Quid est veritas?

This past Sunday, I used the analogy of the television game show, “To Tell the Truth”, to make a point about our ability to recognize Jesus. I spoke of how people in the Bible as well as people today, should be able to see and recognize Jesus in their lives and all around them.

This past Sunday, I used the analogy of the television game show, “To Tell the Truth”, to make a point about our ability to recognize Jesus. I spoke of how people in the Bible as well as people today, should be able to see and recognize Jesus in their lives and all around them.

In giving this message, it prompted me to go back and revisit a message that I actually gave some time ago.

That message was called, “Grounded in Truth” and between the message that I gave then and the one last Sunday, I really felt impressed to park here tonight and talk with you some more about the subject of TRUTH.

I mentioned something Sunday that I have mentioned several times in the past, and it is one of those things that I can’t get out of my mind.

It is the account of Jesus standing before Pilate and the dialogue that occurs between them.

Allow me to read to you, the actual account as it is found within the Bible.

,

John 18:33–38 NLT

Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.

That whole dialogue in which Pilate asks the great philosophical question, “What is TRUTH” and the relevance of where and to whom he was asking it, just floors me!

Pilate was standing in front of and in the very presence of THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!

In fact, I discovered something this morning as I was preparing this lesson, that I found extremely interesting and just had to take a moment and share it with you tonight!

In Latin, the words of Pilate are Quid est veritas? These words take on a special quality in Latin, because they are actually an anagram. If you re-arrange the letters you obtain the following sentence: Est vir qui adest,

Are there any Latin scholars in here who would care to explain to everyone what this Latin phrase means?

Please allow me to interpret it for you.

Est vir qui adest, means, "It is the man who is here."

You see, when Pilate asked Jesus, “What is TRUTH”, his own question as seen in the Latin phrase, “Quid est veritas”, contains the answer to the question.

By simply re-arranging the Latin letters of his question, it spells out the answer to his own question, “It is the man who is here”, or “It is the man who stands here!”

AMAZING isn’t it?

I mean here Pilate is asking a question to the one who is the answer to his question and his own question contains the answer to that question!

Pilate was looking for an answer to his question as to whether Jesus claimed to be a king, or not, so as to find some guilt in him. Because the Jewish leaders were making accusations against Jesus saying that He claimed to be a king and thus an insurrectionist and a threat to the local Roman government who Pilate just happened to be placed over.

And as it stood, because of the Jews and there local uprisings, Pilate was already on thin ice with Tiberius, the Roman emperor.

One more misstep and Pilate knew that it could mean the end for him, as Tiberius would pull him out and bring him to judgement for not keeping things under control in his assigned region!

This whole situation, in the natural scheme of things, should not have worked out the way that it did.

Pilate, historically, was a somewhat cruel narcissist, who had a reputation of executing people, before they were even tried for their crimes.

So, the fact that he would hesitate to find fault and execute Jesus, a Jew none the less, seems unlikely in the natural sense.

The way that his whole time spent as prefect over Judea and the trouble that he had with the Jews and their uprisings and the way that he had previously handled them, all added up to a perfect storm for Pilate.

If he didn’t go along with the Jewish leaders request to have Jesus crucified, then he would be reported to Tiberius for not taking care of a Jew who claimed to be a king and who openly rebelled against Rome as an insurrectionist! This would mean the end for Pilate!

So, Pilate, even though he could not make himself say that Jesus was guilty because, of all times in this pagan worshippers life which had most likely yielded to lies many time before, he could not claim Jesus guilty, because he knew that it was all a lie and that the truth was, Jesus was innocent!

Pilate did not say Jesus was guilty of their accusations, in fact, he never found fault in Jesus! The only reason he conceded to the crucifixion of Jesus, was to save his own neck!

Pilate told Jesus that he had the power, as the local Roman judge and authority, to either release Jesus, or have Jesus executed. To this, Jesus told Pilate, that in all actuality, Pilate had absolutely no authority over Him at all, unless it was first granted to him from above!

In other words, all authority in heaven and on earth, comes from God!

“Quid est veritas?” “What is TRUTH?”

“Est vir qui adest.” “It is the man standing before you”, Jesus is the TRUTH!

What is truth? This is one of those great philosophical questions, is it not?

To a philosopher, TRUTH, is not the easiest subject to philosophy, or answer upon.

For when they determine that something is TRUE, then another philosopher asks the question, “Is it really true”, which casts a shadow of doubt on their TRUTH statement and thus voids it.

In philosophy, when you start defining and answering on the subject of TRUTH, you are getting into the discipline of epistemology or the study of knowledge. However, many philosophers categorize it as a study in metaphysics--the study of what is real.

And so now, you are starting to see how their view works; “what is truth”, is also like asking, “what is real?”

If it can be examined by the human senses, (if you can see it, smell it, taste it, touch and hear it), then it must be real and thus it must be TRUE!

But to everything else, that is non-tangible and of the realm of moralistic issues, there is a large gray area as to what is real, what is TRUE?

In our postmodernist culture, we are exposed to a wide array of thoughts on TRUTH and REALITY.

You see, postmodernists describe TRUTH not as a relationship outside of the human mind that we can align belief to but as a product of belief.

In other words, to the post modernist thinking (a.k.a. our modern society) TRUTH is validated by one’s own beliefs!

TRUTH is decided upon by what we believe to be right or wrong.

THERE IS NO LONGER AN ABSOLUTE TRUTH, to many modern thinkers!

In our modern culture and society, there exists the philosophy of what is called, Modern Relativism. Now in order to understand what this mindset is and how it affects our ability to witness the gospel message, you need to understand what exactly this represents.

For an easy to understand definition, I am using one websites definition for Moral Relativism - Moral relativism is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles. It’s a version of morality that advocates “to each his/her own,” and those who follow it say, “Who am I to judge?”

A person that thinks along the line of the moral relativism mindset, says that there are NO absolutes, in determining moral TRUTH. They are the people who would say in a morally compromising position, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, even if they know that something is morally questionable that they are doing. Its morality is determined by human acceptance and not based upon any ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

Here is the big issue with this modern mindset. Once mankind becomes the all inclusive answer for morality and it is open for each person’s determination as to whether something is right or wrong, then you have opened Pandora’s Box. Meaning, you have now embraced any and every level of sin and sickness that a person cares to embark upon.

To the person who says in there heart, that there is NO GOD, then from where does that person or society get any sense of morality. Morality does not exist without a higher logic to determine what is morally right or wrong.

If it is open to mankind’s opinion, then anything and everything is subject to change when there is no longer a moral compass to guide us!

It is like having a compass that has no indications marked of North, South, East and West and then trying to use that compass to find a destination. Each person will be making the call as to where you are to head and it is open to each one’s opinion and sense of right or wrong.

I mentioned in my previous lesson on TRUTH, that currently in this country, there exists only about 17% of Christians have what the researchers consider a Biblical worldview.

A Biblical worldview is a belief that absolute moral truth exists; that the Bible is TOTALLY ACCURATE in all of its principles that it teaches; that Satan is considered to be a real being or force and not merely symbolic; that a person CANNOT earn their way into heaven by trying to be good or do good works; that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life here on earth; and that God is the all-knowing, all powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today!

Well, when only around 17% of Christians who sit in churches all over this nation believe this way and the other 83% are teaching and influencing others, it is not hard to see why we have such moral depravity in the world today!

I mentioned before, that the Oxford dictionary “Word of the Year”, for 2016, was the word, “post-truth”.

Without God’s Word as our moral compass and the ONLY source of Absolute Truth with which we operate under, then we are thus using the natural, human mind. And we know that the carnal mind is born into SIN and will always operate under its natural means.

Basically, “post-truth” means that the TRUTH that people accept as the truth, is proportional to what is going on in their lives at that time! There is no absolute truth in the moral and ethical arena with this mind set, it is all relative to what is going on around you and what others have embraced to be TRUE!

An example of the “post truth” mindset would be when a now ex-president was on trial for a moral issue during his time in the Whitehouse and upon being asked, under oath in court, “Is this true Mr. President”, the president at that time, responded, “Well, that depends on what the meaning of the word “is”, “is”!

Listen to what the Bible says in tells us,

Romans 1:18–25 NLT

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

That passage sounds exactly like the nation in which we live in today!

One in which TRUTH is not based upon God and His divine law, but rather one where TRUTH is relative to the individual and his/her mind-set!

The continual rejection of the TRUTH and His word begins to make you more and more prone to buying into deception and the lies of the enemy and with ultimate destruction.

, “This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.”

Right before this in verse 7, Paul says that this lawlessness is already at work secretly. In other words this

So, what is TRUTH? I am not talking about the Webster’s Dictionary version of truth, but rather, when Jesus mentioned TRUTH in front of Pilate, what was He referring to and on the larger scale, what was He saying about TRUTH to the entire world for all times?!

The Psalmist said, “The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.”

Jesus prayed to His Father in and said, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

tells us, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

Now add these verses with what tells us and we can see what absolute TRUTH is. It says in , “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus, the living, breathing logos, (Word of God), is the TRUTH!

Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me!”

He didn’t say that He was “a” truth, but rather that He is “THE TRUTH”; absolute and without change or discussion!

Jesus is all TRUTH, period!

Well, without TRUTH, what are you left with? What is the opposite of truth?

Right, LIES, deception and dishonesty!

If you are not heeding the word’s of the Lord, and HE is the Father of all TRUTH, then you begin to heed the words of the devil, the father of all lies!

Jesus said of the devil, that lying is his native language!

Without the absolute and perfect TRUTH of the Word of God, then we being to marginalize and we begin to tell little white lies, “for the benefit of others” and we begin to lie in certain situations where it is in the best interest of all who are involved.

Many people will say that Rahab the harlot in , was a good example of lying for the right reasons and that the Bible embraced her lie and even exalted her in . (What lie did she tell?)

The thing is, Hebrews never made mention about the fact that she lied, nor did it exalt her for it. God said, in His commandments, “You shall not lie” and that never changed.

only records her act of faith in God, it wasn’t listing out her sins. And it was in fact a sin that she lied! Just because it didn’t mention her sin, but only her faith, isn’t exonerating her from her sin.

Remember, that Abraham and Isaac are both listed in this same chapter in Hebrews, that we call the Faith chapter and those that are listed in this chapter, are called heroes for their faith.

Yet, the Bible records that both Abraham as well as Isaac told the same lies about their wives out of fear. Rahab lied, they lied and yet they are all in this chapter for their devout FAITH in God.

A lie is a lie and it is the opposite of the TRUTH! God and His word did not give to us degrees of lies and which ones are acceptable; even if the lie if told for noble reasons.

Then you are getting into man’s definition again, of what is morally right and the TRUTH. God’s word said a lie is wrong, period. No degrees of wrong, just wrong.

You can call it a white lie for your own conscious’ sake, but it is still a sin. As far as that goes, you can call it a nice “pastel” sin, or maybe a nice “tweed” sin, but it is still a lie and thus still a sin.

I read a stat today that said that 91% of people lie regularly at home and at work. By the age of four, 90% of children have learned the concept of lying. Based on studies performed in the past, it is estimated that 60% of adults can not have a ten minute conversation without lying at least once. Within those ten minutes, an average of three lies were told.

Listen to some these TRUTHFUL, “lying facts” that I found humorous:

Who Gets Lied to the Most

1. Parents – 86% 2. Friends – 75% 3. Siblings – 73% 4. Spouses – 69%

Where the Most Lies are Seen

1. Resumes – 40% 2. Dating Site – 90%

Everyday Lying

– 12% of adults admit to telling a lie often or sometimes. – 80% of women admit to telling harmless half truths occasionally. – 31% of people admit to lying on their resumes. – 13% of patients lie to their doctor. – 32% of patients stretched the truth to their doctor. – 30% lie about their diet and exercise regiments. – 6 lies are told daily by men to their partner, boss, or colleagues. – 3 lies are told daily by women to their partner, boss, or colleagues. – Lying is considered more common among phone calls than face to face chats. – 1 lie in every 7 is discovered as far as liars can tell. – A 10th of lies are just exaggerations and 60% were outright deceptions. – 70% of liars claim they would tell their lies again. – Americans tell an average of 11 lies a week.

My point here, is that these are all “secular” stats, based upon people who operate outside of the TRUTH. Once you begin to operate apart from the TRUTH (the LOGOS; Jesus the Christ), then you are prone to accept and buy into the lies of the enemy.

Lies that affect every level of our lives, our marriages and families and jobs and churches!

READ: 8 Lies That Destroy Marriage (from web page)

The “lies” of the enemy is the sickness. Coming to the realization of, WHAT IS TRUTH, is the cure for that sickness!

Knowing the word of God and meditating upon it, is the key to avoiding the sin of lying as well as all other sins. Just as tells us,

that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11 NLT

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

You see, the TRUTH of the word of God exposes the lies and sin of the enemy!

That same passage in we read earlier , that referred to Jesus as the WORD, also says this of Jesus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus is, as He said of Himself in , the Light of the World and whoever follows Him, will not walk in darkness!

The TRUTH, the absolute truth of the word of God is perfect and will lead you into all righteousness!

The TRUTH isn’t always easy to operate in and it isn’t always to pleasant to receive, but the TRUTH is always the ABSOLUTE way for the believer to go.

THE TRUTH HURTS Some of us may be able to sympathize with the fellow who received a call from his wife just as she was about to fly home from Europe. "How’s my cat?" she asked. "Dead." "Oh, honey, don’t be so honest. Why didn’t you break the news to me slowly? You’ve ruined my trip." "What do you mean?" "You could have told me he was on the roof. And when I called you from Paris, you could have told me he was acting sluggish. Then when I called from London, you could have said he was sick, and when I called you from New York, you could have said he was at the vet. Then, when I arrived home, you could have said he was dead." The husband had never been exposed to such protocol but was willing to learn. "OK," he said. "I’ll do better next time." "By the way," she asked, "how’s Mom?" There was a long silence, then he replied, "Uh, she’s on the roof."

We may want to waiver sometimes in delivering the TRUTH to someone, because it may be difficult, but if we will listen to Holy Spirit, He will guide us into all truth, as Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

What is TRUTH? Truth is, quite simply, our greatest weapon in our spiritual walk!

Jesus is the TRUTH and Jesus is the living word of God. The Bible says that our offensive weapon that we have to fight with, is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!

The TRUTH is our most powerful weapon!

Close with excerpt from The End of Reason.

Billy Graham said this of truth, “Truth is timeless. Truth does not change from one age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. Men’s ideas may differ, men’s custom’s may change, men’s moral codes may vary, but the great all prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.” What we believe to be true may be relative, but the TRUTH is absolute…”