WHAT IS TRUTH? PART 2
Perhaps the biblical writers were more concerned with lived truth. Consider these words of Paul in Colossians,
“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (Colossians2.2-4)
Paul is obviously concerned about clever arguments that could deceive and lead others away from truth. However, his answer is not arming the troops with the weapons of apologetics and walking them through a ten-point theological statement.
No, his concern is that the Church be “united in love.” It is through this act that understanding comes. Not that understanding why we believe what we believe is bad or wrong, but for Paul it is not primary. For Paul, the truth livedis primary.
We are so enamored with information, but we can forget we are called to live the truth. Not just know a bunch of facts. Often when an argument erupts within the Church over theology; people line up on either side of the issue to argue for their truth. Yet in arguing what both sides call “biblical truth” at times we end up being very unbiblical.
Both sides call names, make judgments on the other, and speak harshly in their criticisms. While there are truth claims on both sides, they come through the lived untruth of those involved in the debate. Which begs an entirely different set of questions about truth.
Perhaps it would do us good to consider what we need when it comes to the truth. It seems that many are hungry to see the people of God to embody the truth. Perhaps this would be a compelling picture of the truth. One that would appeal to the hearts of others.
Consider this from the research-based book UnChristian, by David Kinnaman. He writes, “… as we probed why young people had come to such [negative] conclusions [about the church], I was surprised how much their perceptions were rooted in specific stories and personal interactions with Christians and in churches. When they labeled Christians as judgmental this was not merely spiritual defensiveness. It was frequently the result of truly ‘unChristian’ experiences. We discovered that the descriptions that young people offered of Christianity were more thoughtful, nuanced, and experiential than expected."
Most do not have negative feelings about the Church because of our truth claims. They are not leaving the Church because of our reasoning. Many leave because the truth they see lived is not the truth that they have heard proclaimed.
Perhaps our foundation is skewed. Our first attempt is to get people in and load them with information so they can keep their belief system in line. None of this is necessarily bad - but maybe it is not primary. Maybe our first - and perhaps most important - truth claim is the life we live.