Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. There is hardly anything so plain in respect to human duty, that a wrong state of moral feeling may not cause it to be doubted, or even to be denied. It is an every-day occurrence to hear the value of truth disputed. The usual form is this — "It is no matter what a man believes if his life is only right." The assertion sounds familiar and trite, yet on examination it will appear to be one of the most glaring and self-evident of falsehoods. To act right without knowledge is hardly less a practicable thing than to see without the proper organs. Consider what is necessary to be done in order to prove the position true that it is no matter what a man believes on religious subjects if his life be right. It must be shown either — 1. That there are no certain truths pertaining to religion; or else — 2. That these truths have no necessary connection with the conduct of men; or — 3. That the consequences of their conduct, whether right or wrong, will be the same. Our conclusion is, that it is not to be expected that the conduct, the lives of men, will be materially better than their opinions; by opinions understanding the actual living convictions of their minds. It is therefore an imperative duty to set a high value upon truth in our religious thinking. Religious opinions should not only be firmly fixed; they should also be right opinions. (R. Palmer, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.WEB: Buy the truth, and don't sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. |
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