The Light of the Truth

John 3:19-21; Proverbs 23:23
 
Judges 21:15
This negative picture of God's unfaithful people is still true of many so-called believers today. They know the truth is near, but they choose to live by whatever is right in their own eyes.
The Nature of Truth

• Unchanging in this changing world – "Time discovers the truth." Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality."
  
• Truth is light that reveals.
• It is not too flexible to accommodate, as it rather drives away darkness.
• Absolute truth thrives and endures for eternity. “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.” (Luke 16:17) Contra pop philosophies of relativism, skepticism, postmodernism, pluralism.

Jesus as the Truth

• The world of darkness rejects the light of the truth, because they love darkness/evil deeds.
• The right response: To adjust ourselves to accommodate and be tuned into the truth. "People don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed." (Friedrich Nietzche)
• “I am the truth” (John 14:6)
• “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32).
• “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

What to do with the Truth?
Proverbs 23:23
Buy the truth and do not sell it – wisdom, instruction and insight as well. (NIV)

• What do we buy these days?

If we only buy what is pleasing in our own eyes, then we won't buy something we perceive as not so interesting or pleasing. The hard fact is anyway that truth is not always appealing or pleasing.
We may think of several reasons or excuses for not buying the truth, but at the heart of the matter is the underlying reason, as mentioned in the holy Scripture, "people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." That is the truth behind the world's rejection of the Truth. 

• How do/can we buy the truth?

We don't buy truth with money, or it is injustice that suppresses truth.
To actually live by truth is costly, and we sometimes pay the price to hold on to it in conflicting circumstances. We do so, at the cost of our sinful way of life, at the price of any loss or suffering.

• Why?

Because we love evil deeds or darkness. We don't want to receive the light that would reveal our true self inside out. Over against this very reason we must change and be exposed in the light of truth before God's holy presence.
 
 
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