SPEAKING THE TRUTH! (Pub) i
A couple of years back I read in a magazine that a group of students in New York had sued McDonald foods for causing them obesity. The students’ attorney argued that the condiments used in the preparation of the various McDonald food items such as: burgers, fries, chicken nuggets etc made the products fatty, sweat, inviting, tasteful and irresistible. This allured them into buying and eating McDonald products regularly, consequently suffering obesity. The court ruling favored McDonalds, reasoning that it was their choice to eat MacDonald’s products often. McDonald’s never induced them. This was absolute and objective truth, morally justified.
The scriptures record Jesus exhorting the Jews who believed in His word, He said to them, ‘’and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free’’ (John 8:32). He implied the more they dwelled and abided in His word, the more they shall be liberated, set free, redeemed, saved from tradition, tears, confusion, wrong teachings and even demonic attacks. The word shall open their spiritual eyes, pull down strongholds and release spiritual strength in their hearts and mind to replace the old things uprooted through their conversion. The question that bothered them, as well as most people today is ‘what is the truth’? A Nigerian National newspaper ‘’The Guardian’’ adopted a phrase out of Jesus’ statement as its motto: “the truth shall set you free”. Again this is a common saying among Christian folks; but what is missing in this phrase is: what is the truth that sets one free? To most people the truth is a relative term; some call lies truth and vice versa. Some people are quick to close their minds against what is truthful, so when the voice of reason and discernment is heard, it’s considered false or deceitful.
Speaking the truth to a crowd becomes even more taskful and difficult for fear of unbelief, non- acceptance, the risk of ejection not only your message but also yourself. The truth could be misconstrued and used against you. Little wonder, some people ‘just go along’ especially when the truth goes against public opinion, mind molders or institutions. Notwithstanding, God commands us to speak the truth. God hates lies and falsehood. The choice we daily face is either to obey God or man (self).
WHAT IS THE TRUTH? Telling the truth supposedly means that there is a truth to tell; if not, then it is true that there is no truth. Telling the truth is the opposite of lying. The difference between lying and truth suggests that there is such a thing as truth; that’s the objective truth. Truth means different things to different people at different situations. As a result different words have been used to describe it, such as: actual, authentic, accurate, correct, exact, honest, fact, rightful, legitimate, faithful, frank, genuine or sincere, etc. It is sincerity in action, character and utterances; it claims the fact corresponds with actual events or happenings; conform to an essential reality, without deviation or variation from type etc.
Telling the truth is a moral virtue, a matter of the will. It connotes being honest with the whole of one’s heart. This demands sacrifice; sacrifice of self will, self image, the desire to be forthright, the satisfaction of being right as well as selfless love of honesty and sincerity. The opposite of truth is lying, false, fiction, deceit or untruth.
SPEAKING THE TRUTH I once counseled someone who spoke the truth and was still punished for doing something wrong. He said to me ‘I said the truth and was punished, but if I kept quiet or denied it, the truth couldn’t have been revealed and I would have averted the punishment”. He continued “ I know the bible says, “The truth shall set you free” it enjoins us to speak the truth at all times and refrain from telling lies because lying is sinful and grieves the Holy Spirit in us “ Has the truth saved me? He asked. I paused a little while and responded, “it’s not only right, but the proper that you said the truth. It matters very little, if at all that you were punished; what matters is that you honored God and obey His commandment. It is an inward exhibition of great love for God” (John 14:15, 23). The punishment comes from the law, but God’s grace brings forgiveness (Romans 6:14-23). There is also an inward fulfillment that you said the truth and your heart does not condemn you.
Unfortunately, we happen to live a society where lying has been a way of life for most people. Lying is so generally instituted, that some people no longer see any wrong in it or feel ashamed of it. Most times evidence presented lacks logical meaning yet it is accepted as truth. Pastor Dave Mckechinie of Grace Presbyterian Church, Houston, preaching on prevarication said “Human beings lie in words, actions and in silence but God sees every heart and knows everything”. E.g, some clergy say things too imaginary than real to make a point and appear highly spiritual; such things like “The Holy Spirit says…” when it was just an intuition of the mind. Attorneys fabricate lies, argue and win cases. Most corporate secretaries are institutional liars. Once a secretary told me that her boss was out of the town and as I dropped a note and was about to leave, her boss walked out of his office.’ Most families, some indeed Christian, teach their children to tell lies. When they take a nap, they instruct their children to say ‘they went out’ and so on.
Some have attempted to categorize lies into: common lies, serious/harmful lies, corporate lies and cheerful deceit, etc. However, the truth remains, no matter how little a lie is, it is a lie. Hardly have I thought of any human who is exonerated from this nemesis. Many story tellers exaggerate their tales to look awesome. Accountants or corporate managers have been known to inflate figures to be larger that real, thereby creating false impressions and interpretations not only to stake holders, government but also to the public. Politicians lie against one another, make claims which do not exist and promises that are hardly met. When they are eventually absorbed or being voted into power, whether in military or civil regimes, they create loop holes to enrich themselves. Most inspectors or auditors cover the truth and in return have their palms greased and receive undue favors.
THE TRUTH THAT SETS FREE: It’s very common for Christians recite this verse, but the unanswered question is; what truth sets one free? The answer is the truth one knows and does. The truth said from the conviction of the heart in obedience to God. Once someone said to me “sorry;” because of the way he said it, I asked him which of the sorry’s do you mean? As he looked helplessly at me I explained to him that there are two kinds of sorry: 1) sorry, for what I did was wrong and I shall not do it again (repentance). 2] Sorry for being caught in the act of doing wrong (remorse). This guy, even though he said sorry, the sorry was not reflected on him. The two sounds alike but repentance comes from the heart and spoken truly while remorse might just be a gimmick. The same also applies to when one says he has accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and personal Savior and said it from the bottom of the heart and mouth out of conviction of the Holy Spirit, then that is salvation. He has assurance of salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. It is a positional truth that when one put his faith in Jesus Christ he’s saved. This is the word of God and it is true (Romans 10:9-10, 13). If he just recited after the pastors and it did not come from his heart then he had no salvation but is delusional. Sometimes people say what they do not mean and mean what they do not say.