Articles
The Oasis of Truth
Lies are more than factual distortions or denials of truth. Falsehood is mentally wearying; important decisions in life must be made and we need the best information possible in order to make decisions that are sound. When we cannot trust a doctor’s advice, a mechanic’s recommendation on car repair or a news anchor’s unbiased reporting we can grow frustrated because the truth is not clear.
Further, lies wrongly shape our worldview. We are constantly formulating an understanding of life wherein we integrate the information that comes to us. We try to resolve contradictions, explain various phenomena, understand why people, politics and powers are as they are.
Lies cause unimaginable trauma and distress. They ruin influence, cause people to spend money needlessly, garner votes for unfit candidates, sell inferior products, etc. While these things create tremendous fraud, waste and mental distress, they pale in comparison to lies in the religious realm.
God’s thoughts, commandments, promises and true information are revealed in Scripture, for the ultimate source of these writings is the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-16; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Pet 1:10-12). This is a foundational belief for a Christian; if we understand the divine origin of Scripture – if we truly and deeply accept this basic truth – it will color everything else we think and do. Not only will it provide guidance for life and eternity, it will bring comfort, confidence and peace to our soul. Solomon says, “Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, that I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you?” (Pr 22:20-21). The “certainty of the words of truth” stand in stark contrast to the doubt and confusion of the world. We are paying the price for the insistence on relativism and the demand that no one judge us for anything we say or do. The end result is that absolute truth is sacrificed for self-indulgence, and when the time comes that we need pure, unadulterated truth to help us through a crisis, we no longer recognize it. The proverb assures that when others seek us out for guidance and advice, we have something of substance to offer them – whether they heed it or not.
Righteousness is a byproduct of truth, for truth comes from God, and God cannot be unrighteous: “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit” (Pr 12:17). The purpose of lies is to distort or obfuscate truth, and through that process peddle a false narrative, persuade others to sin, evade guilt or otherwise promote evil and error.
One of the problems with untruth is that it sometimes takes some investigation to uncover the real story. If we are committed to truth – objective truth and not just our own well-meaning observations – then we should not be afraid of “fact checking.” Those who serve the Lord should have the sole aim of promoting righteousness; we should not make bold declarations hoping that others will not check their veracity. We cannot prop up godliness with shady, murky assertions that don’t pass the smell test.
A quality that sometimes accompanies truth is mercy: “Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne … The king who judges the poor with truth, his throne will be established forever” (Pr 20:28; 29:14). Since lies originate with Satan (Jn 8:44), it follows that mercy would not be associated with falsehood since what he wants for mankind is misery, not mercy. If a king – or a president, or a businessman or a politician – wants to establish himself he should build on a foundation of mercy and truth. Truth will seek what is right; mercy will show compassion to the penitent who falter through their weakness. The average person will respond to these qualities in an authority figure and show loyalty. Sadly, when the corrupt come power they often feel compelled to run roughshod over others to secure their position or flaunt their power.
Because it is both pragmatic and a feature of the divine character, Christians should be deeply committed to truth. Personified wisdom says, “For my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips” (Pr 8:7); “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Pr 3:3). We should be so averse to uttering untruth that we weigh our words carefully, check our sources, be on guard against gossip and innuendo, speak fairly about others. Truly, the golden rule applies: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 7:12). NO ONE wants to be lied about. We resent being quoted out of context; it is an affront to the authenticity of our character. We should not inflict such things upon others.
In a temporal world of change and decay where everything is breaking down and passing away, as we long for what is dependable and enduring let us take refuge in truth. Lies have a short half-life; they break down and disappear only to be replaced by other lies.
But there is flip side to this coin: truth can also be painful, especially when it exposes our imperfections. But even then truth is our friend, for it is imperative that we come to terms with our true self. We tend to protect ourselves by creating a fictional self-image that papers over our flaws. We ennoble our wayward intentions; we rationalize our bad choices; we blame others for our failures. But when we stop all this deflection nonsense and accept that we are fallen creatures, a great burden of self-deception is lifted and we can accept the truth of our own inadequacy. Only then will we truly make headway in our personal growth.
Hell will be populated with liars and those who believed lies. In fact, the main prerequisite of banishment from heaven is rejecting truth – be it moral, doctrinal or practical in its form. When Satan lied to Eve, and Eve believed him and urged Adam to do the same, both the physical world and human experience changed forever. Not only do we still bear the consequences of that lie, we replicate Eden over and over again in believing lies.
The truth will be vindicated and endure because it originates with God: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Ps 100:5); “For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” (Ps 117: 2). What an oasis of refreshment in a parched desert is God’s truth!
