The Truth About Truth
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free . . .” It’s a well-known verse of scripture found in the Gospel of John [8:32] that has been quoted in many different contexts, both Christian and secular.
I enjoy reading the odd spy novel. Many of them have a plot that revolves around the maverick intelligence operative who has to cut through or otherwise avoid the bureaucratic nonsense within his/her own agency, and rely on their wits and physical prowess to save the day against the foreign agent or terrorist cell bent on mass destruction. A number of these stories have descriptions of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia where, allegedly, this scripture appears prominently in the foyer.
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
It seems a little ironic that this would be the unofficial motto of an intelligence agency that, as a matter of course, is as concerned with hiding the facts and truths it uncovers as it is with unearthing them. That’s what their job is all about, protecting “our” secrets and finding out “theirs”.
Still, for the CIA the principle is relevant. Knowing the truth is the only thing that can defend freedom. You cannot establish a good defence (and by extension, effective offensive measures) based on allegations, assumptions or theories, or “bad Intel”.
Truth is something that cannot be messed with. It doesn’t change, it can’t be corrupted, and it is something that – when discovered – brings a freedom and liberty that lifts the soul and spirit of man.
So in order to control others, the truth is often obfuscated, hidden, twisted and manipulated. It ends up appearing to be something or say something that it isn’t. You just have to look at some of the spin-doctors at work on the evening news to see how good some people are getting at avoiding the truth. Especially when the truth is something that exposes their inadequacies, incompetence, negligence or criminality.
But can the truth be contained? Can truth be buried? Will truth stay hidden? History seems to indicate that truth is never repressed or disguised forever.
How many times throughout history – especially recent history – have dark secrets (thought to be well hidden) come out to publicly bite people? How the mighty fall! And don’t people love a good scandal. People soon find that their skeletons are not satisfied to remain confined within the closets that have been specially crafted to contain them. Closets made of secrets, lies, deceits and half-truths. And how embarrassing and destructive these skeletons can be when they are exposed to the light of day!
So, how do we get to a place where we do not fear the truth? The answer is quite simple. Live our life in such a way that there’s nothing to hide. When the spotlight of truth illuminates your closet there will be nothing there but clothes and shoes stored in neat rows. Jesus said “the devil came at me, but could find nothing in me.” There was nothing in His life that gave purchase to sin. That’s the wonderful thing about Jesus, we know He had backbone by His endurance at the cross, but there was no skeleton in His closet, and certainly no skeleton in His tomb!
