HERE<\/a>. \u00a0Here is how Merriam-Webster defines “truth”:<\/p>\n2 a (1) : the state of being the case : fact
\n(2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality
\n(3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
\nb : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true <truths of thermodynamics>
\nc : the body of true statements and propositions
\n3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality
\nc : fidelity to an original or to a standard<\/p>\n
Truth really is not that difficult of a word to understand. \u00a0Many things can be said to either be truth or not truth. \u00a0For example, statements like, “Water is wet” or “The sun is hot” are true statements. \u00a0There is no question about whether you agree or not, they are simply true and we all seem to accept this. \u00a0These fit into the definition above with 2-a-1, 2 and 3a. \u00a0In other words, these are things that are simply factual statements.<\/p>\n
Consider a statement like, “Cheese is yucky.” \u00a0This statement is one that is absolutely true for some people and absolutely NOT true for others. \u00a0I have, in the recent past, had some discussions with some friends who say that this is a question of opinion and not of truth. \u00a0However you may classify it, the fact remains that for the person who does not like the taste of cheese, it is certainly not just an opinion. \u00a0For them, it is a simple matter of fact, as in definition 2-a-1. \u00a0The difference here, though, is that this particular truth IS relative to the person.<\/p>\n
There are some truths, however, that society considers relative that are not really relative at all. \u00a0Let’s consider the question, “Does God exist and is he the God described in our Christian Bible?” \u00a0On FaceBook, I have posed a question similar to this one and it was amazing to see the plethora of responses. \u00a0Some believe, as I do, that He does, indeed, exist, while others believe there is “a” God and still others that there is no God at all. \u00a0Is this, then, a “relative truth”? \u00a0I would submit to you that it is STILL not relative. \u00a0One or the other really IS the truth: \u00a0Either He does exist (as described in the Bible) or He does not. \u00a0It is ABSOLUTE. \u00a0There is no grey area here. \u00a0Now, you may BELIEVE that he does not exist, but your belief does not change what is factually true. \u00a0Let me use another example. \u00a0Suppose for a moment, that you believe with all your being that you could fly. \u00a0While believing that, you jumped from a tall building. \u00a0What do you suppose the result would be? \u00a0If you answered something that ended with “splat!”, you’d be correct. \u00a0You can believe as much as you wanted that you had the power to overcome gravity and the end result would be the same. \u00a0Belief does NOT change what is fact. \u00a0In this case, it is the belief that you can fly. \u00a0The same is true of God’s existence. \u00a0Either he IS or he IS NOT.<\/p>\n
Let’s look at this from another perspective. \u00a0Instead of the question of God’s existence, let’s ask the question, “Is the Bible God’s written word and is it the truth?” \u00a0Again, either it is or it isn’t. \u00a0What is relative here, is belief (opinion), not whether the bible is or isn’t true. \u00a0As I look at the world and take in the things I see, I can see that the Bible accurately describes what I see. \u00a0For example, I can see MANY of the prophecies in the Bible coming true. \u00a0I can see the things that science discovers that fit the biblical description of what happened. \u00a0In my own life, I can recall examples of God’s presence and interventions, just as the bible describes he will do. \u00a0There are many other things I could list that point to the truth of the Bible. \u00a0None of this “proves” that the bible is true. \u00a0Rather, what it does is help ME to place my faith in the idea that it is true and accurate. \u00a0Remember, though, that my opinion does not change the reality of whether it IS true or not. \u00a0Only my opinion of it is impacted here.<\/p>\n
Now that we’ve established that, let’s put these together. \u00a0IF the Bible is true, then the God described therein is also real. \u00a0Likewise, if God is real, then the Bible must also be true. \u00a0These two cannot be separated. \u00a0The Bible describes God (in the person of Jesus Christ) as “the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) \u00a0If the bible really is true, then I must pose this question to you: Does the meaning of the Bible ever change? \u00a0 By that, I mean, are there societal movements that can alter the meaning of what God says in the Bible? \u00a0For example, if it was wrong in old testament times to commit murder (10 commandments), is it still wrong? \u00a0What about adultery? \u00a0Jesus said that to even LOOK at a woman with lust is adultery. \u00a0Is that still the case, or is it ok to “look at the menu, as long as I don’t order”, as I’ve heard people say? \u00a0I’ve also heard people say things like “that was true for my grandparents, but it isn’t true today,” with regard to biblical teaching. \u00a0Let me make one thing ultra clear: IF THE BIBLE IS TRUE, then it DOES NOT CHANGE WITH THE TIMES. \u00a0Our belief does not change whether the bible is true or not, but how can you say that you believe the bible and believe God, but think that somehow it applies differently today than it did for your grandparents. \u00a0Or for that matter, how is it different for Paul or the disciples than it is for us?<\/p>\n
The real problem with all of this is that there are certain people who have tried to lay claim to a belief that the Bible IS true and then also claim that some other belief, which is in direct contradiction to the Bible, is also true. \u00a0Listen carefully: \u00a0IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR TWO OPPOSING VIEWS TO BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME. \u00a0This is true whether your “additional” belief is that homosexuality is acceptable or if you believe in evolution. \u00a0You cannot believe both the bible and that “other thing” to be true. \u00a0If you honestly believe the bible is true, then you must accept that it is ALL true. \u00a0After all, contained in the bible is this statement: “All scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16a). \u00a0Not sure how a person could get around that part of the bible thinking only part of it is accurate.<\/p>\n
I may post more on this concept at a later time, but I believe I will close this article by saying this: I believe the bible is true. \u00a0I believe the bible describes God, who is also real. \u00a0If I am correct and you believe differently, then it is necessarily true that you are wrong. \u00a0I look forward to your responses both here and on FaceBook. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is truth? \u00a0Is there such a thing as absolute truth or is every “truth” relative to perspective or some other factor? \u00a0What is it that defines what is truth? In this post, I will talk a little about truth and opinion. \u00a0I really expect that this article will raise a few hackles. \u00a0As part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[8,14],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-personal","tag-beliefs","tag-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Mji6-B","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions\/74"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}