The Oxford Dictionary defines truth as that which is true in accordance with fact or reality. The Meriam -Webster definition states truth as the body of real things, events, and facts; actuality. As children, we were taught the importance of always telling the truth. We grew up in a society where being truthful created social bonds that were built upon trust. Truthfulness was respected and valued. Truthfulness mattered.
If we look further, truth, in the biblical perspective, has a direct correlation to God. God is truth, meaning it is absolute and unquestionable. I like to picture ‘truth’ as being the palm of the hand, where the fingers represent the elements of truth, or characteristics of God – love, joy, peace, hope and faith.
So, what happens when we remove the palm, the truth or God? There will be five fingers behaving independently, acting on their own will. Love could present in any form including pedophilia. Joy could turn into anxiousness, and peace could include chaos or any justified uprising. Our hope would disappear while our faith could be transferred to statues or idols. Then truth becomes anything that you choose to believe, which would make lying meaningless.
What is apparent is that today’s culture no longer values truth. We are beginning to hear stories and witness events supposedly cloaked in truth, with no evidence of facts or actuality. Truth is being distorted to whatever one wants to believe, and relationships, activities and events are being built around fallacies. Society has become intolerant of God’s word and His truth, and seems to disregard accountability.
A world that lacks accountability and logic becomes disorderly, lawless and ungodly. Attitudes become distorted, believing we can always get what we want. We tell ourselves it is deserved or owed to us. Relationships become tenuous, as they are not built on any foundation of truth, but rather lies and hypocrisy. We slip further and further away from the core values and the word of God.
As our society moves further away from being Christ-centered and no longer aligning its beliefs with God’s truth, Christians will have to choose sides. They can follow along and become complicit with the current environment of falsehood or they can choose God’s truth. II Thessalonians 2:3 warns, ‘Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.’ We are encouraged in II Thessalonians 2:15 to stand firm and hold fast to the teachings passed on to us. Anything that contradicts the Word of God or the Spirit of God is of the enemy and should be avoided.
So, choose wisely. He who walks with integrity, and does what is righteous, and speaks truth in his heart…will never be shaken. Psalm 15:2-5