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What Is Truth
Contributed by Paul Hammons on Mar 13, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: We have heard that truth is relative, what’s true for you may not be true for me, what’s true for Americans may not be true for Iraqi’s, what’s true for some religions may not be true for other religions.
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What Is Truth; John 18:37-38
Two men had an argument. To settle the matter, they went to a judge to let him decide. The plaintiff made his case. He was very eloquent and persuasive in his reasoning. When he finished, the judge nodded in approval and said, "That’s right, that’s right."
On hearing this, the defendant jumped up and said, "Wait a second, judge, you haven’t even heard my side of the case yet." So the judge told him to state his case. And he, too, was very persuasive and eloquent. When he finished, the judge said, "That’s right, that’s right."
When the clerk of court heard this, he jumped up and said, "Judge, they both can’t be right." The judge looked at the clerk and said, "That’s right, that’s right."
We have heard that truth is relative, what’s true for you may not be true for me, what’s true for Americans may not be true for Iraqi’s, what’s true for some religions may not be true for other religions. If truth is relative… 1). Nothing is true… 2). Nothing is knowable… 3). Nothing matters… 4). No authority – there is no God… all religions are equal. That’s exactly what society is telling us… But TRUTH is not relative, it is absolute.
Billy Graham, “Truth is timeless. Truth does not change from one age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. Men’s ideas may differ, men’s custom’s may change, men’s moral codes may vary, but the great all prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.”
What we believe to be true may be relative, but the TRUTH is absolute… (John 18:37-38)
Many have asked that same question, books have been written on the subject, philosophers have debated the question for OVER 2000 years, and they continue to debate. They think they can find truth through rationalization. But what they think, doesn’t influence truth…
Others think they must experience something before they see it as truth - They are called EXISTENIALISTS. I have never been hit over the head with a hammer, but I believe it’s true that it would hurt… Common sense tells me it would…
Personal experience doesn’t create truth, nor does opinion, or culture, or religion, or anything else. Truth is truth whether we believe or not, experience it, or accept it… Truth is absolute.
I would like share with you 3 Great All Prevailing Truths:
I. God Formed Us
I believe that most people have some questions about where we came from, how we got here, what our purpose is in life. Many people have theories about how life began.
Scientists try to study organisms and cells and all sorts of life forms and they try to come up with some type of “theory” as to how we got here. Do you know what Webster’s definition is for a theory – “An untried assumption,” in other words it’s a guess.
The truth is scientist, professors, and teachers don’t know how we got here and so they have made some assumptions as to how life began.
A. The Big Bang Theory (Dynamite) B. The Theory of Evolution (missing link)
Both are just what some people assume or guess how we came to be and they teach it as fact. And they call it science, but for something to be scientific it must be testable & observable… They are untried assumptions.
But the Bible is not a book of assumptions or guesses; the Bible is the word of truth. Many have denied it, many have tried to disprove it, some have tried to do away with it, but none have been successful. As a matter of fact some that have tried to disprove it found themselves trusting in it because they found overwhelming evidence for it. The bible is the source of all truth.
God tells us in His word how we were formed, how life began. Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” We don’t have to guess about how life began because God told us how we began. The scientist or professors or teachers were not there when life began, but God was and we can trust His word.
God’s word says, “God formed man.” But some people would rather choose to believe a lie – Romans 1:18-22. Why doesn’t man believe? “They hold (Suppress) the truth in unrighteousness.” They don’t want to be held accountable… But the truth is God formed us and we are accountable to Him.
II. Sin Deformed Us
Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” We were created in the image of God… spirit, intellect, and a creative ability… But because of sin that image is marred. You see sin DEFORMS US.