The Nature of Truth

In our society we've managed to prioritize a new set of sins. Near the top is "boring" -- "Thou shalt not be boring" -- but also high on the list you'll find things like "certain", "non-inclusive", "judgmental", "discriminatory", and "intolerant", all carefully redefined to suit the moment. It might come as a shock, then, if you consider, over against these "top sins", the nature of truth.

Truth is that which correlates to reality. It doesn't care if you believe it. It doesn't care if you confirm it. What is true is true by definition. It is solid, sure, certain.

Truth is exclusive. If something is true, any other claims on the matter are false. On the point in question, true is right and all other claims are wrong. Truth doesn't allow 2 + 2 to equal anything but 4 and no amount of urging or counseling will change it. It is 4 and everything else is wrong.

Truth is not forgiving. It doesn't care if you think you're right. It doesn't care about your motives or your feelings. It is harshly judgmental. Agree and you're right; disagree and you're wrong. Truth is never wrong; you very well could be.

Truth discriminates. "This is true" implies "That is not." "This corresponds to reality" leads inevitably to "That does not." Truth has no room for "live and let live". It is either true or it is not. Just because you don't think it's real doesn't make it not real. Conversely, just because you think something else is real doesn't make it so; it makes you wrong.

Truth is defined as that which corresponds to reality. It doesn't care what you think. It doesn't care what you believe. It doesn't care what you feel about it. It just is. We don't like this kind of approach. We like "relative truth", as if such a thing could exist in reality. We feel better if truth is more lenient, more forgiving, more inclusive. It isn't. We hate discrimination, but the nature of truth is precisely to discriminate between what does and what does not correspond to reality. We may not always recognize truth and we may not always be sure of the truth. Still, truth is, and our task is not to shape it to something else, but to align with it ourselves. The ultimate truth is a person ... "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).