Two Kinds of True

This morning, I sang hymns while I did some cleaning. One of the hymns I sang was Search, Ponder, and Pray (from the Children's Songbook), which goes:

I love to read the holy scriptures,
And every time I do,
I feel the Spirit start to grow within my heart-
A testimony that they're true.

Search, ponder, and pray
Are the things that I must do.
The Spirit will guide, and deep inside,
I'll know the scriptures are true.

At this point, I could point out that the punctuation indicates that it's not that the Spirit is growing a testimony in the singer's heart, as I had always believed, but rather that the growth of the Spirit within the singer's heart is the testimony. However, this was not the insight that I was intending to share, which is fortunate because I have no idea what that means.

The insight that I had this morning was that there are more than one definitions of "true." The most obvious is the opposite of false. A statement is true when it is factual and accurate. In this sense, the scriptures being true means that they contain true stories about real people and events that actually happened. It also means that the prophecies and predictions made in the scriptures are sure to be fulfilled, which leads me to the next definition.

Another definition of true is dependable, sure, and trustworthy. A person that is true can be counted on to do what they say they will do. A wheel that is true will roll straight - not wobble or waiver. Advice that is true is good advice. The scriptures are full of advice and counsel that, if followed, will work out to the benefit of the follower. The guidance in the scriptures is worth following, and the promises are sure.

I believe that the scriptures are true in both of these senses of the word. The stories in the scriptures are fantastic, but nevertheless true, and the counsel in the scriptures, while requiring an element of faith on our part, is worthy of our trust. We can be sure of the goodness of the advice given in scripture and of the promises made to those who follow it. I know that, if we follow the guidance offered in the scriptures, we will one day be please to discover that that counsel and the blessings associated with it are true.