How Do You Know That?

My husband spent his 45+ year career in the media.  Naturally inquisitive and pensive, he was also trained through experience as an investigative reporter to ask the hard, pointed questions.  When someone makes a seemingly definitive statement to him, he will often ask, “How do you know that?”  The response is usually excuse-making or stumbling around for a solid reason or explanation.  I confess to having been frustrated by the question more than once, but it does bear considering.

We are surrounded by a plethora of “news” – in addition to rumors, opinion (passed off as gospel) and gossip.  How can we definitively declare what we don’t actually know?  We even hear things about each other from a third party, but are these whispers true?

We all have opinions about Scripture.  There are so many denominations (some of which have split off from each other) that have diverse views.  Who is right?  I have determined (in my own heart) that the Bible is the story of Jesus.  The Old Testament reveals the Jesus who is to come; the New Testament reveals the Jesus who came and will come again at the end of the age.  The plain truth is that Jesus came and died and was raised to eternal life and we can be, too, if we believe in Him.  The Bible and some historians validate this.  Yet, we all choose to believe what makes us comfortable.

Sometimes it makes us comfortable to believe what we heard about someone because we don’t particularly like that person.  Sometimes we are convinced a certain political leader is corrupt because he isn’t from our chosen party or political bent.  We may be tempted to fall for the latest salacious scandal in Hollywood because it entertains us or makes us somehow feel a better person than the one about whom we read.

What percentage of what we espouse as truth have we actually investigated?  How much of it could we verify?  The book of Proverbs addresses this issue, stating in Proverbs 26:28 ” A lying tongue hates those it crushes” and in 10:18 “He who spreads slander is a fool.”  Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us that there are seven things the Lord hates, that are an abomination to Him, among them: “a lying tongue… a false witness who utters lies…”

Before we make a statement as if it were fact, perhaps it would be prudent to check out its validity first.  Also, consider:  is this my opinion or is it true?  Is it something that is worthy of discussion, or am I simply judging or gossiping?  We measure a room for carpet, we measure the ingredients for a cake; maybe it’s time we measure our words.

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”  (Proverbs 16: 24)

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door to my lips.”  (Psalm 141:3)