Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Being True

My brother, who is a fine minister, said something awesome in a sermon last year that I have not forgotten. He said, "all scriptures are truly spoken, but not necessarily true." These words (seemingly irreverent or semantic) I consider almost daily in the way I look at others and in the way I understand knowledge and see truth.

This is not a matter of semantics, but rather one that distinguishes how we come to know what we know. The human element always imposes itself on truth, though never fundamentally changing it. Thus, for example, words spoken of Christ may be truly spoken of him by those who were with him or the many that came after him, but not necessarily true. It is the difference between the life revealed and knowledge concealed.

We do not always know what we should know at any given time. Truth is often veiled. The assertion that "all scriptures are truly spoke, but not necessarily true" shows us the detriment of judging others and encourages us to look introspectively on the life of others (for by this judgment we will be judged) and not merely the interpretation of that life by others. "All scriptures are truly spoken, but not necessarily true."

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