The truth is important, so it needs to be handled in a particular way: with humility. Without humility, you lose the argument even if you’ve won. Otherwise, it’s far less likely that the other person will really hear you. Of course, to downplay your case can feel a little demeaning, especially when you know you’re right: but truth, like beauty, is more powerful the more subtle it’s made. For example, a painter uses as much shade as possible to draw attention to their sources of light; similarly, a good debater uses as many counterarguments as possible, rather than focusing just on their own.
For we may always be wrong, or partially wrong, or even over-stress something too much. Sometimes, a statement’s truth depends on what its context is, just like some actions are right at some times and not at others. “For everything there is a season: a time for every purpose under heaven.” When we push our points too hard, even if they are true, we can struggle with contradictions. When Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, how was he able to trust God, even though God had said that nations would come from his son?
Truth is found in the narrow passageways. Having humility makes us thin enough to get through. Although it might seem contrary, Christians must be especially humble about what they say, because in Christ, there is only one Door and one Doorkeeper. Treading such a narrow pass means refraining from claiming absolute knowledge of anything. We must let our reasoning speak for itself. As John Chrysostom said, “Preach the gospel. Use words if you must.”
Humility reminds us that we don’t actually know much at all. But that doesn’t mean what we don’t know isn’t there; it simply means that the surest way to reach truth is not to trust ourselves to get there, but God. And since relying fully on God can take a lifetime to learn, we must be humble about what we say to others. We must test truth against truth, not just against what we believe.
Sofie Kellar 2022
Picture credit: “Narrow Path” by James Marvin Phelps is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0