How Much Do I Value the Truth?
If I genuinely value the truth—and if I genuinely care for others—I should be willing to share the truth whether I am accepted or rejected, ridiculed or praised.
How much do I value the truth? And how readily am I my willing to share it? As I’ve contemplated these questions the past few weeks, I realize my answer is not what I want it to be. My willingness to tell the truth, whether The Truth of the Gospel or what I believe to be true about many other things, has often been dependent on how I believe that truth will be received. I hesitate in sharing the truth of the Gospel, or sharing my beliefs about many other issues, because I am often fearful of what others may think. Perhaps this is understandable in the world in which we live, as certain beliefs, values, and opinions are more readily accepted while others are ruled out of bounds. But if I genuinely value the truth—and if I genuinely care for others—I should be willing to share the truth whether I am accepted or rejected, ridiculed or praised.
In addition to considering my willingness to share the truth, I’ve also been contemplating the extent to which I am responsible for sharing and defending the truth. As a follower of Christ, I believe it is my duty and responsibility to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus and to always seek to uphold THE Truth about Christ. But do I have a duty, or at least some measure of responsibility, to contend for what is true on many other issues? I believe the answer is yes. Telling the truth is a way of loving our neighbors; in contrast, allowing our neighbors to continue believing what is false—to continue to live by lies—is not loving at all. But if telling the truth is a way to love my neighbor, why do I not share it? Because I often care more about what others think of me than I care about the good of my neighbors. This is sin, plain and simple.
I am praying that God will put to death my selfish desire for approval and that He will replace it with a deep and genuine concern for others. But while I know that I should tell the truth for the good of my neighbor, how do I know when I should speak up for the truth and engage in discussions about the truth? Must I always speak up for the truth in every context? In every setting? Specific to social media, must I always give my take on current events or speak out on every contemporary issue? The answers to these questions are not as clear and require a great amount of wisdom. Here are a few scriptures I’ve been pondering as I think through these questions:
Proverbs 18:17: “The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.”
Proverbs 26:4-5:
"Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes."
Proverbs 10:19: “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
James 1:19-20: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:2: “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”
What can I glean from these scriptures? Perhaps most importantly, I must strive to be slow to speak and quick to listen. I also must not jump to conclusions but should be careful to examine all the evidence (or at least all the evidence I can) before making judgments on what is true and what is false. Furthermore, I must contend for the truth graciously and winsomely, knowing that I will give an account to God for every word I speak (cf. Matt. 12:36). And perhaps above all, I should contend for the truth not simply out of a desire to win arguments but out of a desire to win people. May the way I contend for the truth be so filled with charity and grace that it causes people to ultimately look to the Source of all truth and behold His goodness and beauty.
One further note about the nature of truth:
When we think about defending the truth, this is not a call to defend “my truth”or “your truth.” Truth is objective—it does not depend on whether I believe it to be true. In fact, I may desperately want something NOT to be true and may even be tempted to ignore what is true because it does not sit well with me (or because it does not align with what I want to believe). But truth is truth whether I believe it or not. Consequently, I should be willing to follow evidence wherever it leads, even if it conflicts with my own preunderstanding of what I think is true or what I want to be true.
One final encouragement as we contend for the truth:
We will all live and continue to breathe for as long as God wills—not a moment more, not a moment less. God is also in control of all of history, which allows me both the freedom to contend for the truth and grace to admit being wrong. It is completely possible (indeed, very likely) that in my quest for truth I will state something that turns out to be incorrect and must be retracted. Trust in the sovereignty and mercy of God gives me the freedom and courage to contend for the truth and the humility to admit when I am wrong.