How to Be Anchored in God’s Truth

In 2016, Oxford University announced their annual word of the year: post-truth. 

Here’s a definition: post-truth is “relating to or existing in an environment in which facts are viewed as irrelevant, or less important than personal beliefs and opinions, and emotional appeals are used to influence public opinion.”   

This word was chosen because we’ve entered an age of misinformation. Society claims that objective truth is arrogant and impossible, and instead there’s an increased focus on subjective truth. We talk about “fake news” and “alternative facts.” We’re encouraged not to speak the truth but to instead speak our truth.  

This confusion and irrationality has left many people asking, “What is truth?” and “How do we know that truth is really true?” Our culture (by and large) gives us very few resources to find solid answers. We are post-truth. 

However, when we’re in Christ, we see and live by the truth God has revealed. In Isaiah 45, the prophet exalts God and his Word over and against the false gods that Israel was tempted to trust in. Isaiah says that God is trustworthy because He “…created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.” – Isaiah 45:18-19 

Because God is the Creator of the world, He is the one who speaks truthfully about the world. If we look at other parts of Scripture, we see that God speaks truth to us in many different ways: 

1. He speaks through creation. The psalmist talks about how the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).
2. God speaks through our consciences. The Apostle Paul talks about how the law of God is written on our hearts (Romans 2:15).
3. God speaks through the Bible. The Apostle Peter says that the Holy Spirit carried the writers of Scripture so that they wrote exactly what God wanted them to (2 Peter 1:21).
4. And (most amazingly) God has spoken through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle John writes about how Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14), and Jesus even refers to Himself as “the truth” (John 14:6).

So through creation, through conscience, through Scripture, and through Christ, God speaks and reveals truth. We can know that what He reveals is true because He is God. He isn’t a lifeless, empty idol who leads us astray into falsehood. But what does it look like to value God’s truth in post-truth world?  

Love God’s Truth 

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
– Psalm 19:7-11 

In Psalm 19, King David is meditating on the loveliness of God’s Word. God’s instruction, David says, is perfect; it is without error. But the perfect truthfulness of God’s written Word doesn’t just satisfy our intellectual curiosities. David says that it “[revives] the soul.” God’s Word doesn’t just perfectly inform us mentally; it powerfully transforms us spiritually. 

David’s heart is moved to worship because of the truth that God reveals. The psalm reveals that God’s pure commandments enlighten his eyes. This kind of enlightenment happens when we experience something awesome—like watching your team scoring a touchdown, eating a delicious meal, or looking at a breathtaking painting. Your eyes light up and your joy is restored. That’s what the truth of God’s Word does for us.  

Listen to how Jesus puts it in John 8:31-32: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  

Many Jews during Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures backwards and forwards, but they were not free. They were enslaved to greed, hypocrisy, and lust. But when we know the truth of God’s love through the cross and the resurrection, then we can experience real freedom.  

I deeply long for you to know the truth of God’s Word. I want you to hear good sermons based on Scripture. I want you to read the Bible as much you can. I want you to take part in Bible studies with your friends. God’s Word is a treasure to be marveled at. We can’t just know it in our heads—we must love the truth with our hearts. 

Proclaim God’s Truth 

“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence; but a false witness utters deceit.” – Proverbs 12:1 

Every word we speak is in the presence of God; therefore, we must speak what is true and refrain from deceit. When lies are spoken in a courtroom, then the whole process of justice is undermined. In the same way, when lies are spoken in our own lives, we become unable to prosper as God intended. Speaking the truth, as difficult as it may be sometimes, brings renewal and restoration where there had previously been chaos.  

We can’t be people who simply know or admire the truth, but don’t speak the truth. Our lives and our world will fall into disarray. The problem is that speaking the truth can be quite inconvenient. There are many truths in Scripture that aren’t readily accepted by our broader culture: 

• The truth that Jesus is the exclusive way to salvation.  

• The truth about God’s design for human sexuality and marriage.  

• The truth that salvation is a gift to be received by faith, not through any religious work or ritual.  

• The truth about political idolatry—those that trust in politics and politicians to deliver us from evil.  

• The truth about discipleship—how Jesus calls us to surrender to Him and commit to lives of daily repentance.  

All this truth is controversial. None of it is convenient. But we must still speak it; we can’t shrink back. We must be people who know the truth, love the truth, and speak the truth.  

In Ephesians 4:15, the Apostle Paul gives a very important qualifier to truth-telling: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” – Ephesians 4:15 

Paul tells us that speaking the truth must be done in love. In other words, it’s possible to speak the truth in an un-loving way. If the right words come out of your mouth but the wrong motivations fill your heart, your truth-telling is sinful and wrong. 

We see and hear this kind of discourse every day on the news. Many have said that we live in an Age of Rage, where an us-against-them mindset steals our ability to love one another. So when you’re sending that text, posting on social media, or getting ready to “drop a truth bomb,” be sure to check your heart. Is your desire to build someone up in love or tear them down with condemnation? Is your motivation to exalt God and His glory or exalt yourself and your ego?  

Jesus had the right to speak words of judgment and ridicule more than anyone, but listen to the way that the Apostle John describes him in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  

Jesus is full of grace and truth. As His followers, our goal must be the same. If we speak truth without love, then we don’t really value the truth—we value making ourselves feel good by putting others down. This is the opposite of what Jesus did. He laid his life down in order to build others up and offer them redemption. 

We can’t rush in guns-a-blazin’, shooting down every argument we encounter without regard for how we’re perceived by others. Instead, we’re called to humbly engage with those who disagree with us because we know that God reveals the truth that we live by.  

Apart from God, we would know nothing. Let’s pray that God would teach us the tricky balance of speaking His truth from a place of love and grace toward those who hear us. We may live in a post-truth age, but we worship a trustworthy and true God. Let’s continue to center our lives and our church around Him, so that we can be faithful and loving witnesses to a confused and hurting world.