1/19/2023 

What is Truth and Does It Really Exist? Part 1

In preparing this discussion God allowed His Spirit to speak my heart. He has allowed me to see that before we can discuss many of the hard topics plaguing our modern society and how they affect us as Christians, that first we must discuss truth and what it is. As truth will play into every event that takes place in our lives, and in our understanding of all things.

So what is absolute truth? 

It has been described as "that which is objective, universal, and constant, and that which is true for all people for all times, and for all places". You see absolute truth never changes, it's constant throughout all of time.

[Psa 119:160 NLT] 160 The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.

[Rom 3:1-4 NLT] 1 Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. 3 True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? 4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court."

Truth as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is,

1.

a (1)

2.

3

4

The biblical definition of Truth is this: 

The property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality (natural and spiritual); sincerity in action, character, and utterance.

Notice the words that we see in these definitions, Fact, Actuality, Constancy, Reality, and Sincerity.

So, what makes truth absolutely certain?

God does! God being the creator of all IS truth, He did not just create it, and through Him we are able to see truth and live in and share in it.

[Psa 18:30 NLT] 30 God's way is perfect. All the LORD's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

[Psa 33:4 NLT] 4 For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does.

[Job 34:10-33 NLT] 10 "Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn't sin! The Almighty can do no wrong. 11 He repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve. 12 Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice. 13 Did someone else put the world in his care? Who set the whole world in place? 14 If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, 15 all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust. 16 "Now listen to me if you are wise. Pay attention to what I say. 17 Could God govern if he hated justice? Are you going to condemn the almighty judge? 18 For he says to kings, 'You are wicked,' and to nobles, 'You are unjust.' 19 He doesn't care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all. 20 In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand. 21 "For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do. 22 No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes. 23 We don't set the time when we will come before God in judgment. 24 He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone, and he sets up others in their place. 25 He knows what they do, and in the night he overturns and destroys them. 26 He strikes them down because they are wicked, doing it openly for all to see. 27 For they turned away from following him. They have no respect for any of his ways. 28 They cause the poor to cry out, catching God's attention. He hears the cries of the needy. 29 But if he chooses to remain quiet, who can criticize him? When he hides his face, no one can find him, whether an individual or a nation. 30 He prevents the godless from ruling so they cannot be a snare to the people. 31 "Why don't people say to God, 'I have sinned, but I will sin no more'? 32 Or 'I don't know what evil I have done--tell me. If I have done wrong, I will stop at once'? 33 "Must God tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.

But why do we need absolutes? Can't we just decide for ourselves what is true with our own eyes and ears?

[Pro 21:2-6 NLT] 2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart. 3 The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. 4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin. 5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. 6 Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.

[Jas 4:11 NLT] 11 Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

[Pro 2:1-15 NLT] 1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. 5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. 9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. 11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. 12 Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. 13 These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. 14 They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. 15 Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.

Since Eve was tempted in the Garden it has been Satan's ultimate mission to lie to and deceive us. To cause us to hate, shame, harm, and lose ourselves into sin and depravity.

[Gen 2:9, 15-17 LSB] 9 And out of the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that is desirable in appearance and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ... 15 Then Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

[Gen 3:1-6 LSB] 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, 'You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.'" 4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make [one] wise, so she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Here within the first few chapters of creation we meet the adversary for the first of many times. We are shown his cunningness, his hatred, and his power to deceive us. Make no mistake, the enemy is more powerful and crafty than any of us could ever imagine. Bold enough to try to deceive the Son of God Himself. If we were not to see the devil as a stumbling block and a threat to our salvation, God would not warn us as often as He does to be alert for satan's presence, to be cautious of his power, and how to thwart the devils' attacks.

[1Peter 5:8 LSB] 8 Be of sober [spirit], be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

[John 10:10 LSB] 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly.

[Eph 6:10-20 LSB] 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. 16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 17 also receive THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 as well as on my behalf, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel-- 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains--so that in [proclaiming] it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

One look at our modern society and it is easy for us to see how good the devil is at his job, and how often we disregard the truths of God, because the tempter has made us feel as if we should have the right to decide not only how we want to live our lives, but what truth is, as concerned by us. We have become a society of intolerant people, allowing tolerance to instead become a virtue. Society has adopted a "Woke" (you believe what you want, I'll believe what I want, and we can all be happy, and the world become a utopia) philosophical attitude. The fact is, if we as humans do what we each want, and not what God has called us in advance to do, then we will immediately fall into anarchy and chaos, and we already know who's trying to get us there. We as humans are limited, but with Christ in us all things become possible. This is where truth comes into play.  The Bible makes it clear to us that we do not determine the truth, but rather through our relationship with God we discover truth. God not only chose us and to share truth with us, but He did it for us when we were at our worst and most undeserving. He gave us Himself which, He tells us is Truth and Love. 

[Eph 2:1-22 LSB] 1 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you--the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," [which is] performed in the flesh by [human] hands-- 12 [remember] that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both [groups] one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, making peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone], 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Here we see that God in His great love and mercy, chose to save us through His grace, by our faith in Him. Jesus also tells us in chapter 14 of John's gospel of Jesus that,

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

[John 14:1-6 LSB] 1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, [there] you may be also. 4 "And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How do we know the way?" 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 8:28-47 LSB] 28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [He], and I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." 30 As He was speaking these things, many believed in Him. 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, [then] you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's seed and have never yet been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, 'You will become free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 "I know that you are Abraham's seed; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 "I speak the things which I have seen with [My] Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from [your] father." 39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40 "But now you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? [It is] because you cannot hear My word. 44 "You are of [your] father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [nature], for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear [them], because you are not of God."

[Jer 7:28 LSB] 28 "You shall say to them, 'This is the nation that did not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God or receive discipline; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.

As humans we have always from the beginning of our existence, we have always wanted to determine spiritual truths for ourselves. Many times, we accept truth in other forms without question, (4+4=8, or "what goes up, must come down", and we all agree the sun heats our planet) but other truths we want to decide aren't for us, not matter how much sense it might make.

God came to us, He made His appeal for us, and took back our lives by giving His at the cross. All He asks of us in return is faith in our Lord Jesus. That means believing and trusting that He gave His life for your's and that apart from Him we are nothing; He loves repentant hearts, and just asks that we allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in the ways of Christ, turning from sin. That doesn't mean that we will never mess up and sin again, but what it does mean is that we don't live and wallow in our sins. It also means that if we are covered by the blood of the lamb, and if we do have moments of doubt or decline Jesus is there to mediate for us as we repent.

[1Ti 2:1-7 LSB] 1 First of all, then, I exhort that petitions [and] prayers, requests [and] thanksgivings, be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The sad reality of it is that man was given free will. We can choose ourselves to accept God and live in Christ and do our part to be His disciples spreading His good news for His glory alone, or we can allow ourselves to fall farther into sin, allowing the devil to have a stronghold over us to take possession and attempt to have his own will done. Often times satan simply lets us attempt to do our own will and causes us to think that we are pious or good enough to be able to make such decisions. The Bible tells us "ONLY GOD IS GOOD". That is biblical truth, and it is also why as humans we seem to mess everything up no matter how hard we manage to try. It is because we were born into sin through Adam and Eve and original sin.

Adam and Christ Contrasted

(Gen 3:1–19 )

[Rom 5:12-21 NLT] 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died--from the time of Adam to the time of Moses--even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We lie to ourselves constantly in our society today, we think we can party in access with no responsibility or accountability, drugs and sex everywhere. We tell ourselves that we can be man, or woman, or both, and even neither. We talk of fluidity, like our God given, God created bodies are something that WE have the power to daily change even our own genders; sometimes we may even relate as an animal (sadly this may be our closest description to mankind unsaved). I say this because, we also lie to ourselves even when it comes to what is and isn't life, we feel we have the authority to be able to decide. God by the way says conception is life. King David said, "you knew me before I was in the womb when I was conceived." We disregard what God has deemed marriage, and that which He sanctified as a HOLY union. We say it's okay for a man to marry a man, and a woman to marry a woman, but Christ said this union was to be representative to Christ (the groom) and His relationship to the church (the bride). A man cannot be a wife to a man, and a woman cannot be a wife to a woman. In that same since we cannot decide "well I think Jesus represents the church, and man represents God." It does not work that way. That is not TRUTH, and it's not God's design. In the same way, that is not the structure in which God built Holy matrimony, and He will never accept or condone something that goes against His word just because we would like Him to.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

[Eph 5:21-33 NLT] 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

[Rev 19:7-8 NLT] 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear." For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people.

When they strayed, Paul told the church in Corinth...

[2Co 11:2-4 NLT] 2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband--Christ. 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

This is the Truth of life...we were made perfect and yet we allowed ourselves to be fooled by the enemy who hated us for being so loved by God. Through centuries, God allowed His plan to unfold to allow us a way back into His eternal presence. And that is where He leaves it, the ball, so to speak is in our court. He calls to us, sometimes for long, long periods of time before we chose to listen. Some sadly never choose to listen to His call, but He will never force Himself upon us, for the Father seeks true worship, not sacrifice, and with that He will allow us to lead ourselves off into darkness if that is what we so wish to do.

He lays it all out for us plainly in the first chapter of his letter to Rome why all of this has and will continue to happen until God comes back to call His children to Him and punish those whom He deems to be the wicked and unrighteous.

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

[Rom 1:18-32 LSB] 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice [them].

John goes on in his first epistle to the church to give us Jesus' message of truth that He proclaimed to John and the other disciples...

God Is Light

[1 John 1:5-10 LSB] 5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Seek the truth, seek eternity in the presence of the Father, seek Jesus! Listen for His call to you to repent and turn from a life of sin and open your heart to Him as your Saviour. Believe Him, trust Him (even when it seems hard), but most of all love, thank, and praise Him for it is through His grace and glory that all things are possible.  

God bless you all, I hope you have an amazing week and God places someone in your path to share the gospel with, or someone to share it with you! Also, we still have several special copies of John's gospel of Jesus that we are passing out. If you have not read it or don't know Jesus as your Saviour, I would love to gift you a copy. Just drop us a message below and we will fix you up with a copy. Stay blessed and alert to truth and the presence of the deceiver.