The Belt Of Truth

These days, the word “truth” is treated like a dirty word. I recently watched a documentary in which a man was asking questions of another man. When he attempted to drill down to a more detailed level, the word “truth” came up. The man being interviewed instantly became offended and accused the man questioning him of being confrontational and a bully.

Why is this? What’s so offensive about the word “ truth"?

Truth has been under attack since the day in the garden when Satan, the great deceiver, first distorted and twisted it. He started by getting Eve to question what she already knew (directly from the mouth of God, because Satan is just that crafty). Obviously, Eve remembered what God had said about not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because she said the words back to Satan. But he sowed words of doubt, asking, “Did God really say that?” The moment she took that in, the moment she questioned what God had said, it was game over. She messed up, her husband messed up and threw her under the bus (which wasn’t even invented yet), and here we are today. Thanks, guys. Bang up job (not that any of us would’ve done better, mind you).

Yes, truth has been under attack since God created humans. The exchanging of truth for a lie is what got Adam and Eve exiled from the garden. It’s what got the truth himself (Jesus) killed. The religious leaders considered him a blasphemer for saying He was God. The thing is, He was. He is God. And, of course, Jesus knew how it would play out. Truth comes at a price. It requires surrendering our own will and an obedient, deliberate stance to God’s will.

Remember the famous line from “A Few Good Men” when Jack Nicholson yelled to the attorney questioning him, “You can’t HANDLE the truth!” The more we seek our own way and deny the truth, which is Jesus, the more we open the door to deception in our own lives.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Notice He didn’t say, “I am one way to get to God.” He definitely didn’t say, “All paths lead to God.”

Truth is like a spotlight. It exposes our sin, and that’s unsettling, to say the least! But truth is not meant to trap, hold, or restrict us. It’s intended to provide the boundaries we so desperately need! To protect us from ourselves! We are prone to seek after things that will only destroy us. Idols. Less than what God desires for us! But Jesus, who is the truth, guides us and leads us on the narrow path that leads to life, not death! Truth allows us to walk in confidence in Christ, not putting our faith in ourselves. Truth is a guardrail that keeps us from going over the cliff. The sound of a car scraping against a guardrail is awful, but the result is the preservation of life! It’s like that with truth. It may hurt, it may be so difficult to face, but it leads to life. To freedom. And most importantly, to an eternity spent with the truth Himself, Jesus Christ!