TRUTH
I remember being in a College dorm and seeing a statement that a student placed on his door to his room.
It read "Truth is what you Believe". Think about that statement a minute. Is it true? A couple of days later another note was stuck
on his door underneath his statement. It read, "Truth is what you believe? Well you must be an idiot. I believe that therefore it
must be true!" I am amused sometimes by the blindness of some people's statements.
If the student that originally wrote "Truth is what you believe" on his door was correct then he must have been an "A" student.
After all how could he get anything wrong on a test? He obviously believed his answer was true! Since he believed it how could
he possibly be wrong? Funny enough there are professors that believe this type of philosophy and still maintain a double
standard by not giving all of their students a passing grade.
In our world today it is amazing how many people do not believe in absolute truth. The reasoning is that many things that were
accepted as true have been proven incorrect in the past. For example people once believed the world was flat. Also in the
area of medicine so called "facts" seems to evolve with research and advancement in technology. Something may seem true
now then later after more research they find the previous belief or view to be incorrect or flawed. Some people want to apply
this across the board and say there is no absolute truth at all in anything. Although it is true that people have believed things that
were not true it does not mean there is no absolute truth.
This is not really a new concept that developed only in our century. Pilate asked Jesus the same question.
John 18:37-38
Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been
born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no guilt
in Him.
There are indeed certain things that remain true no matter whether a person believes it or not. Two plus two equals four even if
one chooses not to believe that. If you decide that you do not believe in gravity and step out of an airplane at 3,000 feet without
a parachute or similar device the outcome will be fatal.
When it comes to religion people make some popular not very well thought out remarks. We often hear something like "you
must keep an open mind" or "that may be true for you, but it is not true for me." Keeping an open mind is good, but
ignoring all of the evidence is naive. Just make sure your mind isn't so open your brains fall out. Usually when someone has told
me that I must keep an open mind I find they know very little if any of the facts. They just do not want to acknowledge that I may
in fact be right. There are some things that are so well established in fact that I do not need to "be open to the possibility."For
example there are people that have fallen from very great heights and lived. Now if someone wants me to jump off a cliff telling
me I will be all right I am not going to do it. When they tell me I should keep an open mind about it I still am not going to do it.
Why would I be so closed minded about such a thing? The answer is I have some knowledge of the facts and I know to jump
would be foolish. Some things that people say we should keep an open mind about really are that ridiculous.
How about that it might be true for you, but it is not true for me? Can you picture yourself in a courtroom on trial. The prosecutor
says that you were caught stealing something and theft is against the law. Your defense is well that might be true for you, but
that is not true for me. Well off to jail you go! We do not live in different worlds. It is either true or it isn't true plain and simple.
You can believe something that is not true and you have that right. However truth is truth in spite of what we believe. Sometimes
there are consequences for believing that which is not true. You can step off a high mountain cliff because there are soft looking
clouds just a little below and you believe it will make a nice soft landing. However you will probably suffer some consequences
for your false belief. Or am I just being closed minded about the whole thing again?
The disciples of Jesus seen Him crucified. Three days after the crucifixion the disciples claimed they had seen Jesus alive
again. There were more than 500 eyewitnesses who claimed they seen Jesus alive again after the crucifixion. This included
people who were formerly unbelievers. After the crucifixion Jesus appeared to people and talked with them. Jesus ate food
with them. They touched Jesus. This continued for a period of 40 days. The original disciples and numerous others suffered
persecution and death for continuing to tell people what they had seen. Being closed minded about the whole thing they were
put to death! I am kidding of course! There is no other apparent motive for them to do this other than they believed this to be
true. This took place in the same area and time where Jesus was crucified and buried. Those are the facts of an event a couple
of thousand years ago. The resurrection of Jesus can be confirmed as a historical fact outside of the use of the bible.
This leads to absolute truth that I would like to focus on for a moment where to error will be more fatal than stepping out of an
airplane without a parachute. What could be more fatal than death? Well eternity in a place called Hell would certainly be far
worse than death itself or any form of suffering here on earth if indeed such a place really exist.
We base the idea or reality of hell on the fact that the bible is indeed the word of God. Well I have to stand with those who
declare, "God said it, therefore I believe it!" Many people question if the Bible is the word of God or if what we have is accurate.
There is an abundance of evidence giving the bible validity to its claims of being the written word of God. I am speaking of all of
the archaeological evidence that the bible is historically accurate. The numerous fulfilled prophecies that show its supernatural
ability to constantly accurately foretell the future. Couple this with the fact that there is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus
actually did bodily rise from the dead and I remain convinced it is indeed the word of God.
As far as its accuracy I would refer to the manuscript evidence and also ask, "Is God sovereign or not?" He declared that he
would preserve his word in the Old Testament Is 40:8 and Jesus made a similar statement in the New Testament Mt.24: 35.
If God can create the world then certainly he is capable of preserving his written word.
This is the realm where eternal truth is found. These truths are far more significant than the fact that 2+2=4 or that there is a
thing as gravity. Since God does not change Mal.3:6 this is an absolute truth that will not change. The bible itself makes some
claims that if they are true ignoring them will be a fatal mistake. God will judge the world and he will judge both the living and the
dead. A righteous judge is not going to excuse a behavior based upon a philosophy like "it was only true for him, but not for
me" We either have broken God's law or we have not. When the bible tells us that God will judge the world it is either the truth or
it is not. The evidence indicates that the bible is true! Consider the following passages in the bible concerning truth.
Ps 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is truth.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
John 8:31-32 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly
disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:45-47 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why
do you not believe Me? "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of
God."
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you
know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress
the truth in unrighteousness,
Rom 2:7-8 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who
are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
Gal 2:5 But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were
sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
I Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
You have just read that God's word is truth. The Gospel is truth. No one comes to God the Father except through Jesus Christ.
The wrath of God is revealed against men who suppress the truth. If we say we have no sin then the truth is not in us.
This means there are not lots of ways to heaven folks. It is only through Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be the only way. Was he
lying? I don't think so! Jesus spoke of Hell more than anybody. He claimed to be from heaven. He was told about in detail
before he was even born. He came here and amazed people with his miracles. He predicted his own death and resurrection.
Historical evidence leads us to the conclusion he actually rose from the dead.
Yes there is absolute truth. 2 + 2 = 4 and it will always remain so. There is such a thing as gravity. Eternal truth is found in Jesus
Christ. He still maintains more validity than any religious leader in history. Ignoring his claims will prove to be fatal. You would
not step out of a plane at 3,000 feet without a parachute. So why would a person not at least consider the facts concerning
Jesus and his claims? If Jesus was telling the truth then those who accept him and his payment for their sins can spend eternity
in a place called heaven where there is no more tears or pain. To reject his offer is to choose to stand before God with no
payment for sin. One can choose to do this, but it is not a wise decision and the outcome will be more fatal than death itself.
Truth is not just what we believe. Hopefully we will believe, earnestly seek and obey the truth. However if we do none of these
things truth will remain true and just in spite of our rebellion.
John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved
through Him. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men
loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
Time Magazine DEC.30,1974 "After more than two centuries of facing the heaviest scientific guns that could be brought to
bear, the bible has survived and perhaps better for the siege even on the critics own terms. Historical fact, the scriptures seem
more acceptable now than they did when the rationalist began the attack"
I remember being in a College dorm and seeing a statement that a student placed on his door to his room.
It read "Truth is what you Believe". Think about that statement a minute. Is it true? A couple of days later another note was stuck
on his door underneath his statement. It read, "Truth is what you believe? Well you must be an idiot. I believe that therefore it
must be true!" I am amused sometimes by the blindness of some people's statements.
If the student that originally wrote "Truth is what you believe" on his door was correct then he must have been an "A" student.
After all how could he get anything wrong on a test? He obviously believed his answer was true! Since he believed it how could
he possibly be wrong? Funny enough there are professors that believe this type of philosophy and still maintain a double
standard by not giving all of their students a passing grade.
In our world today it is amazing how many people do not believe in absolute truth. The reasoning is that many things that were
accepted as true have been proven incorrect in the past. For example people once believed the world was flat. Also in the
area of medicine so called "facts" seems to evolve with research and advancement in technology. Something may seem true
now then later after more research they find the previous belief or view to be incorrect or flawed. Some people want to apply
this across the board and say there is no absolute truth at all in anything. Although it is true that people have believed things that
were not true it does not mean there is no absolute truth.
This is not really a new concept that developed only in our century. Pilate asked Jesus the same question.
John 18:37-38
Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been
born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no guilt
in Him.
There are indeed certain things that remain true no matter whether a person believes it or not. Two plus two equals four even if
one chooses not to believe that. If you decide that you do not believe in gravity and step out of an airplane at 3,000 feet without
a parachute or similar device the outcome will be fatal.
When it comes to religion people make some popular not very well thought out remarks. We often hear something like "you
must keep an open mind" or "that may be true for you, but it is not true for me." Keeping an open mind is good, but
ignoring all of the evidence is naive. Just make sure your mind isn't so open your brains fall out. Usually when someone has told
me that I must keep an open mind I find they know very little if any of the facts. They just do not want to acknowledge that I may
in fact be right. There are some things that are so well established in fact that I do not need to "be open to the possibility."For
example there are people that have fallen from very great heights and lived. Now if someone wants me to jump off a cliff telling
me I will be all right I am not going to do it. When they tell me I should keep an open mind about it I still am not going to do it.
Why would I be so closed minded about such a thing? The answer is I have some knowledge of the facts and I know to jump
would be foolish. Some things that people say we should keep an open mind about really are that ridiculous.
How about that it might be true for you, but it is not true for me? Can you picture yourself in a courtroom on trial. The prosecutor
says that you were caught stealing something and theft is against the law. Your defense is well that might be true for you, but
that is not true for me. Well off to jail you go! We do not live in different worlds. It is either true or it isn't true plain and simple.
You can believe something that is not true and you have that right. However truth is truth in spite of what we believe. Sometimes
there are consequences for believing that which is not true. You can step off a high mountain cliff because there are soft looking
clouds just a little below and you believe it will make a nice soft landing. However you will probably suffer some consequences
for your false belief. Or am I just being closed minded about the whole thing again?
The disciples of Jesus seen Him crucified. Three days after the crucifixion the disciples claimed they had seen Jesus alive
again. There were more than 500 eyewitnesses who claimed they seen Jesus alive again after the crucifixion. This included
people who were formerly unbelievers. After the crucifixion Jesus appeared to people and talked with them. Jesus ate food
with them. They touched Jesus. This continued for a period of 40 days. The original disciples and numerous others suffered
persecution and death for continuing to tell people what they had seen. Being closed minded about the whole thing they were
put to death! I am kidding of course! There is no other apparent motive for them to do this other than they believed this to be
true. This took place in the same area and time where Jesus was crucified and buried. Those are the facts of an event a couple
of thousand years ago. The resurrection of Jesus can be confirmed as a historical fact outside of the use of the bible.
This leads to absolute truth that I would like to focus on for a moment where to error will be more fatal than stepping out of an
airplane without a parachute. What could be more fatal than death? Well eternity in a place called Hell would certainly be far
worse than death itself or any form of suffering here on earth if indeed such a place really exist.
We base the idea or reality of hell on the fact that the bible is indeed the word of God. Well I have to stand with those who
declare, "God said it, therefore I believe it!" Many people question if the Bible is the word of God or if what we have is accurate.
There is an abundance of evidence giving the bible validity to its claims of being the written word of God. I am speaking of all of
the archaeological evidence that the bible is historically accurate. The numerous fulfilled prophecies that show its supernatural
ability to constantly accurately foretell the future. Couple this with the fact that there is plenty of historical evidence that Jesus
actually did bodily rise from the dead and I remain convinced it is indeed the word of God.
As far as its accuracy I would refer to the manuscript evidence and also ask, "Is God sovereign or not?" He declared that he
would preserve his word in the Old Testament Is 40:8 and Jesus made a similar statement in the New Testament Mt.24: 35.
If God can create the world then certainly he is capable of preserving his written word.
This is the realm where eternal truth is found. These truths are far more significant than the fact that 2+2=4 or that there is a
thing as gravity. Since God does not change Mal.3:6 this is an absolute truth that will not change. The bible itself makes some
claims that if they are true ignoring them will be a fatal mistake. God will judge the world and he will judge both the living and the
dead. A righteous judge is not going to excuse a behavior based upon a philosophy like "it was only true for him, but not for
me" We either have broken God's law or we have not. When the bible tells us that God will judge the world it is either the truth or
it is not. The evidence indicates that the bible is true! Consider the following passages in the bible concerning truth.
Ps 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is truth.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
John 8:31-32 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly
disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:45-47 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why
do you not believe Me? "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of
God."
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you
know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress
the truth in unrighteousness,
Rom 2:7-8 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who
are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
Gal 2:5 But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were
sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
I Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
You have just read that God's word is truth. The Gospel is truth. No one comes to God the Father except through Jesus Christ.
The wrath of God is revealed against men who suppress the truth. If we say we have no sin then the truth is not in us.
This means there are not lots of ways to heaven folks. It is only through Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be the only way. Was he
lying? I don't think so! Jesus spoke of Hell more than anybody. He claimed to be from heaven. He was told about in detail
before he was even born. He came here and amazed people with his miracles. He predicted his own death and resurrection.
Historical evidence leads us to the conclusion he actually rose from the dead.
Yes there is absolute truth. 2 + 2 = 4 and it will always remain so. There is such a thing as gravity. Eternal truth is found in Jesus
Christ. He still maintains more validity than any religious leader in history. Ignoring his claims will prove to be fatal. You would
not step out of a plane at 3,000 feet without a parachute. So why would a person not at least consider the facts concerning
Jesus and his claims? If Jesus was telling the truth then those who accept him and his payment for their sins can spend eternity
in a place called heaven where there is no more tears or pain. To reject his offer is to choose to stand before God with no
payment for sin. One can choose to do this, but it is not a wise decision and the outcome will be more fatal than death itself.
Truth is not just what we believe. Hopefully we will believe, earnestly seek and obey the truth. However if we do none of these
things truth will remain true and just in spite of our rebellion.
John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved
through Him. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men
loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
Time Magazine DEC.30,1974 "After more than two centuries of facing the heaviest scientific guns that could be brought to
bear, the bible has survived and perhaps better for the siege even on the critics own terms. Historical fact, the scriptures seem
more acceptable now than they did when the rationalist began the attack"
Major Christian Doctrines
Explained & Defended
Explained & Defended
Click on any Link below
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
HOME
