Forgetting

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 John 1:6

Truth – “Someone who always tells the truth doesn’t need a good memory.”  My friend David left me with this thought a few weeks ago.  In the first century, John would have concurred.  When I live the truth, it is unnecessary for me to remember all the complicated connections in my life.  But when I lie, I’d better have a big memory bank to keep straight the other parts of the story.  Telling the truth is easy.  Lying takes a lot of work.

The Greek word for “truth” is alethia.  It is a compound word made up from “a” (which means “not”) and letho (which means “to forget”).  Scholars debate the deeper implications of this combination but at least this much is clear:  truth never fears what facts might be revealed while lying always fears what might be uncovered.  If truth is “not forgetting”, it is more than remembering.  It is a declaration that the past connections do not need to be forgotten.  If it’s the truth, then there is nothing that I need to try to cover up.

John’s point about truth is that it always has practical application.  The Biblical view of truth is not simply a list of “correct” doctrines or beliefs.  Truth has real-time consequences.  So, if I claim to know God but my actions demand concealment and denial, then I am not practicing the truth.  John draws the obvious conclusion:  I don’t really know God at all.  I can’t claim the truth without the practice.

What does practicing the truth look like?

Jesus tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven.  “No!  I could never forgive him after what he did to me”.

Jesus tells us that there is no distinction of race, gender or class in His fellowship.  “Do you see them over there?  What are they doing here?  Don’t they know who we are?”

Jesus tells us that the exalted will be humbled.  “We are honored today to have such a famous person as our speaker, a woman who is known for winning the business war and lifting herself above the competition”.

Jesus tells us that trust is the essence of worship.  “God, why did this happen to me?  I just can’t understand how You could allow this.  Why don’t You answer me?”

Jesus tells us not to fear.  “I just can’t let him know that.  He couldn’t handle it.  I would be humiliated.”

The truth has nothing to forget.