Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Deeper Truth

A few days ago I was having a discussion with someone who was trying to convince me that truth does not consist of factual reality but that it is something deeper and more true. The intent of this argument was to diminish the importance of speaking factual truth so I dismissed it for the new-age doublespeak it was.

Today however I've reconsidered it and I think that the point is valid; that is that truth does not consist of mere factual statements about reality but is in fact something deeper and more substantial. Scripture declares that God is love. Love exists only the context of relationship and relationships are only possible when they exist in truth. Just as God, existing in three persons, was love before creation because love flowed perfectly between each member of the Trinity, God must also have in some sense been Truth. Love could only flow perfectly between God if God existed and manifested Truth. Perhaps this is why Jesus calls Satan the "father of lies" as a statement of the antithesis of his nature compared to God's.

Love is not giving gifts, compliments, or affection, but is the source, meaning and root of all existence. Truth, its sister, is not factual representation but the fabric of all relationships. But rather than this diminishing the importance of honesty, it increases it. Love and Truth are not directly perceived but are known by their fruits. Honesty is the fruit of Truth, just as affection and concern is the natural fruit of Love.

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