Why ‘Truth Talk’? For many years, after I received Jesus as my Savior and Lord and began the great adventure of following Him, the truth of Scripture guided and helped me. Teaching is my spiritual gift, and I love to ponder what is worth teaching. Certainly, sharing the truth of Scripture is a huge part of who I am and what I do. In my ministry of writing, truth-telling has progressed from: a newsletter titled “Choices, Choices, Choices!” that focused on making wise, biblical choices; through a blog titled “UPGRADE with Dawn” that helped people upgrade their lives with wise, biblical choices; and now a blog titled “Truth Talk with Dawn” that I hope will encourage people to (again) make wise, biblical choices based on the truth of the Word of God. What Is Truth? As Jesus stood before Pilate—before He was condemned to die by crucifixion—the Roman prefect (governor) of Judea pondered Jesus words. Jesus told Pilate that He came into the world “to testify to the truth,” and furthermore, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Jesus’ words apparently stung Pilate, and he retorted (verse 38), “What is truth?” It likely wasn’t an inquiry, but rather reflected the emptiness and cynicism in his heart. He was more inclined to do what pleased people than pursue truth. People today can be much the same. “Truth” is the quality or state of being true, and that which is in accordance with fact or reality. For the Christian, that truth is found in the Word of God and the One who said, “I am the . . . truth” (Psalm 119:160; Ephesians 1:13; John 14:6). The world’s culture, our sinful flesh, and the enemy of our souls, Satan, can influence our thoughts and actions with lies. It’s foundational and crucial that Christians cultivate a transformed mind in alignment with Scripture. We need to be able to fight the lies that can destroy us, our families, and our service for the Lord (Romans 12:2). The truth of God’s Word can help us with our tough circumstances, unruly emotions, and aching hearts. Who Gets to Determine What Is True? I will likely get comments from those who question how I defined truth. You may have heard people, Christians and non-Christians, talk about what is “true for them.” In other words, what you feel inside you—in your thoughts and feelings—that is your truth. Feelings aren’t wrong, necessarily, but they aren’t all that matter. Feelings can get confusing and self-serving. (Think about Genesis 3, and the first couple’s vulnerability to Satan’s lies.) So feelings always need to be sifted through the grid of biblical truth—comparing scriptures to try to understand and pursue God’s will (Isaiah 55:8). The truth that stabilizes us and gives us hope originates in what God says. God is the source of truth, the ultimate source of reality. Don’t we need reality today with all the confusion we’re seeing around us? A biblical worldview is based on what is right and wrong according to Scripture. John 17:17 says, “Your word is truth.” God’s Word is the plumb-line for truth, the true north for faith and practice. That’s why we need to store-up Scripture in our “heart.” Deuteronomy 11:18 says, “Place these words on your heart. Get them deep inside you” (MSG). Opposites Cannot Be True. In college, I read The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer. He noted that prior to the twentieth century, most people assumed that truth was “absolute”—that truth was true for everyone. That’s not the case today when individuals’ beliefs and feelings reign. In response to the truths of scripture, especially regarding salvation, a person might say, “I’m just on a different path. We’re both going to end up at the same place.” But a person’s different path might lead in the opposite direction, away from biblical truth. Evangelist and apologist Ryan Minner (who formerly held New Age beliefs), wrote about the “law of noncontradition” that states that opposite ideas cannot both be true at the same time in the same sense. “This law is woven into the very fabric of the universe,” Minner said. (Think: A dog can’t be not-a-dog. Raining can’t be not-raining.) “The law of noncontradition destroys the claim that “Your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth.” One truth is especially difficult for people to accept. Jesus said that His truth is true for everyone (John 14:6)—He is the way (to God), the truth to believe, and how we receive eternal life; and no one can come to His Father except through Him. Jesus’ statement of exclusivity was as countercultural in biblical times as it is today. We either believe Jesus is theway, truth and life, or we don’t. Christianity is either true or not true. It can’t be both. Why Share Biblical Truth? Teacher and blogger Tanner Swanson wrote, “Love that images Christ will shower others with gospel truth.” That’s what I want to do. I want to shower people with the truth of the gospel—and all of God’s truth that will help, encourage, inspire, and challenge them. I will always seek to do so with love and compassion, because we are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Love, like truth, springs from the heart of Creator God (1 John 4:7-8). It’s easier, as humans, to offer people a type of “love” that ignores the truth. We want to be liked and accepted. But Christians are called to honor and obey God, and that means standing on the truth of Scripture and sharing it in love. That includes sharing “The Way of Salvation.”