What is Truth?

Read main passage:

John 18:33–38 ESV

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

Lots of people have that same question: What is truth?

Won’t word it that way. More like…

Can we know what is true?

What makes one religion invalid?

Define Epistemology

noun: epistemology the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.

Justified beliefs vs opinions

One truth

Illustration: Truth through facts

Can I trust what I'm seeing? Trust my senses?

Directly affects how we view the world - shapes our worldview

Truth Is Ignored

Let’s address Science...

Most people would lean towards measurable things being true and claim everything else is just speculation and cannot be known

Examples of the Bible and Science lining up (briefly)

John 8:43–47 ESV

Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

“Oh cool, so I should say to their face that they won’t believe because they’re dad is the devil”

No.

No. In context, Jesus was saying this to religious Jews. The average person you’re going to come across would not understand this and be negatively offended

People want to be lied to because they’ll only hear what they want to hear

Some truths are offensive

Define Theology

Theology cannot be proven (cannot use Scientific Method)

If it cannot be proven, can it still be true?

Absolutely it can be true!

Illustration?

Deceitfulness of the Heart

A wrong way to create a Theology is to do so by experiences

Our thoughts and emotions betray us - can be manipulated

Illustration?

Our Theology AND our Epistemology should be built on the Word of God

God gave us the Bible as a sturdy, constant, unchanging foundation for truths about our sturdy, constant and unchanging God

Our God doesn’t need to prove Himself for you to believe in Him

God demands faith

Draw conclusions (faith based living in truth)