The Deception of Speaking Truth
Over the course of time, in my pursuit of understanding truth, I have closely observed the actions of individuals who regard themselves as truth-tellers or truth-speakers. I definitely considered myself to be the same in this context—acting out of a sense of dutiful responsibility to combat lies or oppose mistruths. But, I soon recognized that many such individuals—myself being included in their number—failed the test of not just speaking the truth but representing the truth.
Compromising Speech With Contradictory Character
There are many individuals who speak things that are true but who are themselves liars. They are self-professing truth-tellers and self-identifying truth-speakers. They say things that represent some form of factual knowledge or articulate things that have some degree of factual basis. Yet, the nature of their own conduct and engagement opposes and resists the nature of the truth. This contradiction is highlighted in Scripture where a light is shone on the difference between individuals who merely speak things that are true and those who actually represent the truth. Here is what is said regarding this:
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. – James 3:13-14
What is explained in context here is the dichotomy of individuals whose character expressions contradict their moral stances. They claim to present what is true through knowledge but they act in a manner that is dishonest in practice. They claim to declare what is honest in purpose but they behave in a manner that is foolish in engagement. They claim to bring enlightenment by way of information while their own understanding and counsel are darkened by deception. They are constantly manifesting contradictions to the nature of truth while they claim to speak on the behalf of truth. Exactly what truth are they speaking on the behalf of?
It is one thing to speak things that are factually true. It is another thing to represent what is practically true. Speaking truthful things while at the same time manifesting ways that are uncharacteristic of truth is itself the embodiment of a lie. In acknowledgment of this compromised condition, the Scripture says this,
“Out of the same mouth precedes blessing and cursing. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” – James 3:10-12
So the idea that someone is a bearer of truth for saying things that are factually true while manifesting actions that are opposed to the nature of truth is in fact a lie. On the authority of wisdom, sweet and bitter water can’t come out of the same fountain. Either the fountain is sweet or it’s bitter. Either you’re a vessel of truth or a harbor of lies. You can’t be both at the same time. Truth needs no support to be what it is, but lies need plenty of support to make them what they’re not; which in the case of liars is their propped up presentation of an image that makes what they do appear to be true when they themselves are untruthful.
Being An Example Means More Than Being A Voice
Factually speaking, human nature itself is a nature of lies—not truth! We are by nature liars departed from the path of truth due to the influence of sin and corruption. To truly represent and reflect truth, we must necessarily arrive at what is greater than ourselves, greater than our circles, greater than our efforts and greater than our interests; and we must embrace what is higher than our will, higher than our emotions, higher than our intellect and higher than our self-gratification. This is what separates mere spokespersons for truth from actual representatives of truth.
Many people who claim to speak on the behalf of truth find themselves in a compromising in-between, which vacillates the grounds of selflessness and self-indulgence. They present themselves as serving others while simultaneously serving themselves. They’ll latch on to factual points that they can articulate against prevailing lies while exhibiting compromising behaviors or indecent actions that are injurious to themselves and others. How then can such individuals be representatives of truth? According to James, they lie against the truth—not merely by what they say, but by what they do. Their fruit is marked by contentiousness, deceptiveness, self-righteousness, and high-mindedness, which fosters bitterness, enviousness, combativeness, and variance. Such fruit does not exemplify the essence of truth, which is characterized by constructiveness, humbleness, righteousness, and godliness.
When the truth is being spoken by someone who actually represents it, it’s not merely about proving a point. It’s about being an example. It’s not just about exposing something wrong. It’s about demonstrating what is right. It’s not simply about calling people out. It’s about lifting people up. The point here is this: don’t just say things that are true. Express what is true. Don’t just talk about the truth. Walk in the truth. Don’t merely call out lies to make a case for truth. Do what is right on the basis of truth. In order to do this, we must embody the integrity that is found in God-given wisdom—learning when to speak and when to be silent, when to engage and when to disconnect, when to belabor a point and when to forgo an argument. We must forsake the carnality of self-assumed wisdom generated on the earth below and rely upon the true wisdom that God’s Spirit inspires from heaven above.