On Truth

We seem to be living in a post-truth world. This has been the case for a very long time. The prophet Isaiah spoke about man’s tendency to shun truth, saying:

“Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find there was no justice.”
Isaiah 59:14-15 NLT

The passage above and the quotes below clearly show that the false has been at war with the truth throughout the history of mankind. After all, it was a lie that won out over what was true at the fall in the Garden of Eden when the serpent convinced Eve that what God had said was not true and that he knew better.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer – 1564-1642

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
German philosopher, author – 1788-1860

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
Soren Kierkegaard
Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic – 1813-1855

“Strange times are these, in which we live, forsooth;
When young and old are taught in Falsehood’s school:–
And the man who dares to tell the truth,
Is called at once a lunatic and fool.”
George Francis Train
American entrepreneur – 1829-1904

“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.”
Winston Churchill
UK Prime Minister, Nobel prize winning author/historian – 1874-1965

“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”
Georges Braque
Major 20th century French painter – 1882-1963

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
George Orwell
English author, journalist, critic – 1903-1950

Truth is hard to find and often hard to believe. This is more visible to us now, in the information age, since technology has exponentially increased our access to information. In the early days of the internet, it seemed that the doors to great treasures of knowledge—and therefore, truth—had been thrown open for everyone. I say seemed because it has become increasingly apparent that the truth is very hard to find. Virtually anything you “google” will yield information and opinions on every possible side of a question. Which sources are correct and/or trustworthy? News outlets and politicians put ”spin” on stories to fit a prescribed narrative. Add to that the active censorship by governments, news media, and social media platforms of controversial subjects and what is deemed ”misinformation” which curtails our ability to make informed decisions on important matters.

How then do we determine what is true?

Let’s peer into God’s Word to see what He says about Truth.

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:5 KJV

“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;”
Zechariah 8:16 NIV

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 NKJV

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32 NKJV

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
John 14:6 NKJV

“…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…”
John 16:13a NKJV

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.“
John 17:17 NKJV

”… 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.”
John 18:37 NKJV

“Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?”
Galations 4:16 NLT

“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.”
Ephesians 4:25 NLT

”For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.“
2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT

The Truth comes from God Almighty. All truth. All that is true about the universe, the earth, mankind, animals, plants, science is true because God created it, and put it in motion. It is for humanity to discover these truths, and that is where things fall apart. All that is true about how God relates to humanity is true because God instituted it. Try as we might to change these things or explain them, we cannot separate them from God’s sovereignty. No matter how hard satan might try to deceive the world into believing his lies, he cannot overcome the Truth.

On an individual level, God knows the truth about each one of us. He knows if we live and walk in truth. He knows if we speak and believe truth or lies.

Who and what do you believe? Do you speak and walk in truth?

There is One Who is Truth. You can find Him and His Truth in His Word (the bible). All those who believe in Jesus have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Jesus said the Spirit will lead you into all truth. So when you don’t know where to find the truth you are looking for, before you turn to Google, run to Jesus!

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