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Live THE truth, not YOUR Truth

It may be trendy to speak of your own personal truth but it is only truth if it’s true.

Monday, June 26, 2023

By Parker K. May

Reprinted from The Stand

Since today’s world is very focused on self, “Live your truth” is one of the leading expressions being pushed in today’s media. It’s meant to encourage people to live in their own authentic way and act as they believe what is best for them. Many people embrace this phrase because they believe it frees them from conforming to societal norms that are confining and restrictive.

While this expression seems inspiring and affirming for an individual person, people are blind to the damage it causes society. Because we are supposed to live our truth, this philosophy replaces fact with feeling as truth becomes defined as whatever we believe it to be. Everyone is right because they believe so, making nothing they do wrong.

Living this way makes the truth subjective.

Whoever invented this phrase forgot that not everyone – even if they are of the same mindset – shares the same opinion. This can cause contention, changing the argument from being between right and wrong to simply having different opinions. Those who believe they are right, think of everyone else as wrong, and vice versa.

The definition of truth in Marriam-Webster’s Dictionary is “the body of real things, events, and facts” and “the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact of reality.” Our culture needs to return to this objective view of truth to establish order in an increasingly chaotic and immoral world. But, amid all the lies we have been told, what is the truth?

John 14:6 answers that clearly when Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This is taken even further in John 1:14 as the verse goes on to explain that Jesus was the Word made into flesh. The Bible is the Word of God, and the moral principles that the world is supposed to abide by is found in this book. Although the world tries to rebel against it, we can’t have morality without the Bible with Jesus as the center of its foundation.

Even though the truth is as simple as that, the world is still resistant to accept it. Why?

First, John 8:44 lays out brazenly our natural sinful nature, and it is followed up in verse 45 by saying, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” We are very resistant to the idea of being wrong, and people often get offended by the truth. No matter what we decided to live by or consider truth, if it does not match up with biblical principles, it will cause us harm.

Second, we resist because living the truth means we can’t be selfish, something that is hard to do in this very self-loving culture. Psalm 115:1 states, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.” While it is true that we are unique (Psalm 139:14), it does not give us an excuse to do whatever we want. We need to abide by His principles and use our uniqueness to glorify Him.

Third, the world teaches us that loving one another means accepting and indulging in sinful lifestyles. But 1 John 3:18 says, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” We are called cruel and hateful when we don’t agree with someone’s immoral lifestyle, but if we truly loved one another, we wouldn’t be afraid to share with them the God-given truth.

In today’s world, we need to start living the truth that the Bible has given us instead of our own personal truth that we made up to feel better about ourselves. We need not fear what spreading the truth will do in this fallen world.