THE STUDY OF TRUTH

The Foundation of Anything real

Recap of The Last Lesson• The need (why we need to know, why articulate)• The balance.• The Challenge of speaking in a language that a non-

believer understands. • The purpose of the Video

– was not only to hear his points in order to counter them, – it was to find out what “language” you can & cannot use. – He gave you his own limits.

• The Tragedy when we are not prepared– The effects on the (strong) non-believer– The effects on us.– What happens to their search for truth?

Introduction of this lesson• As was said:

– Before we can talk about a God of love, we have to first establish that God exists.

• NOW: Before we can establish that God exists, we must first establish what we mean by reality and truth.

• Topics in this lesson– Why study truth.– Define truth– How people treat physical v.s spiritual truth– How truth behaves– Discuss terms: “relativism”, “objective/subjective”, “absolute”.– Touch on Defense using truth

• A need for patience.• Mental gymnastics (this is probably the hardest to teach / learn) • We said last time we should give them a moment of pause…well, here’s where

we start.

HOW PEOPLE TREAT PHYSICAL V.S SPIRITUAL TRUTH

• People say “you should be able to believe what you want”. – People don’t think that way about the physical world,

– why do they think that way about the spiritual world?

– Stop separating the two.

– if the spiritual is true then it must correspond with reality.

• The Reason for this mistreatment is not understanding it.

“What is truth?” -PILATEDefinition of truth1. Conformity to fact or actuality. 2. Fidelity to an original or standard.

– Reality; actuality. – That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have

the ultimate meaning and value of existence.* When you say something is true, then you’re saying it actually

exists (even thought)

• What’s superior ?: What’s true in the world v.s. What the

bible says is true. – The bible has authority & Priority– But neither are truer than the other – The Bible might be more valuable, but not truer

WHY STUDY TRUTH?• Jeremiah 7:28 Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to

correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips

• The “bank teller training” example. • Truth is foundational. • “Teach a man a fish” concept.• It holds everything together

– The belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14)• It Guides/ Teaches / Leads• It is our longing to pursuit (Thomas Aquinas) • “Worship him in spirit and truth”. (John 4:24)• Cause People don’t know that they are not

making sense. ** WE KNOW THE FALSE BY KNOWING THE TRUE.

*so let’s understand how “truth” behaves.

THE QUALITIES OF TRUTH (HOW TRUTH BEHAVES)

• Truth is exclusive.

• All truths are parallel

• Truth as a 3-d Object.

• The Law of [non] contradiction

TRUTH IS EXCLUSIVE

• When you date someone “exclusively” what are you doing?

• So what does it mean that Truth (by definition) is exclusiveexclusive.

• If assume that something is true, then you assume the opposite is false.

ALL TRUTH IS PARALLEL• What does “parallel” mean. • If something is true, then it will never

contradict with anything else that is true. Not Not at anytime, not at any degree.at anytime, not at any degree. – Means that something true “here”, will support

a truth “there”.– Also Means that something false “here”, will

contradict a truth “there”*That’s why it’s so hard to keep a lie consistent.

• What’s true in one area, must correspond with another truth in any other area

ALL TRUTH IS PARALLEL(cont.)• If God is the author of everything, then he is also the author of the

laws of nature and science GRAVITY. ***(laws ,not the theories)

• If he is the author of these natural laws, why will he make any of it contradict his Existence / being?

• This enables me to defend the existence of God with points not found in the Bible. How? – Bible will never contradict other things that are true. – If God and his laws are true, there will never be other things that

are true that will contradict. – If God is true and [provable] science is true, the can ‘t contradict.

• John 18: 37 “Everyone ( or everything) on the side of truth listens to me.“

• We have the upper hand / They have the uphill battle, not us.

TRUTH AS AN OBJECT (3-D)• Discuss

– The mountain climbers example– Use an actual object

• Truth in not independent, it must be supported by other truths, or other truths must testify of it’s trueness.– Just like the meaning of a word (in a

dictionary) is understood by understanding other words.

• Same in the Bible.• Same in real life.

• Later Show biblical example

LAW OF [NON]CONTRADICITON• Contradictions are made by screwing up the first 3.

– means that two opposite propositions cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.

– X cannot be non-X simultaneously.– All logic depends on this simple principle.

• If something is black it cannot Be____ at the same time?

• The reason why God cannot lie (HEB 6:18), is the same reason God cannot make a rock so big he cannot carry it.

THAT’S HOW TRUTH BEHAVES, THOSE ARE THE QUALITIES OF TRUTH.

RELATIVISMYou can “believe anything you want to”.• Doesn’t have anything to do with relatives.

• Relativism = all points of view are equally valid and that all truth is relative to the individual. – Varies from person to person. (taste, preference) – Height/Darkness has absolute values. (There is a limit to darkness) – This comes up with God’s existence, morality..

• Not many people will actually say:– “All truth is relative.”– “I believe in relativism”

• But they’ll say “we can believe anything we want”. • That’s why people are offending with “Jesus is the only way”.

• You can “believe anything you want to”. = “there are no truths”.

ABSOLUTE TRUTH V.S. RELATIVISM• There must be some truths (something in reality) that

remains true even if you don’t believe they are real. – Mathematics– Laws of nature– If I jump out of a plane, I will fall.

• Immanence of God : God continues to be God even if no one believes. – His existence is not dependent on our belief in him.– Freddy Cougar Example (he comes true when you

believe in him)– It’s hard to say that to a non-believer, so you have to go

around it. • You have prove that there are things that are absolute/objective

• You can get an A in a Philosophy class.

God & Scripture Have Qualities of Truth

• God of Truth (Psalms 31:5; Isaiah 65:16)• Truth is exclusive

– “no man can come to the father but by me” (John 14:6)

• All truth is parallel– “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John

18:37)– Everything else that’s true testifies to this truth

• Law of contradiction– No lies in the truth. (1John 2:21)– God cannot deny himself. 2Timothy 2:13,

– The reason why God cannot lie, is the same reason God cannot make a rock so big he cannot carry it.

God & Scripture Have Qualities of Truth (Cont)

• Truth as an object (Biblical Example) – God’s eyes are on the righteous (Psalms 34:15) – He desires men to be righteous (Ex 15:26). – no one is righteous, not one (Rom 3:10). – our righteousness is like filthy rags in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6). – A Contradiction? – It is only through Jesus Christ that we are made righteous in the eyes of

God (2 Corinthians 5:21)

– Scripture will support Scripture.

• God as Absolute truth– Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with

all your heart.

A HINT OF DEFENSE• Truth in 3-D (truth must correspond with other truth)

– All truth is relative! -- is that a relative statement?

– There is no truth! --- is that a true statement?

• All Truths are parallel– If you had a friend named JOHN & so Did I…

• Law of [Non] Contradiction– Can God make a Rock so big he cannot carry it?

• 2Timothy 2:13 (KJV), ("[God] cannot deny himself")

• Titus 1:2/ Heb 6:18 tells us that "God . . . cannot lie."

A HINT OF DEFENSE (cont)• Truth is exclusive.

– How is “Jesus is the only way to God” a logical statement? • Because Truth is exclusive.• Because it takes in consideration the Law of

Contradiction. • All assertions reject something • even those who think all truths are equally true- reject

those who believe in the absolutes. • Circular Arguments

– “He’s telling the truth because, he told me so”– “God is real because the Bible says so”– “God is not real because the bible doesn’t make sense or it

has so many contradictions”.

A HINT OF DEFENSE (cont)

• GOD & RELIGION– Not all roads lead to God. – How do we know which one religion is real? – Which one claims the most logical statements? – Which best reflects reality.

• ATHEISM & EVOLUTION– Logical implications of “no God”. – The illogical assertions of Evolution– Groundless skepticism

• MORALITY & SUFFERING– There must be an objective moral law to which to measure right

and wrong. – Suffering of the “innocent”. But innocent by whose standard? – Do you think Pushing my belief on someone is wrong? How?

CONCLUSION• This study is foundational• You’ll start to see it’s value in the following lessons:

– God and Religion. Are there many roads to God?

– Atheism & Evolution. Are these Ideas logical?

– Morality. Is Morality up to me?

• "The new rebel is a skeptic and will not entirely trust anything… The fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation applies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces but the doctrine by which he denounces it… [He] goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite skeptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mines. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for

trampling on men." – GK. CHESTERTON

CONCLUSION• WE KNOW THE FALSE BY KNOWING THE

TRUE. – The more we handle truth, the easier we can spot a fake

• Now that we have established what is truth means we can now establish that God exists.

• IT IS NOT THE LACK OF EVIDENCE, BUT THE SUPRESSION OF IT.(Rom1:18)

– Game: “hold the ball under the water”

– We are here to point it out when truth pops up.

NOTES

• Russell argues that there is a world of objective facts independent of our minds.

• “all truth is relative”; “nothing exists independently of the mind”, --- are those actual statements.

NOTES

• Jeremiah 7:28 Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips

• John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the

truth will set you free."

NOTES• What evidences do people need to believe?

– Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave and the pharasees wanted to kill him again

– If GOD opened heaven now, some still wouldn’t believe.

• 2 Timothy 3:7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

• QUOTE FROM ARISTOTLE