Veritology: What is Truth?

INTRO: In the early 1900s George Riddell acquired the sensational London newspaper The News of the World.

Meeting British journalist Frederick Greenwood one day, Riddell mentioned that he owned a newspaper, told Greenwood its name, and offered to send him a copy.

The next time they met, Riddell asked Greenwood what he thought of The News.

"I looked at it and then I put it in the wastepaper basket," said Greenwood, "and then I thought, 'If I leave it there the cook may read it,' so I burned it." - Today in the Word, November 3, 1993.

Such should be the fate of some so-called truth today.

It’s interesting to note that whenever someone makes the statement that there is no absolute truth they have just uttered an absolute.

Today’s “truth”:

Everyone needs a good credit rating. Credit is necessary in life!

The Bible says the borrower is a slave to the lender.

Which truth sounds more reasonable?

Which truth sounds as though it could cause some grief in life?

Every teenager wants to have sex, and will, so why not make it easier!

Does that mean that we teach out young people to completely disregard the word of God, which, in the interest of saving human beings a lot of grief, suggests God’s plan is to wait until marriage?

Tough discipline is not what children need, it will destroy their self-esteem.

Proverbs 13:24 NIV

Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

4. A woman has the right to control her own body!

Does that mean that her right supersedes the right of an unborn baby to live?

Over and over again we see that the truth of God has been replaced by what man calls a truth. IT’S A POOR SUBSTITUTE!

Dr. Del Tackett, who heads up Focus on the Family’s Truth Project, coined a new word that I want to use today.

· I think it is a good word. It is...

Veritology

· “Veritology” does not exist in the dictionary.

· Dr. Tackett says “I was in need of a word for “the study of truth” or “the truth about truth”. “

· Obviously, the suffix “ology” was a prime candidate, which means “the study of”.

· It is derived from the Greek word “logos”, which means “word”.

· When combined with other words, such as “bio”, meaning “life”, we get the word “biology” which means the “study of living things”.

· When it is combined with “theos”, the Greek word for “god”, we get “theology”, or the “study of God”.

· You are familiar with a bunch of them: psychology, geology, sociology, anthropology…on and on it goes.

· So, Dr. Tackett decided he would do some combining as well.

· He took the Latin term for truth, “veritas” and combined it with the derivation of the Greek suffix, “logos” and the merger resulted in “Veritology”, the “study of truth”.

This is a great word. If there is anything our culture needs, it’s a good dose of sound veritology.

· Dr. Tackett says, “Feel free to use it in your everyday conversations!”

So, with the study of truth as our focus today I ask you:

Why was Jesus Born? Why did He come into the World?

· Once we realize that Jesus did in fact exist, even outside of biblical accounts, then we must answer the question why.

· The fact that he existed, in human form, means you have to do something with the claims that He made.

· He must either be accepted or rejected.

· To do that you must understand why He came.

Jesus came to testify to the Truth.

John 18:37–38a NIV

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

Outside of Jesus there is NO truth!

Pilate wondered, in the presence of truth, what truth is!

The world stumbles around wondering what truth is when there are supposed to be people in the world presenting God’s truth in word and deed; these people are called Christians…God’s truth-tellers!

Scripture emphasizes Truth.

Scripture reveals truth to us, and then instructs us on how to live in it.

1. We must be saved.

By accepting His gift we set our feet on the path of truth.

2. We must be sanctified.

As people who live in the truth we live set apart from the world.

But...

Man's sinful nature will suppress, distort, reject, and exchange God's truth for lies.

Romans 1:18–32 NIV

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

There is a Cosmic Battle going on; The Spirit of Truth vs. the Spirit of Falsehood – Reality vs. Illusion

There is a scene in heaven between God and Satan - Job 1 & 2

Satan couldn’t bring himself to believe that someone would chose God regardless of circumstances…he thought Job would fold as soon as his riches were gone.

HE WAS WRONG!

Those who refuse to see God for who and what He is are living under Satan’s pretence, that God is not worthy to be loved outside of an existence of joy and peace and life-harmony.

God is truth, He is worthy to be served, praised promoted to others in ALL circumstances.

God is reality…the world is illusion!

There is a link between salvation and truth

2 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

The Bible talks about two Fathers

John 8:44 NIV

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

There is a link between sin, lies and deceit

Every sin that besets us can be traced to a belief in a lie

Our sins take us captive to the lies of the world

We should understand how to deal with outsiders, those not saved.

2 Timothy 2:25–26 NIV

Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Colossians 4:5–6 NIV

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

They have been taken captive and we must "gently instruct them" and let our "speech be seasoned with salt"

There is truly a battle of Worldviews.

· Opposition between God's truth claims and the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil

What is Truth?

A. Webster's 1828 definition –

Truth: Conformity to fact or reality

The fact is, the definition of truth has not changed since 1828.

There is no alternative definition.

So what does that make the different ideas about the “truth” of existence, morals, life, relationships, etc…?

Are they as true as the truth?…They cannot be!

If something is not truth it is a lie.

Idols are lies! Whether its money, sex, success, or anything else that leads us away from Jesus, who IS THE TRUTH!

Isaiah 44:9 NIV

All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

Lies are powerful and lead us to insane notions.

In the OT, referred to in Isaiah 44, people carved idols from fire wood!

What kind of DESIRE for lies does one have to have to make a god from firewood?

in our modern times we do the same; we ignore the truths of God, and create idols from all kinds of temporary things.

This is Insanity?

We all suffer from "Common Insanity" - losing touch with reality.

1. Our actions prove it, and reflect what we believe to be really real: Jesus' example in Matthew 6 asking "Why do you worry?...will He not care for you, O you of little faith?"

2. Connecting faith with our actions and emotions: God is the object of our faith and our hope –

Our actions are the most reliable indicator of our belief!

CLOSE: God is the ultimate source of Truth

Colossians 2:2–3 NIV

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

This world can be confusing, but there is a remedy for our mental uncertainty!

The remedy is Jesus! He is TRUTH!

Do your beliefs align with the truth of scripture?

Do your actions prove that?

I hope so.

Let us pray...