Practicing Hesed (2): Don’t Forget
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8
True – “What is truth?” asked Pilate, giving us the most infamous question ever recorded. Our contemporary culture replies, “If there is any truth at all, it is whatever works.” That implicit pragmatism permeates nearly every aspect of our society. Business – whatever provides gain. Politics – whatever keeps power. Education – whatever promotes individualism. Economics – whatever takes control. Religion – whatever establishes authority. What is truth? Paul points us in an entirely different direction.
While scholars have cautioned us not to give too much weight to the components of the Greek word for truth, there are important lessons to be learned from the building blocks of alethia. This Greek word is made up of two parts. The first is the simple Greek letter alpha, the “a”. It changes the word from a positive (for example, “moral”) to a negative (“amoral”). So, the Greek word for “truth” begins with “not”. Whatever truth is, it is “not” something. What is that “something”? That’s the second building block. It is letho, a Greek word that means, “hidden or forgotten.” Truth is literally “what is not hidden or forgotten.”
How strange is that? You would expect a definition of truth to contain some positive content. Something like, “truth is factual correctness,” or “truth is justified belief.” But the Greek word serves as a reminder that truth is more about remembering and uncovering than it is about discovering. What do we need to remember? Let me make some suggestions (well, actually they aren’t suggestions because if you ignore them you will not know the truth). Here’s what you must not forget:
1. I am not God. If there is any truth at all, it is not based on my opinion of the world. Truth is bigger than me. I am not the measure of all things, and, by the way, neither are you.
2. Truth does not bend to fit my wishes. Truth is firm regardless of time and culture. Truth is not a gradual slope toward perfection. If I stand on the truth, I stand on something that has eternal validity, and it wasn’t invented by you or me.
3. Truth is knowable. Some things are true; some are not true, and I can know the difference. If I forget this lesson, I sink quickly into “whatever works” and that just doesn’t work.
4. Truth is relational. Knowing the facts is not the same as knowing the truth (as any lawyer can tell you). What I really want to know is the truth about my relationships – to you, to the world and to God. All the rest is just business, nothing personal.
5. Truth must be revealed to me. I am not likely to find truth “within” myself. It has to come from outside. Fortunately, God is willing to share His viewpoint with you and me.
Now, says Paul, think long and hard about the things you are not to forget.
