How Joyful People ThinkSample

Whatever Is True

The word translated “true” is alethes (pronounced a-lay-THASE) in the original Greek language in which Philippians was written. In its root form, it means “nonconcealment.” The idea is to disclose what really is, whether involving a body of knowledge or the truth behind a personal experience. 

The New Testament authors used alethes twenty-five times, each time to refer to that which is true, real, and/or honest. Alethes is closely associated with knowledge and life in general. What is most fascinating about the use of the word alethes, however, is that it can refer contextually to either transcendent truth or personal truth. And there is a huge difference. 

Many times we approach our personal reality as if it were transcendent in nature (as if the truth has come to us from on high). We give our personal reality the same weight as God’s eternal truth. We might even try to find a Scripture verse or two to make our point and feel justified all the while. Then we wonder why we have so much relational friction with those around us. 

Think what would happen if we recognized and truly honored the fact that alethes refers to both God’s unchanging transcendent truth, which comes to us through his Word, and our personal truth, which is affected by our fallen nature. What might our lives look like if we were more conviction-oriented about God’s truth and more openhanded about our truth? At the very least, doing so might make us more likable and easier to be around. 

In the vein of a biblical whatever, let’s dream of all the possibilities that surround our lives when we learn to “think reality.” When we confront the good and the bad, let’s contemplate the intersection of personal reality and transcendent reality with an honest look at our circumstances that doesn’t flinch at God’s promises. Let’s give proper weight in our thinking to the distinction between personal truth and transcendent truth, realizing that whenever our truth intersects with God’s truth, we are firmly in the realm of known reality. And God is always found there. 

A healthy distinction between personal truth and transcendent truth keeps us open and humble in our daily attitudes. Presence, purpose, power: God’s transcendent promises intersecting with our messed-up lives. Now that’s a great way to think! 

What is true about God’s promises in your life today?