Truth Lesson 1, Truth What is it?

TRUTH …

What is IT?

Lesson Objective:

To see that Truth is defined in the Person and Nature of God. 
God is Eternal, Faithful, Omniscient…Truth reflects the attributes of God.

We will not start from scratch when we discuss “Truth”. We will assume that there is a starting point already embedded in our thoughts. (Rom 1.19) 

In violating an old rule, we will use the word “truth” in our definition of it.

Truth is Universal and Absolute.

Truth is “Universal” for all mankind throughout all ages and “Absolute” because it never changes and is impervious, imperishable, and incorruptible. 

It is Absolute because its source is God.
To reject absolute universal truth is to reject GOD – Plain and simple

Truth has been under attack since the beginning of mankind.

Ever since that day in the garden when the serpent tempted Eve, he has relentlessly attacked the truth with lies, using the same strategies over and over to sow doubt and disbelief in the human mind.

 

“We are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

The form of his evil opposition rarely changes.

1. He Questions the truth that God has revealed…
 “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 
(Genesis 3:1)

He not only QUESTIONS, but

2. Then he Contradicts what God has said…
 “You will not surely die” (v. 4).

He not only QUESTIONS, and CONTRADICTS, but 

3. Finally, he Concocts an alternative version of “truth” … “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (v.5).

YOU CAN BE GOD

Todd Friel:

“You are Wrong!”

(video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ7NEqfgpdM 

Judges 17.6

In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

 

Pilate said to Him (Jesus), “What is truth?”

(Jn 18.37-38) Let’s answer Pilate:

•       Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. 

•       Even more to the point: truth is the self-expression of God. 

•       Since the definition of truth flows from God, truth is solid theology and reality…truth is not just “church stuff”.

So, what is truth?

“Reality” is what it is because God declared it so and made it so. 

Therefore, God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all that is.

TRUTH is reality. 

And reality is what God says it is. This is not circular reasoning because God started it…TRUTH had a beginning; therefore, it flows in one direction…from God to us.

Since there is only ONE GOD, ONE CREATION, there can be only ONE RIGHT, ONE STANDARD, ONE REALITY – ONE TRUTH.

TRUTH IS UNIVERSAL AND ABSOLUTE!!!

It Pertains to everyone, everywhere, for all time

There are not two sets of rules or standards, or realities, i.e., one for the Redeemed and one for the Unredeemed – there is not one truth for the world and one for the church.

There is only One Voice – One Standard – One Rule for all kind and that Voice belongs to The One and Only True God, The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of Glory from and throughout all eternity.

THERE IS NO LIFE – NO EXISTENCE – THAT IS PARTITIONED FROM SOME OTHER ASPECT OF LIFE. 

THERE IS NOT A FAITH PART OF LIFE AND A PROFESSIONAL      OR SECULAR PART OF LIFE. 

ALL OF LIFE IS GOD’S LIFE. 

EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH HIM!

Some may say, “Leave your faith at home.” IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Truth is Universal and Absolute.

GOD is Omnipresent (everywhere all the time) Eternal (no beginning and no end) – Truth is universal: applicable to everyone, everywhere all the time.

GOD is Omniscient (knows all things) and Faithful – Truth is absolute - reflecting the unwavering dependability of the nature of God.

To reject Absolute Universal Truth is to reject GOD.

IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD!!!

Whenever we are overcome by events and life makes no sense and everything seems to be disintegrating, and our world is falling apart, the Institution of Marriage is harpooned, a culture doesn’t know one sex from the next, children are bound into sexual slavery, baby parts are on the market, race wars are on the verge, personal rights are vanishing, every evil is celebrated….

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter”! (Isa 5.20)

Start thinking in straight lines and ask, “What does this have to do with GOD?”

Simply, the world is rejecting God.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness 

(Ro 1:18)

History is going somewhere and it will End at the Throne of David with Jerusalem as the 

last stop.

The world is NOT spiraling Out of control! He is now reigning from heaven and will someday reign literally on the THRONE of David!!

The world hates any connection of truth with God…because…

They hate God. Why? GOD RULES.

If we source God with Truth, then there is only ONE WAY, and it is His way. The world does not want to be ruled by God. It does not want Truth.

The World says about me, If I source/unite God with Truth, then I am bigoted, narrow-minded, intolerant, homophobic, judgmental, racist, and unloving, etc.

So what?

So…

Is “All Truth God’s truth”?

Probably…YES

But alongside this statement, we must also say, “All truth exists to display more of God and awaken more love for God”. (1 Cor 8.2-3)

All truth exists to make God known and loved and displayed. (1 Cor 10.31)

(Remember, everything is about Him)

If knowing Truth does not produce the above three effects, knowing truth has no virtue.

 IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD!!!

The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the “God of truth” 

Isaiah 65:16 - Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth;

            And he who swears in the earth Will swear   by the God of truth…

Psalm 31:5 - Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.

Biblical Synonyms for Truth:

•       1. faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, i.e., a state or condition of being dependable and loyal to a person or standard (Ge 24:27); 

•       2. true, certain, sure, i.e., that which conforms to reality, and is so certain not to be false (Dt 13:15), 

•       3. honesty, integrity, i.e., be in a state or condition of telling the truth, and living according to a moral standard (Ne 7:2); 

•       4. a reliable book, formally, Book of Truth, i.e., a writing in a heavenly scroll giving details of future things, with a focus on both certainty and reliability (Da 10:21); 

•       5. lasting, enduring, i.e., a duration of time, without reference to other points of time (Jer 14:13)

•       AMEN!!!

•       TRULY, TRULY!

When Jesus said of Himself, 

“I am … the Truth… (John 14:6), He was thereby making a profound claim about His own 

Deity. 

He was also making it clear that all truth must ultimately be defined in terms of God and His eternal glory. 

He is truth incarnate (God put on Flesh)—the perfect expression of God and therefore the absolute embodiment of all that is true.

Jesus also said that the written Word of God is truth. It does not merely contain nuggets of truth; it is pure, unchangeable, and inviolable truth that (according to Jesus) “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). 

Moreover, the Word of God is eternal truth “which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23). 

Scripture is the only infallible interpreter of what we see in nature or know innately in our own consciences… 

We can’t make stuff up the Bible is the touchstone to which all truth claims should be brought and by      which all other truth must finally be measured.

Where are we today regarding “Truth”?

Isa 59.15

Yes, truth is lacking…And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. (Ask Kim Davis and the Baker)

Jer 7.28

 “You shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.”

Personally, I think we are much worse than just “lacking” truth…We are far into the Rom 1 stage of Judgment. The Reprobate stage is at hand.

(Reflect back to the video, “You are wrong”)

1 Kings 18.21

Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? 

If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.

Side with God or side with Satan, there is no neutral ground. There is no non-spiritual ground.

From the above text, What did Elijah mean by, “two Opinions”? Word picture:

Crutch, i.e., a stick padded to go under the arm pit to support a weak leg, with a focus on a weakened condition

Pictures:

1. death of the branch lopped off from its source and 

2. weakness or lameness of the one holding it

“Opinion”

sâ˓ı̂ph, saw-eef’

divided (in mind)

FROM:

to cut off, lop off boughs 

lop off, trim down, cut off, to disbranch i.e., cut an object so it is separated from its source  (Isa 10.33: Behold, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down And those who are lofty will be abased.)

What does it mean to have no Depth? Purpose? Meaning? Roots? 

   To be cut off from the source?

These are the questions we ask based on the “two-opinion” word picture Elijah gave us.

If your world view is not rooted in God, you are weak and lame…

It means Certain Destruction.

Remember, God is the source of Truth…

There is only One opinion that we should source and that is the opinion that sources God. 

(The source of Truth is GOD – He makes Truth)

There are serious moral implications whenever someone tries to disassociate truth from the knowledge of God

“When we have one of two opinions without GOD”

Paul went on to write, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” 

(Roman 1:28). 

If we Abandon a biblical definition of truth, then unrighteousness is the inescapable result. 

We see it happening before our eyes in every corner of contemporary society.

… In Our homes…our marriages…our children… our churches…work places…our government…our very own hearts.

 In fact, the widespread acceptance of homosexuality, rebellion, abortion, and all forms of sin that we see in our society today is a verbatim fulfillment of what Romans 1 says always happens when a society denies and suppresses the essential connection between God and truth.

Next Lesson on Truth:

Discussion on how we departed from Absolute Universal Truth

To reject Absolute Universal Truth is a rejection of God.