“What is truth?” Good question! How do you define truth? Can you know what is false if you don’t know what’s true? Can something be true even if you believe it to be false? A recent survey of teenagers showed that only 6% of them believe that there is an absolute real truth. One wonders what the other 94% base their reality on. There’s an old saying that says, “If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything.” But what truth can we believe in?
Today’s society tells us that truth is relative. We each make up our own set of morals and values based on our own set of beliefs, which are based on what we believe to be true. People no longer are debating what real truth is but rather if it even exists. Is there real truth?
I believe that there is, and I believe you can prove it. First, let’s lay some basic ground rules regarding truth:
1) We don’t invent truth; we discover it.
2) Our perception of the truth may vary from person to person, but the real truth itself does not vary.
3) The real truth is the same everywhere, for all people, at all times.
4) Real truth does not depend on how fervently or sincerely we believe something to be true.
Now consider the following observation by Norman Geisler:
“There are certain unbreakable laws that operate throughout the universe. I believe these were instituted by God; but even if you don’t, think about it. These are found throughout the sciences, math, and even music. Two plus two is always four; if this varied from time to time or place to place, we couldn’t operate machinery or computers, or even build a house. Middle C always vibrates at a certain frequency. If this varied from place to place, musicians couldn’t tune their instruments accurately.
“There are even unbreakable laws regarding color. If you mix red and yellow, you’ll always get orange, never green. If we could break these laws, or if they only worked part of the time, the entire universe would be in chaos. There are also the laws of logic. One of these is known as the law of noncontradiction. It says, “Two contradictory, or opposite truth claims, cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.” For example, the statements “God exists” and “God doesn’t exist” cannot both be true. Either He does or He doesn’t.”
I believe that there is a truth that never changes. If you stepped off of a ten-story building but didn’t believe in gravity, you would still plummet to your death. Why? Because the truth is – gravity exists. The truth is the truth regardless of what you might believe. Why is this so important? For three reasons:
1) Truth affects our daily life. If there is no fixed point of reference regarding truth, and everyone creates their own, then life would be chaos. Why learn? Why teach? How could there be laws or the legal system? Why would I listen to anything anyone else said about anything? After all, who are THEY to tell ME what’s right and wrong? If everything were true, nothing would be true.
2) Truth affects our eternal life. There are no do overs after you die. What you believe about life after death determines what happens to you post death. God has a lot to say about that. If you don’t believe that to be true and you’re wrong, you are going to be in a lot of trouble for eternity. It’s vital that you determine what the truth is regarding God NOW. If you’re wrong, it will be too late after you die.
3) The Bible makes truth claims that require you to make a decision about the claim’s validity. Truth is mentioned in the Bible 238 times. The two most pertinent truths relative to this article are:
Psalm 117:2 “The truth of the Lord endures forever,” and most of all John 14:6 when Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the Life…”
Most people know Pilate’s mocking response to Jesus when he said, “What is truth?” What most miss is the importance of what Pilate was responding to. When asked why He came, Jesus said that He came to testify to the truth! Amazing. Think about that. That’s when Pilate responded, “What is truth?”
Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has waged a vicious war on truth. He doesn’t want humans to know the truth. Most people (even Christians) are oblivious to that fact. They are easy prey. What did Satan tell Eve? “Did God REALLY say?”
From the beginning, Satan has sought to distort the truth and keep us confused and blinded to the truth. He’s done a great job – to the point that professors at most major colleges teach that you can’t know the truth, or that everyone makes up their own reality, or truth. If my truth contradicts yours, that’s OK! They are both still true. How insane!
Satan has one goal: to keep you from spending an eternal life with God. He does this by creating a chasm between you and the truth. The Bible says that in the last days there will be a great falling away. Many false doctrines will be taught. Many will be deceived. Jesus warned us repeatedly not to be deceived.
Satan is the master deceiver and the father of all lies. Our protection against Satan is the sword of the spirit, which is of course the word of God. The word of God is the truth. If you don’t know the word of God (i.e. the truth), how will you know a lie when it’s being told to you?
The first casualty in any war is the truth. Spiritual warfare is no exception. Acts 17:11 is a passage that we all should know by heart – test all things daily against the scriptures to see if it’s true.
We should all have the Berean mindset. When we know the word of God, which is the REAL truth, we can better discern what’s going on around us, prophetic warning signs, and the signs of satanic deception. I believe we are the generation that the Bible says will witness the rapture. The question is, will you just witness its aftermath, or will you experience it firsthand. You can experience it firsthand if you know the truth. The REAL truth.
In response to Pilate’s famous question, Jesus is the truth. His word is the truth. It never changes. It’s a rock that you can trust in and build your belief system on. Read your Bible. Put on the full armor of God. These times call for a strong sword of the spirit and real discernment.
You CAN know the truth! Jesus said that, if you believe in Him, you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free!