What is Truth?

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 CSB

“‘What is truth?’ said Pilate” is what John 18:38 CSB states. The late Johnny Cash had a song title “What is Truth?” This is what our culture is asking as well. But, in a time of fierce opposition to anything that is deemed as “truth” and “morally right,” can we definitively state when there is truth?

The problem Pilate had and that our society has is that we have truth staring us in the face and we don’t see the truth. That is a scary thing when you contemplate it. Think about it: Pilate is standing before God Himself and doesn’t recognize the purest truth, righteousness, and holiness that ever existed. That is completely mind-boggling!

Critical Theory

This could go into way more discussion, but Critical Theory basically is a concept of questioning everything down to its roots of origins, stating that there’s a systematic reason why it’s in place and oppressing someone or something (Wikipedia). I believe that it’s ok to question norms and know why things are what they are, but an accusatory mindset can be detrimental.

The issue, with our culture, is that we’ve questioned everything down so far and taken every concept down to where there is no definitive truth. That’s a problem, because this creates anarchy, in that, everyone can make up their own truth. When I’m the governor of truth and you infringe on my truth, you’re an enemy. Our culture and society now are saying, “I am the governor of truth,” and that’s an issue. I’m such a fickle person: emotionally charged and flawed, how could I or we ever trust ourselves to be a source of truth?

What is Truth? 

People need a standard for truth. That is how we are programmed. The answer to our issues in society is not that I become the governor of truth but that there is real truth out there that can govern to take that load off from me since I’m so fickle. The answer is simple: if there is a divine, all-powerful, all-wise, omniscient, time-transcending Being, then He would be the Source of all truth. That does exist. God is Truth, so anything He speaks is truth.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the term “inspired” is the Greek word “Theopneustos” meaning, “God-breathed.” This is huge actually: God has deemed that Scripture is truth, so anything we encounter in life, my emotions, vocation, the culture, in the church, in politics, etc. needs to be viewed from the standpoint of alignment with truth from Scripture. The temptation is to deem these other things as truth, and that’s the wrong starting place. You and I are not a source of truth! God is, and He has deemed Scripture as His revealed source of truth.

Sola Scriptura

Does God reveal Himself through prayer and other forms of revelation? Yes. But all that has to be taken in view of Scripture. This is why the Reformation placed such a high view on the authority of Scripture (Sola Scriptura in the Latin) because other false forms of truth had come about. So, unlike how our culture is saying, no one is their own source of truth and “what’s right for you isn’t right for others” is not correct. Not everyone gets a tee-ball trophy on this subject. That’s ok on some things, but not in terms of God and what He has deemed as truth- His God-breathed Scripture.

This may sound like old news if you’ve grown up in the church but the older I get the more I see how much the enemy tries to pull us into other truths (church traditions, political ideologies, cultural norms, etc.). What does Scripture say? Seek wise counsel that stands in view of God’s word. Don’t go off of your feelings or just listen to someone that tickles your ear… God is truth. His word is truth. Read, meditate, and pray on His word. Talk to others about it. Talk with your family about it. If we’re not looking at this real truth, we will try to find it in other ways- so will our family and friends.

-Austin

References

Strong’s Greek: 2315. Θεόπνευστος (Theopneustos) — God-Breathed, I.e. Inspired by God, biblehub.com/greek/2315.htm.