I have had books, thoughts, and the Internet to ponder.

How do we use truth? What do we base our life on? Do we even bother to search it out anymore, or do we merely accept what we are given at face value? Or just settle into our own version of what we believe the truth is?

The English word "truth", for those that were wondering, is not actually derived from Greek or Latin but rather comes from the Old English "treowth" which means "fidelity". Which is actually not a bad definition at all: when were are truthful, we are faith (showing fidelity) to the thing or facts as they are.

Truth is a sort of dirty word in much of today's culture, both modern and philosophical - and the idea of a "True Truth" (as Francis Shaeffer would say) even more under attack. Most here are probably familiar with the concept of "It's true for you, but not for me." Truth, in so many ways, is seen by this time and space as something which is subjectively true rather than objectively true.

The difficulty with that thinking is simply that it is never faithful to the end. Inevitably, false versions of the truth stop short of the full implications of the truth - and individuals refuse to embrace the totality of the truth and where facts lead but stop at their "version" of the truth. And if one cannot be faithful to the full truth, one is simply not truthful, embracing false versions of truth.

God is a God of Truth. He calls His people to be those of truth - not only about Him, but I would also submit about everything. Christians should above all others be people of ruthless honesty (but not ruthless about how we present it), a people who are committed to seeing things as they really are and not shunning away from the uncomfortable parts or wishing that there was truth other than that which they find.

Are we truthful with God? (Probably seldom as much as we should be) Are we truthful with ourselves? (Usually only when it is of benefit to us). Are we truthful with our spouse? (Insert your own answer here) With our children? With our friends? With our community? With those in the church and out of it? With the nations?

The world is awash in half truths, false truths, bad truths, and untruths. We substitute everything else for truth because we can't find truth around us.

Let the Church, at least, be a place of truth for a world controlled by the Prince of Lies.

And let it start with me.