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Part 1 of 5

In the last couple of months I’ve been really trying to explore what truth is, how to recognize it, how to live it, how to speak it, and what to do when confronted by it. I’m sure that there are highly educated theologians and philosophers who could talk/write circles around me in regards to this subject. I’m equally sure that there are average everyday people who give absolutely no thought as to what truth is because it’s not something that they encounter on a regular basis. My purpose in this blog series is to simply share my thoughts on truth and how the encounters I have had with truth have changed me.  I hope you’ll enjoy and add your two cents to the discussion.

I’ve heard the word truth used a lot when I was growing up. Phrases like “tell the truth, Johnny.” or “are you being truthful?” or “Is that the truth?” or “What is the true story?” As a child, the word truth was a harsh, unrelenting concept that I understood as being exact– perfect in all details, descriptions, and anecdotes. One forgotten or embellished detail and you were no longer dealing with truth – but rather with a lie – another equally harsh, unrelenting and difficult to understand concept.

Once I became an adult, the word truth took on a different meaning all together. I began to hear and use phrases like, “That’s the truth, more or less.” or “Ain’t that the truth!” or “Truthfully, I didn’t really know I was speeding, officer.”  Instead of the concept being exact, it appeared that truth was nothing more than various shades of grays and whites that were applied to the whatever circumstances should arise.

But what is truth? Is it something that is perfect and flawless in every detail or is it something that changes and adapts as the circumstances arise? As a Christian, I’ve committed and submitted myself to the authority of the Bible. So for me to discover the truth, I figured that’s the place to start. Here are a couple of things that I discovered:

• Truth is the same yesterday as it is today as it will be tomorrow – it doesn’t change.
• The truth can be learned even if you have no clear understanding of it.
• The truth can be followed and once followed can lead you into deeper truths.
• That freedom comes from knowledge and understanding of the truth.
• That speaking the truth is a responsibility to myself and to others.
• That truth is something that changes me and those around me.
• That truth is spoken and lived in love not in condemnation.
• That Jesus Christ came and died to bear witness to the truth.
• That truth can be discovered through the writings and lifestyles found in the Bible.

If I take these concepts of the truth and began to wrap my mind around them, then I begin to create an image of what truth is. My image of truth is not complete or perfect by any means, but it’s definitely something that I can start from so that I can begin to recognize truth.  So – that’s my thoughts, what do you think truth is?