"I didn’t write to you because you don’t know the truth. No it’s because you do know it and because there is no lie from the truth.” – I John 2:21
Truth is a funny thing. It is unshakable. It is, by nature, truth whether we accept it or deny it for ourselves. It is the correct worldview, independent of whether or not it is our worldview. This is an almost foreign concept in our relativistic society. People hold heated debates of their opinions, not to convince one another of anything but to... what? It becomes a sparring Battle Of Wits with nothing at stake – no princess or poison in the balance. “What is truth?” It is the most common question in our world today and I dare to suggest that it is only asked so emphatically because the world doesn't like the answer it's been given. So it keeps asking, “What is truth?” Jesus answered the question, as we find in the gospel accounts, when he said of himself, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Doesn't fit with your lifestyle? Doesn't set well with your political agenda or your 5-year plan? Too bad. Truth is still truth.
If we are believers, John explains in the verse preceding, we have the Holy Spirit living with in us, so we know the truth. The truth abides in us and we abide in the truth. So, as John points out here, he's not worried about us knowing the truth – that's taken care of – but we get distracted, confused, and even (as in our present case) apathetic. He writes this letter, therefore, to rekindle our passion and realign our focus on the truth. In the end, it is all we have to hold onto. It is where we find confidence and strength, the truth that is God's grace, His love, His very being. He is the truth, as John says in earlier in the letter, there is no room for sin in Him – there's no room for lies and lies do not come from Him. John is reminding us of this, he's clarifying and reaffirming the truth in our den of lies. Anything but Christ is a lie. Relativism is a lie, and it is dangerous.
Brothers and sisters, find your conviction and stand firm. Seek the Christ, the truth, fall in love there and accept no forgery. Hold fast, dear Church. You know the truth, now live in it.