Articles
Truth and Trust
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"Like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me," says the LORD.
"Everyone take heed to his neighbor,
And do not trust any brother . . . "
(Jer. 9:3-4)
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In this passage, Jeremiah points to several vices that were wrecking his nation. It's the connection between the first and last items in his description that draws our attention. It was a society comprised of people who "are not valiant for the truth" and "do not trust" each other. That both are found in such close proximity to each other is no accident.
Trust is the bond that allows people to interact with each other in a constructive relationship. When two parties trust each other, each can make decisions with the understanding that the other will faithfully follow through on their commitments. They know they won't be stabbed when their backs are turned. A nation that enjoys a high level of trust across its population is a stable and strong society.
But for trust to exist, there first must be a commitment to truth. Truth is that which conforms to reality. Truth is objective and external, independent of the preferences of the parties involved. Whether we're talking about physical laws, historical facts, or the consequences of moral behavior, truth is a firm disciplinarian that does not care about our feelings. To be "valiant for the truth" means that we base all our decisions on the truth around us, whether or not it's convenient.
When this commitment to truth is lost, trust disappears with it. When spouses or friends stab each other in the back, companionship turns into open warfare, a war in which everyone loses. When vendors and customers cheat each other, commerce becomes more expensive and risky, requiring more onerous levels of verification. When a government abuses its citizens, and citizens have no reservations about defrauding their government, civilization itself breaks down. Truth and trust stand or fall together.
In our modern Western culture, truth has been replaced by a postmodern philosophy of relativism in which everybody is free to make up their own "truth" based entirely on their personal whims. The result is a confusing maze of standards that are no standards at all. In a truth-free environment, people simply cannot trust each other, and the only winners are the lawyers and politicians who profit off the mess.
At some level, every one of us knows that the only people we can trust are those who will be truthful with us. But the principle works in reverse, too. I cannot be trusted if I am not a truthful person. If I reserve the right to twist the facts to benefit myself, I have no room to complain about others not trusting me.
For a broken relationship or a broken society to be healed, trust must be restored. But first there must be a renewed commitment to truth.
And it begins with me.
--David
