What is Truth? by Dr. Kluane Spake
What is Truth?
An Addiction to Truth
Before His crucifixion, Jesus answered Pontius Pilate, “To this end was I born, and for this came I into the world, to bear witness unto the TRUTH. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate then said unto him, WHAT IS TRUTH?” (John 18:37-38)
“What is truth?”
Day by day in what is called “enlightened rationalism” there is more and more cynical Pilate types who debate about the existence of Truth — especially concerning traditional Christian views.
What is truth? Is it what I believe? Is there any absolute truth or is everything relative?
A recent Barna research survey asked Americans, “Is there absolute Truth?” 66% of those adults responding said that there is no such thing as absolute truth. “Truth is whatever you believe.”
Those surveyed asked questions like, “If there were such a thing as absolute truth, how could we know it?” Many religions say they ‘believe’ but does that make it true?
Marilyn Monroe is famous for saying, “I believe in everything - a little bit.”
Most of the secular media mocks Christianity. The scientists try to disprove faith and miracles. The schools try to accommodate every faith. We are easily dismissed so that people can be politically correct. In today’s life, this conflict intensifies. We must ask ourselves, “Is there really ultimate truth to be discovered? Will finding it affect my life?” The world had lost sight of the truth, but Jesus told Pilate that He came to bear witness to the truth.
The question remains, can we know that God exists? Or does He just exist anyway?
TRUTH JUST IS.
REALITY: Every day, we live our lives based on what we believe is true. I turn on the water faucet believing that water will pour out. I put a cup in the mountain stream believing that it will fill up. I get in my car believing that I can drive to another location because combustion engines work.
Thomas Aquinas stated: “A judgment is said to be true when it conforms to the external reality” And yet, human subjectivity derived by objective data cannot grasp spiritual reality.
External reality says that I own a silver car.
Reality is either real or not real. I either own a silver car or I do not. It is a contradiction to say that there both is and is not a silver car in my driveway.
When truth is defined by culture then anything can seem true.
Logic only allows for the acceptance of that which can be proven by present measuring systems. Or perceived by data, visual evidence, or mathematical concepts.
When Christians say, “Jesus is Lord,” it is either totally true or totally false. It doesn’t really matter who believes what or what your opinion is. It’s not about what your parents thought or taught. It’s not about how you feel. This statement is either is true or it is not.
Paul warned us against this confusion, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ,” (Col. 2:8).
TRUTH: If there really is truth, then we should be able to know it. If truth exists, then it is here for us to discover. If Jesus is the Truth, then He is by designation also the way and the life (Jn. 14:6). Jesus told Pilate that if we are of truth, we hear His voice (Jn. 18:39).
Many of us are like Pilot who heard the Words of Jesus… but not the Truth of His voice.
It’s not what people teach or what someone says. It’s not a majority opinion or a subjective response. It’s not necessarily what we’ve believed for all these years. Truth is infinite and unbounded.
TRUTH JUST IS.
The English word true comes from the Proto-Germanic word trewwj- “means having good faith and honor. Truth always contains the qualities of faithfulness, fidelity, loyalty, honesty, and certainty. Truth is an irrefutable fact. There is a POWER to authentic Truth. It works.
“What is truth?” Truth is not error. Truth is not contradictory. Truth is not man-derived. It is not human perception or opinion. Truth is not dishonesty.(However, dishonest people can preach truth - because the Word of God is truth.) We must know truth in order to worship the Lord in “Spirit and in Truth.“ Knowing the truth shall make us free (Jn. 8:32).
“Sanctify(make holy, entitle) them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).
What we believed before isn’t necessarily wrong — but we can see that Truth progresses. It unfolds. It develops. It unveils. As we gain greater comprehension of the INTENTION of the God our understanding of God expands and develops.
Church Father John Corapi stated that “The Truth is not a something. It is a SomeBody.
How does perception effect our understanding of truth? When Pilate asked Jesus what is truth, the answer Jesus gave did not communicate to Pilate’s known reality concerning facts.
Pilate stood beside Truth. Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Truth looked into Pilate’s eyes!
Pilot asked, “Don’t you know that I have power to slay you or give you life?” But, truth did not look like Pilate expected. He did not respond in an expected way. Truth replied, “You could have no power at all against me, except it were allowed you from above….” (John 19:11)
This was the answer, Truth allows humans to have power - or not. These words were expressed by the One by Whom the world consists. He holds all things together. He is the reality of this world and it is from Him that the world draws all subsistence (Heb. 11). Truth’s words testified that He shapes all valid existence.
Divine Truth spoke from another realm, not from any cultural or logical reality that Pilot knew.
Truth did not determine Pilate’s actions as he turned to face the angry crowd and asked the Jews who should be crucified? (v. 38). Even though Pilot actually believed that Jesus was innocent , he washed his hands of responsibility and made a political choice to free Barabbas instead.
At that moment, the silence of Jesus became the most convincing response. This silence came from a Kingdom dimension.
There was once a time when people accused me of doing things that never even happened. What can we do? After we speak truth and present the facts, silence becomes or only defense. Truth stands. TRUTH JUST IS. Truth is the actuality of all things. Jesus is the Truth that powerfully sustains us. Truth creates the only foundations of genuine existence.
Revelatory truth can usually be defined as a spiritual fact being released. It has not yet been totally revealed and it cannot be logically analyzed. God’s Kingdom transcends this world and the measurements that we have at this time. God’s Wisdom surpasses all that we have discovered or hold as doctrine at this time. Right now, there is an on-going and proceeding Present Truth being continuously released.
Jesus told Pilate that If we are not of the truth, then we won’t understand or recognize the truth. Jesus said He was Truth and that He sent the Spirit of TRUTH to teach us. Either we believe these claims or we don’t. But, each of us must make a decision, if what He said true…
It is time to gird our waist with Truth (Eph. 6:14) and to walk in Truth (2 Jn. 4). Finding truth connects us to the Truth. Every one that is of the truth hears His voice (Jn. 18:37).
Do you hear His voice?
Truth is our utmost certainty. It is both unmovable and ever revealing. Will we be like Pilate, or will we listen and hear Jesus telling us He is THE TRUTH
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