By Rev Victor Neill
Truth is not a commodity that can be traded! The thought here is of obtaining the truth or recovering the truth - at whatever the cost and holding firmly to it. Sadly, in today’s society truth is not always highly regarded and prized as one’s most precious possession. Instead to some it seems an inconvenience, so they compromise it or simply ignore it - in order to obtain earthly gain or prestige!
Jeremiah the prophet was instructed to say to the nation of Judah,
‘This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth‘ (Jer 7 v 28)
That coupled with the words of the prophet Isaiah could in many ways sum up our own nation’s attitude to God’s truth today ‘Judgement is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street‘ ( Is 59 v 14 ). Whilst many ignore or ridicule God’s truth, the truth of God’s precious Word still shines as a beacon that leads us to the One who is Truth personified – the Lord Jesus Christ who declared ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life ‘ (John 14 v 6).
We must humbly acknowledge the truth that we are sinners who stand condemned because of our sin ‘if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us’ (1st John 1 v 8). When we link the truth of our sin with the amazing truth ‘Christ died for our sins ‘ ( 1st Cor 15 v 3 ) and realise that in Christ there is a full and free forgiveness because He has paid the penalty for our sins. Then that must should surely lead us to yield our heart and life to the Saviour and experience the freedom and release that truth brings!
‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free ‘ ( John 8 v32 ).
Oft times people are offended by the truth and therefore offended by the one who brings the truth: ’Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?‘ (Gal 4 v 16). Yet there can be no truer friend than the one who tells you the truth and who by example seeks to live out the truth! Someone has said ‘If you want to help people, tell them the truth. If you want to help yourself, tell them what they want to hear!‘