Truth
Having established that Christian Faith is accepted by Reason let us discuss how to examine and establish what is true and what is not true.
The Test of Truth is critical in our understanding of the Christian World View
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Definitions
1) Correspondence Theory
"Truth is that which conforms to reality, fact, or actuality."
Winfried Corduan provides a helpful way of understanding this theory:
"…there is some kind of reality that is constituted independently of what we say about it. In other words, either my car is in the parking lot or not; either the geometry of right triangles follows the Pythagorean theorem or not; either God exists or He does not. This reality is a given. Our statements are true if they correspond to the reality in question; they are false if they do not correspond. We call this the correspondence theory of truth…"
Correspondence theory of truth: “is that true statements [or propositions] are true in virtue of their matching up with or corresponding to the way things actually are in reality.”
2)Coherence Theory
"Truth is that which is coherent with other truth in the same system"
Coherence theory of truth: a proposition is true if and only if it coheres with the set of other beliefs that are known to be true.
3) Pragmatic theory
Pragmatic theory of truth:
is simply defined as being “truth that works.”
4) All Three
For a claim to be true, it must be correspond to Reality and Coherent with other Truth and Pragmatic.
If it fails any of the three, it is not true.
Absolute Truth and Relative Truth
Yes, there are such things as absolutes. There are also things that are relative, but if everything were relative then it would be absolutely true that everything is relative, and that would be self-refuting. So saying that everything is relative can’t be true. Likewise, if everything were absolutely true, then we couldn’t have such things as personal preferences or things that change. Relative truths can be things dependent upon each person.
That which is absolute is always true. That which is relative is not necessarily always true. For example, it is always true that the number seven is greater than the number five. It's always true that something cannot bring itself into existence.
On the other hand, one person may believe that blue is a better color than green, where another person may disagree. In this case, what is true for one person is not true for another. Therefore, there can be truths that are relative, that change. The person who believes that blue is a better color than green may change his or her mind later on.
Unfortunately, more and more people are not able to distinguish between absolute truths and relative truths, and they put their feelings and preferences above absolutes to make them more palatable. A typical example is when someone would say that “It is true for you that Jesus is the only way to God, but to a Muslim, Mohammed would be the only way." Such statements ignore the logical possibilities of having two "only-ways" to God.
So, there are absolutes and there are things that are relative.[1]
Refuting Relativism
Imagine this dialog:
Hany: Farid, You took my ball? I got it as a gift and want it back.
Farid: No, you can't have it.
Hany: This stealing and that is wrong.
Farid: This may be wrong for you but not wrong for me, you can't tell me what do to and not to do!
This is because Farid believe in Relativism, do you agree he is right?
But notice that Farid is contradicting himself, he was telling Hany "it was wrong to tell here what is wrong" he was doing the very thing he was saying was wrong.
Famous Quotes
"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair." C.S. Lewis
"The truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." —Winston Churchill
"Whenever you have truth, it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected." —Mahatma Gandhi
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain
"The love of truth has its reward in heaven and even on earth." —Friedrich Nietzsche
"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth : not going all the way, and not starting." —Buddha
The Truth may sometimes hurt for a moment, but the pain you experience from a lie can last forever.
Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. Elvis Presley
The Truth is like a lion, you don't have to defend it, let it loose, it will defend iteself - St. Augustine
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. C. S. Lewis
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. (Prov 12:19)
Why should we care about the Truth
The Truth will set us free
To know the truth, will free us from the doubts and guess works
Christian View of Truth
Our faith is based on the truth
Jesus is the Truth
Jesus said: 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (John 14:6)"
And the Apostle John describes Jesus as: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Jesus used the definite article to emphasize Himself as “the only truth.”
Psalm 119:142 says “Your law is the truth.”
Since Jesus is the truth, he is the most reliable source for the truth. He routinely began his teachings in the New Testament with the phrase, "I tell you the truth." ("Verily, verily" in King James parlance.)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded His listeners of several points of the Law, then said “but I say unto you...” (Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44), thereby equating Himself with the Law of God as the authoritative standard of righteousness. In fact, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). Jesus, as the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1) is the source of all truth.[2]
"Of course,God and truth are inseparable. Every thought about the essence of truth--what it is, what makes it "true," and how we can possibly know anything for sure, quickly moves us back to God. That is why God incarnate--Jesus Christ-- is called the Truth (John 14:6)" [3]
That is why once someone, start to deny existence of God, they ultimately start to deny the Truth, since God and the Truth are inseparable. This is very evident in postmodernism teaching.
A Biblical perspective of TRUTH also necessarily entails the recognition that ultimate truth is an objective reality. Truth exists outside of us and remains the same regardless of how we may perceive it. Truth by definition is a fixed and Constant as God is immutable.
Truth Test
Let us apply the Truth test against Jesus:
- Reality: He is the reality to which we must conform.
- and Consistence: He is dependably correct in all matters, He is fully consistent with Himself, without any contradictions, change or shadow of a change
- and Working: Yes indeed, everything He promised was delivered, He was able to heal the sick and raise the dead and most of all conquer death.
Truth Shall set us free
Jesus said:
If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31,32)
Once you know the truth and live it, you have nothing to fear.
God wants us all to know the Truth
"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth ." (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness," (Romans 1:18)
References
- ↑ http://carm.org/are-there-absolutes
- ↑ http://www.gotquestions.org/way-truth-life.html#ixzz31JbBovle
- ↑ The Truth War, John MacArthur