“What is Truth?”
John 18:36-38
October 18, 2009
General introduction
Dr. Norman Geisler and Dr. Frank Turek make some important points regarding truth in their book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Crossway Books, 2004). Some of their material is quoted below:
"We demand truth in virtually every area of our lives. For example; we demand truth from:
1. loved ones (no one wants lies from a spouse or a child)
2. doctors (we want the right medicine prescribed and the right operations performed)
3. stock brokers (we demand that they tell us the truth about companies they recommend)
4. courts (we want them to convict only the truly guilty)
5. employers (we want them to tell us the truth and pay us fairly)
6. airlines (we demand truly safe planes and truly sober pilots)
We also expect to be told the truth when we pick up a reference book, read an article, or watch a news story; we want the truth from advertisers, teachers, and politicians; we assume road signs, medicine bottles, and food labels reveal the truth.
In fact, we demand the truth for almost every facet of life that affects our money, relationships, safety, or health.
On the other hand, despite our unwavering demands for truth in those areas, many of us say we aren’t interested in truth when it comes to morality or religion.
In fact, many downright reject the idea that any religion can be true.
As the reader has probably noticed there is a huge contradiction here. Why do we demand truth in everything but morality and religion?
Why do we say, ’That’s true for you but not for me,’ when we’re talking about morality or religion, but we never even think of such nonsense when we’re talking to a stock broker about our money or a doctor about our health?
Although few would admit it, our rejection of religious and moral truth is often on volitional rather than intellectual grounds-we just don’t want to be held accountable to any moral standards or religious doctrine.
So we blindly accept the self-defeating truth claims of politically correct intellectuals who tell us that truth does not exist; everything is relative; there are no absolutes; it’s all a matter of opinion; you ought not judge; religion is about faith, not facts!
Perhaps Augustine was right when he said that we love the truth when it enlightens us, but we hate it when it convicts us"(IDHEFA:35-36). (Found at www.preventingtruthdecay.org)
We’ve been working through the gospel of Matthew for quite some time now, and we’re at the point where Jesus is on trial before Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman governor of Judea.
Matthew tells us of the interaction between Pilate and the crowd, but in the gospel of John we find details about the conversation between Pilate and Jesus.
And in this conversation, Jesus makes a claim about Himself that gets Pilate’s attention.
It’s a claim about truth, and it’s a claim that would make a lot of people cringe, especially today, when we live in a pluralistic world that would say there are many truths.
But as we’ll see in the message today, we really don’t have that option.
A person’s acceptance or rejection of truth has eternal consequences, and so it’s extremely important that we listen to what Jesus says about it.
We’ve got a lot to cover, and I hate to tell you this, but we probably won’t beat the Baptists to Pizza Hut today…
God: John 18:36-38a (p. 767) –
36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
As I mentioned last week, we don’t know the tone of voice Pilate used when he asked this question, but it’s a question people have been asking since before Jesus’ time.
And it’s a question people ask today.
Some people ask the question out of sarcasm, not believing there really is such a thing as real, knowable truth, or looking for an excuse to ignore the issue.
Others ask the question because they honestly want to know if there is real, objective truth, because if it’s out there, they truly want to believe it and let it impact them.
Truth is a huge issue. In fact, I think it’s probably the most important issue a person has to deal with, because their response to the truth will determine where they spend eternity.
As I was working on the message, the biggest problem I had was not finding enough stuff to give you.
The biggest problem was trying to figure out what to leave out.
I wish I go into all the different aspects about truth that we should know, but we just don’t have the time today.
But as I’m praying and thinking more about what God wants us to focus on next year, I’m thinking He wants us to address this topic in various ways throughout the year.
So I’m thinking we’ll hit on it at different times. It’s just too important to pass off.
But today I want to discuss the two most common misperceptions I’ve dealt with over the years, and how to respond to them.
By the way, one of the best ways to deal with this is to SMILE when you’re talking.
It’s easy to get in someone’s face about all this, but when you smile, it brings down the emotions a bit and opens up the possibility of a real dialogue, which is what you want.
Remember what I said last week about Jesus and Pilate – that Jesus was more concerned about winning the PERSON than He was about winning the ARGUMENT.
Also, Scripture says that we’re not supposed to argue – we’re supposed to gently teach.
2 Common misconceptions about truth:
Misconception #1 - “There is no absolute truth.”
This is the idea that it’s not possible for people to really know if something is true or not.
The assumption is that truth is so vast and ever-changing, so no one can really know truth.
When I’m confronted with this statement, I come back with three things: first…
- Are you absolutely sure about that?
Can you be absolutely sure that you’re right that there is no such thing as absolute truth?
Second…
- You have contradicted yourself in making an absolute statement about truth.
You’ve just stated that it is absolutely true that there is no absolute truth. And you can’t do that if there is no such thing as absolute truth.
To be intellectually honest, you have to say that you believe there is no absolute truth. That based on what you know and have experienced, you don’t think there is absolute truth.
And that leads me to the third reply, and that is…
- Is it possible that absolute truth exists outside of your knowledge and experience?
They have to say yes, because to deny that possibility is to commit a sin against their own position that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
They’re saying absolute truth cannot exist outside of their knowledge and experience. And that’s an absolute statement about truth.
In my opinion, very few people really believe this, and that most people who say it are using that phrase as an excuse to disregard what God has to say about a particular issue.
Usually because they want to be able to continue a certain lifestyle they’ve chosen to engage in.
If they don’t have to admit that there is absolute truth, then they don’t think have to be accountable to it.
And that’s a big bet, because if they’re wrong, then truth will bring not only knowledge of that truth, but it will also bring the consequences of that truth – judgment.
Misconception #2 - “All truth is relative.”
This is most often stated as, “That’s true for you, but not for me.”
Or as it applies to Jesus, “Jesus might be the way for you, but not for me.”
In other words, truth isn’t necessarily true for everybody, just for those who want to believe that particular truth.
If I don’t choose to believe that truth, than it’s simply not true for me, and you don’t have the right to force your “truth” on me or anybody else.
J. P. Moreland, in his book, Apologetic Reasoning and the Christian Mind, tells of an experience that illustrates the importance of truth:
One afternoon I was sharing the gospel in a student’s dorm room at the University of Vermont.
The student began to espouse ethical relativism: “Whatever is true for you is true for you and whatever is true for me is true for me. . . . But no one should force his or her views on other people since everything is relative.”
I knew that if I allowed him to get away with ethical relativism, there could be for him no such thing as real, objective sin measured against the objective moral command of God, and thus no need of a Savior.
I thanked the student for his time and began to leave his room. On the way out, I picked up his small stereo and started out the door with it.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he shouted. . .
“I am leaving your room with your stereo.”
“You can’t do that,” he gushed.
But (I) said, “I happen to think it is permissible to steal stereos if it will help a person’s religious devotions, and I myself could use a stereo to listen to Christian music in my morning devotions.
“Now I would never try to force you to accept my moral beliefs in this regard because, as you said, everything is relative and we shouldn’t force our ideas on others. But surely you aren’t going to force on me your belief that it is wrong to steal your stereo, are you?”
Moreland looked at him and continued:
“You know what I think? I think that you espouse relativism in areas of your life where it’s convenient , say in sexual morality, or in areas about which you do not care, but when it comes to someone stealing your stereo or criticizing your own moral hobbyhorses, I suspect that you become a moral absolutist pretty quickly, don’t you?”
The story has a happy ending, for Moreland says, “Believe it or not, the student honestly saw the inconsistency of his behavior and, a few weeks later, I was able to lead him to Jesus Christ.” (SermonCentral.com – contributed by Rodney Buchanan)
The ironic thing is that people who believe truth is relative also believe that it should be true for everybody that truth is relative.
In other words, they think it’s absolutely true that truth is relative…
So how do you respond to this idea that all truth is relative?
- Suggest that their belief is self-contradictory.
You say no belief is true for everyone, but you want everyone to believe what you do. You’re making universal claims that relativism is true and absolutism is false.
You can’t in the same breath say, “Nothing is universally true” and “My view is universally true.” Relativism falsifies itself. It claims there is one position that is true—relativism!
Seven facts about truth. These will go pretty quickly, so please don’t panic when you see all the blanks that are left on your note-taking guide, okay?
(Some of this is unashamedly borrowed from I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek; Crossway Books, 2004):
1. There is such a thing as universal, absolute truth.
Absolute truth means that it is the truth for all people, in all circumstances.
Charles Colson describes truth as – “a common and knowable reality that exists independently of our perception.” (The Faith, Charles Colson and Harold Fickett)
It is objective, meaning it doesn’t depend on the perspective of other person.
“I itch” is a subjective truth; “this pulpit is wooden” is an objective truth.
It doesn’t depend on whether you think it’s wood or not, it doesn’t depend if you’re in a good mood or not. It’s wood.
Lowell is taller than me. There’s nothing subjective about that. It’s just a fact.
I can claim to be better-looking than him, but Marie and Arlis will just laugh in my face if I make that claim.
My claim is subjective, not objective. It’s not true outside of my own perspective. Or hopefully, of my wife’s…
2. Truth is discovered, not invented.
It exists independent of anyone’s knowledge of it.
(Gravity existed prior to Newton.)
3. Truth is transcultural; if something is true, it is true for all people, in all places, at all times.
(2+2 = 4 for everyone, everywhere, at every time).
4. Truth is unchanging even though our beliefs about truth change.
(When we began to believe the earth was round instead of flat, the truth about the earth didn’t change, only our belief about the earth changed.)
Closely related to this is that…
5. Beliefs cannot change a fact, no matter how sincerely they are held.
(Someone can sincerely believe the world is flat, but that only makes the person sincerely mistaken.)
In short, contrary beliefs are possible, but contrary truths are not possible. We can believe everything is true, but we cannot make everything true" (IDHEFA:36-38).
6. Truth is true regardless of how many people believe it or don’t believe it.
Back to the round earth example, the majority of people in the civilized world believed the world was flat.
Did the earth suddenly become round just before science figured out it was round? No – it was always round, regardless of the fact that most people though it was flat.
Today, the majority of people reject the truth of Christ. That doesn’t make Jesus untrue.
When we’re talking about the truths found in Scripture, we can see why so many people reject it.
Look at this passage of Scripture from 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 –
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The truth of God will seem to be foolishness to those who don’t know Him in Christ.
The truth of God seems more apparent to Christians because we have something they don’t – the Holy Spirit.
Look at what Jesus says about this –
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13)
For you to understand the truth of God, you need the Spirit of God, who is sent out by Jesus.
It’s no wonder that the world doesn’t understand – they are outside of Christ, and that relates to what I believe is the most important fact about truth, and that is that…
7. Truth is rooted to Christ.
Remember what Jesus said in our passage for today:
“…for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
Earlier with His disciples, Jesus went even farther:
John 14:6 – “I AM the truth…”
Jesus didn’t say He was a truth. He didn’t say He was the truth for mid-western Americans.
He claimed to be the only truth and the only hope for all of mankind.
Therefore, if someone makes a truth statement that contradicts Christ, then it is false.
That’s why we can say that all roads don’t lead to God. Jesus said He’s the only road.
That’s why we can say that God’s design for marriage is between and man and a woman – Jesus said so.
To reject truth or the notion of truth is to reject Christ, since He says He is the truth.
Folks, if you’re looking for truth about the meaning of life or if your life has any purpose, then let me tell you that the answers are found in Jesus.
If you don’t believe me, then read the gospels – those first-hand and investigated accounts of Jesus’ life and His words.
And you’ll see that He has some life-changing truth for you that will give you meaning and purpose, if you’ll only accept it.
That goes for Christians and non-believers alike.
The truth about life and eternity are found in Christ. It’s up to you and me to take advantage of our access to it through the Scriptures.
You: How should you respond to all this?
For some of you, the response is to acknowledge the existence of truth. You admit that absolute truth does exist, or at least admit the possibility it might exist.
For others, the response is to not only understand that truth exists, but to understand that you are accountable to that truth.
And for yet others, the response is to submit yourself to the Spirit of truth, asking Him to reveal more truth to you so you can live a life based on the truth of Christ in the Scriptures instead of what the world says.
And then for others, the response is to come to Jesus, admitting that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that His truth is the only truth when it comes to being forgiven of your sins and having a home in heaven.
We: “Peace, if possible, but the truth at any rate.” (Unknown. From “1001 Quotations that Connect, Larson/Lowry, eds., Zondervan)
Folks, too often Christians are looked at as people who believe in fables and myths.
They don’t see that we believe in something based in historical fact, and that the truth we subscribe to is a universal, absolute, and objective truth that can be investigated independently by anyone wishing to do it.
Unfortunately, a lot of Christians act like we believe in fables and myths, because we don’t let the truth of Scripture impact us like it should.
So the world never sees the truth lived out in us.
And if they don’t see the truth lived out in us, they conclude that it’s really not true at all.
I think that that’s a valid conclusion, if all they have to go on is how you and I act when we’re not here on Sunday mornings.
And if they don’t see it in us, what’s to make them want to actually look for the truth of Christ in the Scriptures?
Nothing.
So let’s make a commitment today that we’re going to be people who believe that Christ is true, that His Word is true, and that we believe it so much we let it change our lives.
The truth of Christ is life-changing. Let them see it in you. Let’s pray.
