Question: I am writing after having been disturbed for the last two weeks. Reading chapter 18 of John, I have seen myself asking what Pilate asks. Secondly, being your ardent student, I have come to ask why you sign your write-ups with TRUTH. Our fellowship too has this principle TRUTH. Dear Theologian: WHAT IS TRUTH?
Peter Carlveland Sserubidde
The Bible is filled with questions, some asked by God and others asked by individuals, but according to me the two most significant questions ever asked are:
- What shall I do to inherit eternal life (Mathew 19:16)?
- What is Truth (John 18:38)?
The first question was asked by a religious lawyer and the second question was asked by a politician. The two questions were addressed to God himself and we can only depend on Him for the answer. In this world, both believers and nonbelievers consider truth as a need. In our everyday lives, we deal with and relate with the truth and our relationships with the truth vary.
Scripture tells us that: Some people “refuse to love the truth” (2Thessolonians 2:10); some “distort the truth” (Acts 20:30); and some “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). Others will consider you their enemy for telling them the truth (Galatians 4:16). Yet we are encouraged to tell the truth nevertheless (Ephesians 4:15 = Greek says: truthing everything).
Theories of Truth
God desires for all of us two things: a) to be saved and b) to achieve full knowledge of Truth (1Timothy 2:4). So what is the truth? This question isn’t answered in all our language dictionaries for it doesn’t ask for a definition of the word but for the meaning of the concept ‘Truth’.
Philosophically, the answers to this would fall into three categories of theories:
- The Pragmatic Theory: A statement or practice is true if those who believe it and act on it are thereby benefited in some important way. This is a result-oriented meaning of truth. If it enables them to function successfully, then it’s true. The truth here is what works.
- The Correspondence Theory: What is true is that which corresponds to the facts. When it agrees with the known reality, then it is the truth. Truth under this theory is dependent and authenticated by facts.
- The Coherence Theory: Philosophers in this school of thought confirm that a statement is true if and only if it is coherent with other facts. For instance, what pragmatically has been both effective and efficient and what corresponds with the facts. Truth must conform to the law of non-contradiction and therefore it cannot contradict itself.
What we have in these philosophical theories of truth is the ideological meaning of truth. These cannot go without defects according to Deuteronomy 13:1-2.
“If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder; and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass; and if he says: `Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, `and let us serve them,”.
‘If a prophet arises among you’ is Correspondence theory of truth. People seem to acknowledge their own as truth. ‘if he says: “Let us go after other gods”, “which you have not known”, “and let us serve them” is Coherence theory of truth. What he says is judged by an existing manual. ‘and gives you a sign or a wonder; and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass’ is Pragmatic Theory of truth.
The Bible warns us that we shouldn’t conclude that something is true/truth because it works.
Is Truth Relative?
Our generation believes that truth is relative. There is nothing like a universal truth. By this, they mean; what is “truth” to you is not “‘truth” to me. They argue that there is no such a thing as Absolute Truth (the truth that applies to all) but all truth is subjective (truth is determined by individuals/groups).
According to doctrines of epistemological subjectivism or relativism, there are no “truths” which are not subjective to persons and/or relative to individual beliefs, cultures, periods, etc. Obviously, this position is also exposed when two people who are relativists, disagree on just what truth is relative to (even relativists disagree).
For every person to have their own truth but share one universe and its resources for existence indicates how fallen from one truth we all are. It is confusion and deception from the demons as opposed to the will of God. It is for this purpose that God prayed that we shall know THE TRUTH (Absolute Truth) and it shall set us free (John 8:32).
Absolute Truth sets us free not just from lies but most importantly, it sets us free from something more dangerous than lies which is our personal truth (okutegera okutandika naffe). Relative truth is “truth” that originates with us (individuals).
Is Truth a Concept?
For truth to be relative it has to be a philosophy, an idea and fundamentally, a concept in space to be philosophized and documented. The reason truth cannot be relative and therefore, substantially conceptual for humanity is that human beings are products either of creation (Genesis 1:1, 26-31) or of evolution (Genesis 1:2-24, 2:7).
There is a tangible prime reality from which we came from (religiously or scientifically) and therefore consciously or subconsciously draw our conclusions on the nature of truth. The reality of our prime reality establishes not how right (truthful) it is but instead establishes it as THE TRUTH.
Truth, therefore, is WHAT IS before it is conceptualized. For truth to be a concept then we would conclude that truth is that which corresponds to reality. The problem here is twofold:
- Whatever corresponds to reality is truth by correspondence.
- Either reality is misconceived or it is relative to enable correspondence.
I am not saying that there is nothing like conceptual truth, after-all am basically conceptualizing in this response. What am saying is that conceptual truth is not the truth but it is ‘truth’ about the truth.
To demonstrate what I mean by THE TRUTH and TRUTH, let us look at these scriptures specifically about the man Jesus of Nazareth and truth. It is recorded that Jesus:
- called Himself “the truth” (John 14:6; Matthew 22:16)
- was “full of . . . truth” (John 1:14);
- told “the truth” (Mark 12:32; John 8:40, 8:45–46, 16:7)
- Jesus’ words were “true” (Revelation 21:5, 22:6);
- taught “the way of God in truth” (Mark 12:14 = Luke 20:21; Ephesians 4:21);
- taught about the “truth” (John 8:31–32; 17:17, and so on);
- came into the world to “bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
It is obvious here that there is what is THE TRUTH and what is ABOUT IT. Unfortunately, we confuse the two. I will continue from here.
God bless you I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest Isaiah White (+256-793 822833)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
@Think & Become
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 