Knowing Truth

A friend recently asked me for some thoughts about how we can know the truth.  With so many ideas, stories, and opinions out there even within the church, it’s no small task to settle with reasonable confidence on what is TRULY true.  And yet I can think of nothing so important in these turbulent days as having this north star to guide us.

Several decades of classroom experience has shown me that nearly all university-age students struggle to define the idea of “truth,” and few who have been educated in America can remember a single lecture addressing it. (Isn’t that curious?) When I ask for someone to offer a definition of truth, almost every classroom falls silent. But several years back I had a delightfully different response with a group of second level students in Texas. I asked, “Who can give me a definition of Truth?” And front-row Hannah, threw her hand up like a game show contestant. “Truth is an accurate description of reality.” BOOM! Plain and simple. In the Greek language the single word “aletheia” is interchangeably translated as either “truth” or “reality.” I had two follow-up questions: To Hannah I asked, “Were you home-schooled?” (Yes… and it was obvious). And to the class… “What, then, is reality?” (Because in today’s world, even reality has become a murky concept). Reality is “what is”. Or as Dallas Willard brings it home, “Reality is what we stub our toe on in the middle of the night.” It may seem odd to address such simple, basic questions, but in a world where both truth and reality are under daily assault from academics and cultural shapers, it seems a healthy thing for disciples of Jesus to remind ourselves of the ABCs of life.

Biblically, Jesus is truth, and every perception of reality must be filtered through his brilliant beauty and awesome character. But’s let unpack that idea before going deeper.

Chances are you and I will never meet a person who declares, “I am the truth.” But Jesus made that insanely radical statement, and what the heck does it mean? Understanding Jesus as “Truth” is a massive concept to wrap our brains around, but it is definitely worth pursuing.  And the witness of several scriptures will set us on that path.

In retelling the Creation story, the Gospel of John identifies not God the Father, but Jesus the Son as the one through whom all things were created. John writes, “Through Him, (that is – Jesus), all things were made, and apart from Him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3  It’s true that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always work together as one; that is, there are no “solo acts” in the Trinity. For many of us, we might require a shift of thinking to consider Jesus, rather than His Father, as the one through whom all creation was spoken into existence.
 
But Colossians 1:16 takes it a step further and explains that it is also Jesus who holds all things together. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible…and in Him all things hold together.” Many scientists would say that the “mortar” that holds all things together actually consists in four mysterious forces known as gravity, the electromagnetic force, the “strong force,” and the “weak force.”  The problem with that explanation is that these four forces have names, but they have no explanation because they exist only in theory.  You can neither see them, nor figure out how they work.   But since something must be holding everything together, science has posited these four elusive forces to get the job done.

The Scriptures, however, cut to the chase and simply declare that Jesus holds all creation together “by the power of his word.” Hebrews 1:3  Now, let’s go back to Jesus being the truth:  Jesus is the One who created all things, and he is the One who holds all things together.  He made gravity, and he is holding gravity in place at this moment.  He created sound, the speed of sound, the frequencies of sound, and the harmonies that result when frequencies are combined.  So when Jesus says, “I am the Truth” he means that he is the source and sustainer of everything in the universe.  If you were to take Him out of His creation, reality itself would disintegrate into non-existence. In this sense Jesus doesn’t need to “learn” anything about calculus, quantum physics, or anything else because He indeed is the Creator all these things. And in that sense He IS the Truth about virtually everything.
 
This is why pursuing Truth is vital.  When we pursue Truth we will ultimately discover Jesus, and when we pursue Jesus we will ultimately have the truth thrown in as well.  Leading the way and setting the example, Kingdom disciples ought to always encourage others to seek the Truth that leads to freedom, life, and ultimately the Creator Himself.

One important aspect of Truth is that it will always set you free.  That’s not my opinion, but the promise of the One who created and sustains all reality.  “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you WILL know the truth, and the truth WILL make you free.” John 8:31-32

As we wade through ideas and opinions, it’s essential to examine them through the lens of Jesus’ character and his words, asking at every turn, “Does this idea impart freedom to my soul?”  I’m not talking about the artificial freedom of doing whatever you want, but rather the inner witness that, “This beautiful idea causes my heart to leap  with expectancy of blessings, fulfillment, and freedom.”

But before we can discover the Truth we must be willing to change our mind and go where the facts lead. This is what Jesus calls “repentance”: the act of changing our mind. Whether we’re assessing the character of a politician, testing the veracity of the Gospels, or trying to figure out what really happened on 9-11, we MUST be willing to follow the evidence where it leads, and be willing to change our mind when the facts demand it.
 
In both classical education and historic Christianity there are three universally recognized paths to discovering the truth: Reason, Experimentation, and Revelation. These three ought to validate each other like three stars in perfect alignment.  If one of them fails to align with the other two, we will lack confidence, and need to continue investigating.  We’ll look at them one at a time in no particular order:

1. Reason: “Come let us reason together…”  Isaiah 1:18

If a person were hiking through the woods of South Dakota and he came upon Mount Rushmore, his reason would tell him immediately that this was the work of a designer, and not the product of erosion. Mount Rushmore is far too detailed and complex to have just “happened” on its own. Reason is never an enemy of the Christian, but rather our friend and ally. Therefore we must learn to handle it well, “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”  1 Peter 3:15

2. Experience and experimentation: “Test all things, hold onto what is true.”                              1 Thessalonians.5:21

We learn by experience. Infants enter the world as little scientists, testing this and that to discover information about the world.  We learn that touching a hot burner is painful every single time.  I remember biting into a horseradish when I was five and experiencing a pain so profound I thought I would die.  It was a learning experience that has informed me for a lifetime. To Thomas, Jesus said “reach  here with your hand, and put it into my side.” John 20:27  That’s an invitation to discover truth by experience.

3.  Revelation: “this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in                 heaven.” Matthew 16:17

There are some things which cannot be known by direct experience or reason alone. These things must be revealed to us by God himself. Apart from the scriptures there is no way, for instance, we could know that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  John 1:1-2   The good news is that revelation has been given to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible.  And when acted upon, it will be confirmed by both reason and experience.

In a culture that questions the very existence of Truth itself, we disciples of Jesus must learn to recognize, value, and defend it at every opportunity. When we pursue Truth, we will ultimately discover Jesus, and when we pursue Jesus we will ultimately have the truth thrown in as well.  Leading the way and setting the example, Kingdom disciples ought to always encourage others to seek the Truth that leads to freedom, life, and ultimately the Creator Himself.

© 2024, Don Stephens