I mentioned in my previous blog post that there will be a three-part series of worldly advice vs. Biblical advice. If you have any suggestions of advice you have heard that may sound nice but actually be destructive let me know! This is part two of that series, tackling the worldly advice of “speak your truth” and why in some situations that advice could destroy the meaning of the word truth.
Speaking up for what you believe in can be very courageous and having the wisdom to know what is true can help free you from all the noise of this world. The issue is how do we know what is true within all the lies we are told every day. The problem with the phrase “speak your truth” is that it implies that whatever is true to you is moral and liberating. But that cannot be the case due to people having vastly different moral systems. For example, some people believe it is okay to abuse those who are physically weaker, so to them their truth is abuse. To them, abusing others is right because it is what they have been taught. Of course, most of us agree that abuse of any kind is intolerable but when we leave it up to the individual to decide what’s true and not God, trouble arises.
It is the same thought process as when we study scripture and ask, “What does this verse mean to you?” Although intentions may be good, this thinking may not lead to actual truth because someone could easily twist scripture to say whatever they want it to say. We can figure out what it actually means through prayer, studying context, and even reading commentaries.
If you want to know what should be true to you, look at yourself through the lens of scripture. Scripture is where true wisdom lives which helps us discern truth from deception.
James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”
When you look at the world and all that’s going on within the cancel culture do you see mercy? Do you see gentleness? I certainly do not. That is how I know it is not from God because God offers grace and room for growth. The world has tolerance for you to speak your truth as long as it fits within their limitations, making it not the truth at all but a distorted view of what they say is true. The Bible offers guidance and love for those who come to God and look to his truth, not simply their own. God set barriers in place for us so we would not have to worry about truth losing its meaning.
If you still aren’t sure if your truth is lining up with God’s truth ask yourself that very question, do my decisions reflect peace? Gentleness? Purity? If not, you need to realign your thinking to that of scripture. Wisdom from God shows no favoritism but I see the world favoring only those who are on one side, showing no love and peace to the other.
Unfortunately, I have also seen people from the church show no understanding to the unbeliever. As the church, we are called to follow scripture which says in Colossians 4:5-6, “Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Seasoned with salt means to remind us that speaking about what Jesus did for us on the cross is never dull, and it’s meant to spark a conversation that is filled with love and remembrance of the cross.
Know how to answer to everyone means connecting with that person specifically and not giving them a generic response. It is the practice of recognizing someone's uniqueness and talking to them as the individual they are.
1 Corinthians 13 says, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”
I will leave you with the words of Warren Wiersbe, “Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.”
Sources: Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, The Communicator's Commentary by Llyod J. Ogilvie, Good Reads Quotes.
