Proverbs 30.5-6
“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
In addition to the physical truth that can be seen and discovered in the world that God has created, the Lord has given us verbal/propositional truth through his word. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16)
God’s word is truth, and it is eternal. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Is 40:8).
Likewise, Jesus affirmed that “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mt 24:35).
Because the apostles understood the primacy and necessity of truth, they were deeply committed to teaching the truth of God’s word without compromise: “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor 4.2-3)
However, the apostle Paul warned that a time would come when people will not be interested in truth. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4.3-4)
The OT prophets echoed a similar warning:
“Truth has stumbled in the streets.” (Isaiah 59:14).
“Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.” (Jeremiah 7:28).
These biblical warnings applied to Israel at the time they were written, and they apply to the time in which we live. Indeed, observers of American society often describe our generation as the “post-truth culture,” and the consequences of this postmodern worldview are catastrophic for everyone and everything in our country.
