TRUE TALK ON TRUTH

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.   -  John 8:32

 
You know, it’s been said that “what you don’t know won’t hurt you.”  But what I’ve found is quite the opposite.  Usually the things that seem to “jump up and bite me” are those proverbial unseen-things.  Every person’s life at some point is marked both by rebellion and deception.  Both have a relation with truth.  When we rebel, we know what is right and true – we simply choose to do the opposite.  Deception on the other hand, is when we think what we’re doing is right and true, when indeed it is not.  It’s the place where you think you know the truth. 
         When I look at John 8:32, I notice three liberating realities:

(1) Truth is knowable. 
There are people in the world today who challenge our ability to “adequately know truth.”  They claim that truth is relative, or at least that most truths are relative.  The Bible seems to indicate otherwise.  Not only does truth exist, but it is knowable.  Francis Schaeffer wisely points out that even communication itself implies a set of standard rules, or absolutes.  When I speak (or write!) to you, I assume that you will understand what I’m saying.  Why?  Because there is a set of rules (that are absolute) that govern communication. 

(2)Truth sets you free. 
There’s something liberating about truth.  One of my good friends used to say, “The truth will set you free…after it beats you up!”  Although it’s definitely true that sometimes truth hurts, in the end it sets you free.  Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus himself declares that He is the source of Truth (14:6).  If His statement is true (no pun intended!), then if someone is honestly seeking Truth, they will eventually meet Jesus.

(3) Only the Truth you know can set you. 
Every once in a while I listen to Christian radio.  While driving through my home town one day I remember hearing the following statement:  “Only the truth you know will set you free.  It can’t set you free until you know it.”  It’s true, though.  That’s why it’s so important to know the truth.  The truth I don’t know hurts me.  Do you want to know Truth?  Then meet with Jesus. 

Question of the Day:
How important is truth to me?