There is an insidious practise that is beginning to appear in modern language that every Christian should be concerned about, which is clear from this scripture.
“…not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” (Matthew chapter 15, verse 11)
It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person, because our words come from the heart, mind, and soul and they betray what we think and who we are.
This issue goes to the core of right and wrong, and left unchecked it will destroy the foundations of truth.
My truth
Recently, on one of the reality TV shows, a person was caught cheating. Rather than owning up to their fault, they attempted to explain it away with deception and lies. The justification they used was that, “This is MY truth.” I also heard this same phrase spoken by a protester during recent anti-vaccination protests.
I take that to mean that this is how those people perceived the matter and so as far as they were concerned, that was the truth. They stood fast in that belief even though it was clear to all that their position was a lie.
The fixed dollar
I see this kind of thing as similar to when the Australian government floated the dollar in December 1983.
Prior to that decision the value of the dollar was set at a fixed rate against a gold standard, or against other currencies that were backed by a gold standard, specifically the pound sterling or the US dollar.
That fixed rate, especially against gold, meant that a person could go into a bank and exchange their paper money for gold. In the period up until the post-world war two era, that meant you could exchange paper money for an equivalent amount of gold sovereigns.
Floating the dollar
But when the dollar was floated in 1983, the gold standard was removed and the Australian dollar was thrown into the economic ocean to sink or swim on its own merits.
Gone were the safety nets of a fixed standard to anchor the value of the dollar, and instead the dollar had to sink or swim, fighting the perils of fluctuating of monetary markets that would rise and fall on the tides of rumour.
For example, I recall a friend who worked in the money markets when Mikhail Gorbachev was the Russian leader. A rumour was spread that he had been assassinated, and the Australian exchange rate went into free fall for a time. The rumour was unfounded and the exchange rate settled, but it showed how easily value could be lost when there was no fixed anchor for the currency.
A fixed anchor for the truth
Which brings me back to my concern about “floating the truth.”
If we allow a situation where anyone can say, “This is MY truth,” then we no longer have a fixed anchor for the truth.
There is only one truth. Not your version of the truth, not someone else’s version of the truth, and not “MY truth.”
The truth has a fixed anchor based on what is right, what is true and has no shadow of variation. It is simply the truth.
If I call an orange an apple saying that is “MY truth,” it does not change the truth that it is still an orange. An orange is always an orange, no matter what you call it. And the truth is always the truth, because to deviate from the truth, is just a lie.
And when we accept a lie, calling it the truth, we have lost the firm anchor that defines right from wrong and good from evil.
What the scripture says
Am I just making this stuff up? Should I be outraged that there are more and more people who seem to want others to accept this evil approach, to throw the truth down to the ground and trample all over it for their own sake?
The scriptures tell us that these things will take place in the end days.
Firstly, we see these words that show us that truth will be rejected and will be cast down to the ground.
And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through transgression; and truth was cast down to the ground, and the horn acted and prospered. (Daniel chapter 8, verse 12)
Then we see what God thinks about those who call evil good and good evil.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah chapter 5, verse 20)
These things are taking place today. Truth is being cast down and replaced by lies. And worse still, people are accepting those lies as truth.
But there is only one truth and that is the fixed standard of truth established by God and Jesus Christ. If we hold fast to His eternal standard of truth, we can stand strong in the face of these modern evil practises. And even if we have to suffer for the sake of the truth, it is better to have the blessing and favour of God than the acceptance of man.
A floating truth is no truth at all.
Since retiring from work, John Lemmon now spends his time teaching, preaching and writing about the word of God, online and offline, answering God's call on him to “Speak to my people.” You can connect with John on Twitter (@JohnBLemmon) or on his website: freegiftfromgod.com/ or listen to his podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-free-gift-from-god-podcast/id1440682375