The Truth is Worth It

by David Rollert

In the Lord’s church, when we say “the Truth,” we are often referring to the truth of God’s word; the truth of sound doctrine as opposed to the lies of false doctrine. This is a completely legitimate and biblical practice. However, for the sake of this article, we are going to be using “truth” in a more generic sense to refer to reality. Truth – as opposed to “perception” - is that which is in line with reality, the reality of the observable world, the reality of someone’s actions, the reality of how events actually occurred, and also the truth of God’s word.

You see, sometimes truth is inconvenient. It may not fit our preconceived opinions or preferences. It may tell us things about ourselves or others that we don’t want to acknowledge. It may be downright painful. Sometimes, truth hurts.

However, we know that lying is a sin. We ought not lie. So, what are we to do when the truth is so painful or inconvenient that we genuinely don’t want to face it? The proverbs show us the answer. Proverbs 23:23 states, “Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.” The truth is important enough that we are told to acquire it, even if it costs us something valuable. Right there we see an important principle. The truth is worth it!

The truth is worth the pain knowing might bring. You cannot accurately address problems or heal from trauma if you don’t know the truth of the situation. If you don’t know the truth, then you can never actually address the root cause of whatever issues you face. You will just keep chasing symptoms and running in circles. To address problems, you must know the truth no matter how painful it may be.

The truth is worth the changes that might need to happen. Quite often, the truth will highlight changes that need to be made in your lifestyle and habits. Maybe the truth is that you face health problems because of your unhealthy eating habits. Accepting that truth means changing your eating habits or accepting the health problems. Maybe the truth is that certain friends are influencing you toward sin. Accepting that truth means changing your friend group or accepting the heightened influence of sin in your life. In both those examples, you have the choice to act on the truth. “Knowing truth” only gives you all the data you need to make an informed decision.

The truth is worth the repentance that might be required. From a spiritual standpoint, the truth of God’s word combined with the truth of our actions will often require us to repent of sinful actions. Frankly, that is hard. Many people try to avoid repentance by accepting lies about God’s word or accepting lies about their own actions. However, accepting lies does not change the reality of the situation. Sin is still sin, even if we try to deny that fact. So, standing on the truth will require us to repent when we stumble and sin.