Love of the Truth
OUR lives depend on whether we have love for the truth. The Authority for that statement is none other than the great Source of truth, Almighty God. In his inspired Word he tells of those who will perish because of divine wrath, “as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth.” It is in our best interest to have love for the truth.—2 Thess. 2:10.
How do we know whether we have love for the truth? For one thing: Do we really seek the truth? The Bible counsel is: “Buy truth itself and do not sell it.” (Prov. 23:23) It is not an easy thing to “buy truth,” to seek it so that we are willing to pay a price for finding and keeping it.
We can tell whether we have love for the truth also by this: Do we have such love for the truth that we will accept it when it comes from a source that is despised? Do we have such real love for the truth that we accept it when it exposes something that we may have long cherished?
Yes, it takes courage. Said the American educator Nathan M. Pusey: “It is our task not to produce ‘safe’ men, . . . but to keep alive in young people the courage to dare to seek the truth.” We all need courage to seek the truth.
Courage is especially needed today, because this is the time when, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, people, “in accord with their own desires, . . . will turn their ears away from the truth.” (2 Tim. 4:3, 4) Many persons prefer to have their ears tickled with traditions and philosophies of men. They turn away from the pure truth of God’s written Word. With this trend of turning away from the truth in vogue, do you have the courage to seek the truth?
Finally, we can tell if we have love for the truth by our heart response. God made man so that truth can appeal to his heart as well as his head. When Jesus expounded truth to his disciples, their hearts burned with the truth: “Were not our hearts burning as he was speaking to us on the road, as he was fully opening up the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) Only when we have real love for the truth will we go through the experience of burning hearts.
Our hearts, set on fire by truth, motivate us to action. This may well be lifesaving action—because our lives do depend on whether we have love for the truth.