John 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!" 37 So Pilate asked him, "Are you a king, then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me." 38 "And what is truth?" Pilate asked. Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, "I cannot find any reason to condemn him.
What is 'Truth'? Is anything really THE truth?
In our postmodern times, it is popular to think that all things are equally true. Buddhism is true for some, Hinduism is true for some, and Christianity is true for some in this age. Of course, like the Christian, the Hindu believes Hindu doctrine is true, and so cannot agree with the Postmodernist, just as the Christian cannot believe. This dilemma fits for many. It seems that perhaps the person who wants to believe whatever he wants to believe is the only person who claims that there is no truth. If he is wrong, then the truth will eventually catch up to him and prove him wrong. But HOW can we know what the TRUTH is? This question has been asked by mankind for a long time. The question can be wrapped up nicely in the question asked of Jesus by Pontius Pilate:
Interesting enough, for a postmodernist to make the claim that 'everything is relative' or that 'there is no absolute truth' is hypocritical, since he is making a truth claim! Using his logic, why would we believe that his statement is true? His own statement is self-defeating. Besides, we instinctively know that there are truths in the world. Throw yourself off a tall building and you will fall to the ground. This is absolute truth. We call it the 'law of gravity'. There are many examples of other 'laws' which are 'Truth' under another name. For instance, it is truth that our bodies need sustenance, love and warmth. To not conform to these 'truths' is dangerous. Anyone who might disagree may find their lives in peril. But are these 'laws of nature', or are they an example of 'established truth'? If they are simply laws of nature, then where did they come from? Can order and stability (the natural laws) come from chaos with no exact limits as the learners of knowledge proclaim? Some claim that science alone can render truth about the world and reality. They have a strictly scientific worldview and they claim it necessary to do away with religious claims. They say the truths the bible proclaims cannot be supported by the scientific method. In essence, they see science as the absolute and only justifiable access to the truth. Or perhaps the Bible teaches that there is a hint of something beyond us, something that established the order of things, and to which we must be subjected to for our greater good?
Of course, the Christian believes the latter. Those who deny God's sovereignty believe the former. This condition was described by the Apostle Paul when he said: “They [those who deny God's sovereignty] exchanged the TRUTH of God for a lie...” Romans 1:25. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.
This is where we need to fight our war today as Christians.
Truth can be thought of in several ways. First, it can be simply logical truth, such as 'It is raining on my yard today' (assuming of course, it is!) Truth can also be reality. This is the closest to the meaning of the attribute of God. If God is, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, the Sovereign of all, and the basis of all reality, then by definition he is the source of all meaning, and this meaning is the TRUTH.
So what is the truth?
Anything that aligns with God's will or nature.
This is the basis of all of realities, and if we act in ways contrary to God's will or nature, we are not 'in truth'.
God gave us a means to comprehend His Truth through the Scriptures, the Law, and the prophets. But the ultimate and most meaningful revelation of His Truth is evident in His incarnation, in Christ. We see that Jesus claimed to be Truth in bodily form:
He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
John 1:14; We have seen His [Christ's] glory, the glory of the one and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Indeed, Christ claimed His purpose to be based upon the Truth:
John 18:37b; For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
It was to this statement that Pontius Pilate asked his famous and timeless question, as pointed out before.
Since Truth is of God's nature, it is then by definition absolute (unchanging). This is the important part for us to understand. As Christians, we pursue the Truth (God's nature and His will):
John 4:24; God is spirit, and his worshiper must worship in spirit and IN TRUTH.
John 8:31b, 32; If you hold to my teaching...then you will know the Truth, and the truth will set you free.
The bottom line of the Truth of God is that “all things must pass except the things that are of Him.” In other words, God is the TRUTH, and anything that is not of God (conforming to His nature and His will) will not be left standing in the end.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
1 Peter 1:24-25: As the scripture says, "All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever." This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.
Your word, Oh Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Psalm 119:152
What is 'Truth'? Is anything really THE truth?
In our postmodern times, it is popular to think that all things are equally true. Buddhism is true for some, Hinduism is true for some, and Christianity is true for some in this age. Of course, like the Christian, the Hindu believes Hindu doctrine is true, and so cannot agree with the Postmodernist, just as the Christian cannot believe. This dilemma fits for many. It seems that perhaps the person who wants to believe whatever he wants to believe is the only person who claims that there is no truth. If he is wrong, then the truth will eventually catch up to him and prove him wrong. But HOW can we know what the TRUTH is? This question has been asked by mankind for a long time. The question can be wrapped up nicely in the question asked of Jesus by Pontius Pilate:
Interesting enough, for a postmodernist to make the claim that 'everything is relative' or that 'there is no absolute truth' is hypocritical, since he is making a truth claim! Using his logic, why would we believe that his statement is true? His own statement is self-defeating. Besides, we instinctively know that there are truths in the world. Throw yourself off a tall building and you will fall to the ground. This is absolute truth. We call it the 'law of gravity'. There are many examples of other 'laws' which are 'Truth' under another name. For instance, it is truth that our bodies need sustenance, love and warmth. To not conform to these 'truths' is dangerous. Anyone who might disagree may find their lives in peril. But are these 'laws of nature', or are they an example of 'established truth'? If they are simply laws of nature, then where did they come from? Can order and stability (the natural laws) come from chaos with no exact limits as the learners of knowledge proclaim? Some claim that science alone can render truth about the world and reality. They have a strictly scientific worldview and they claim it necessary to do away with religious claims. They say the truths the bible proclaims cannot be supported by the scientific method. In essence, they see science as the absolute and only justifiable access to the truth. Or perhaps the Bible teaches that there is a hint of something beyond us, something that established the order of things, and to which we must be subjected to for our greater good?
Of course, the Christian believes the latter. Those who deny God's sovereignty believe the former. This condition was described by the Apostle Paul when he said: “They [those who deny God's sovereignty] exchanged the TRUTH of God for a lie...” Romans 1:25. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.
This is where we need to fight our war today as Christians.
Truth can be thought of in several ways. First, it can be simply logical truth, such as 'It is raining on my yard today' (assuming of course, it is!) Truth can also be reality. This is the closest to the meaning of the attribute of God. If God is, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, the Sovereign of all, and the basis of all reality, then by definition he is the source of all meaning, and this meaning is the TRUTH.
So what is the truth?
Anything that aligns with God's will or nature.
This is the basis of all of realities, and if we act in ways contrary to God's will or nature, we are not 'in truth'.
God gave us a means to comprehend His Truth through the Scriptures, the Law, and the prophets. But the ultimate and most meaningful revelation of His Truth is evident in His incarnation, in Christ. We see that Jesus claimed to be Truth in bodily form:
He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
John 1:14; We have seen His [Christ's] glory, the glory of the one and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Indeed, Christ claimed His purpose to be based upon the Truth:
John 18:37b; For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
It was to this statement that Pontius Pilate asked his famous and timeless question, as pointed out before.
Since Truth is of God's nature, it is then by definition absolute (unchanging). This is the important part for us to understand. As Christians, we pursue the Truth (God's nature and His will):
John 4:24; God is spirit, and his worshiper must worship in spirit and IN TRUTH.
John 8:31b, 32; If you hold to my teaching...then you will know the Truth, and the truth will set you free.
The bottom line of the Truth of God is that “all things must pass except the things that are of Him.” In other words, God is the TRUTH, and anything that is not of God (conforming to His nature and His will) will not be left standing in the end.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
1 Peter 1:24-25: As the scripture says, "All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever." This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.
Your word, Oh Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Psalm 119:152
