The first reaction to truth is hatred. ~Tertullian
The relationship between Truth and Love is confusing. In a previous post, 7 Things Love is Not, I noted that biblical truth and love are inseparable twins. So why do I find it so difficult to live happily with both?
In recent years Truth has taken quite a beating.
- What once was true is now in question, so you can no longer trust your beliefs.
- What once was evident is now computer-edited so you can no longer trust your senses.
- What once was reliable is now filtered and slanted, so you can no longer trust the facts.
Any truth left over, any perspective we all still share, is as tasty and invigorating as yesterday’s leftover coffee. We thirst for something so much better…
In contrast to tepid relativism, the Truth-tellers among us seem strident–more hostile and mean than accurate. Rigid lines are drawn and defined, with no middle ground, no grey areas allowed.
If the choices are Truth-as-hammer, or Truth-as-bias, most of us will choose neither. Both feel like the opposite of Love.
But the opposite of Truth is not love, it is lies. And the opposite of Love is not truth, it is indifference.
An indifferent liar is exactly what God is not. And therefore is the worst thing that we can be. So,
- The impulse to pretend,
- To refuse to care,
- To keep our heads down and thoughts to ourselves is not from God and is not who he is.
The problem is not with Truth, the problem is with us. We’ve forgotten its meaning, we’ve misunderstood; we’ve become hardened, skeptical and afraid. But oh, the delight that awaits us when we rediscover Truth once more.
So, what is Truth? What do you think?
6 replies on “Truth and Love”
“Truth” divorced from incarnated love isn’t truth by any biblical standard. I grow increasingly convinced that it is still better to start with love, even ill defined, and hope to define truth in that context than it is to learn what we think is truth that is void of any definition of love. Killer post.
Truth needs a context, doesn’t it. That’s good, Robert.
Thanks, Janet – that’s true and well put. Truth and love aren’t in opposition; we need both. (The geek in me would say they are orthogonal.)
Great word, Ed! “orthogonal” Thanks!
The ones who purport to know Truth the most often seem to be the ones least capable of living it.
I have recalibrated my Truth-understanding by way of three categories: hunches, beliefs, convictions–the former being larger than the latter.
This strikes me as humility…Thanks, Kelly.