What is Truth?
“What is truth?”[1] This question was asked by a man named Pilate about two thousand years ago. Two thousand years later, this question is still being asked by many, even by many within the Church. Why? Because TRUTH itself has once again come under attack, to the extent that, all who have adopted the various false philosophies about truth being propagated in our growing liberal society today, now deny the very existence of absolute truth. Not only have they adopted for themselves these philosophies, but they propagate them, and in fact, they have been quite successful in doing so. National polls show that an incredibly large number of freshmen college students, Christian students included, when surveyed, state that they don’t believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth.
Why bother with this discussion? Does it really matter whether there is or isn’t such a thing as absolute truth? It does, because truth is foundational for the survival of society itself. If we allow ourselves to be convinced that absolute truth doesn’t exist and start living out that belief, we ourselves will be to blame for the collapse of society and history will once again show the error of our ways.
In this series of articles, among other things, we will define what truth is and discuss some of the erroneous views of truth that are held and propagated in the world today, and how truth can be known.
Defining Truth
Geisler states, “Truth is an expression, symbol, or statement that matches or corresponds to its object or referent (i.e., that to which it refers, whether it is an abstract idea or a concrete thing).”[2]
Nash states, “Truth is a property of propositions that correspond to the way things are…Truth…is objective, that is, is independent of human preference and desire. Our feelings cannot alter or change truth.”[3]
Truth is that which corresponds or relates to reality as it actually is. If a statement anybody makes matches the facts and the evidence, then it equals truth. On the other hand, if a statement anybody makes does not match the facts and evidence, then it equals that which is false or a lie.
If I said that the Carolina Panthers beat the New England Patriots and won the Super Bowl in 2003; that would be a lie, because the facts and the evidence would disprove my statement. Now, the fact that I wanted them to win and feel they should have won doesn’t change the fact that they lost. Instead, if I state that the Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl in 2003 and gave the New England Patriots a run for their money; that would be true, for the facts and the evidence would demonstrate that. The latter statement corresponds and matches to the way things are, it relates to reality.
[1] John 18:38.
[2] Norman Geisler & Peter Bocchino, Unshakable Foundation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2001), p. 33.
[3] Ronald H. Nash, Life’s Ultimate Question: An Introduction to Philosophy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), p. 228.
“What is truth?”[1] This question was asked by a man named Pilate about two thousand years ago. Two thousand years later, this question is still being asked by many, even by many within the Church. Why? Because TRUTH itself has once again come under attack, to the extent that, all who have adopted the various false philosophies about truth being propagated in our growing liberal society today, now deny the very existence of absolute truth. Not only have they adopted for themselves these philosophies, but they propagate them, and in fact, they have been quite successful in doing so. National polls show that an incredibly large number of freshmen college students, Christian students included, when surveyed, state that they don’t believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth.
Why bother with this discussion? Does it really matter whether there is or isn’t such a thing as absolute truth? It does, because truth is foundational for the survival of society itself. If we allow ourselves to be convinced that absolute truth doesn’t exist and start living out that belief, we ourselves will be to blame for the collapse of society and history will once again show the error of our ways.
In this series of articles, among other things, we will define what truth is and discuss some of the erroneous views of truth that are held and propagated in the world today, and how truth can be known.
Defining Truth
Geisler states, “Truth is an expression, symbol, or statement that matches or corresponds to its object or referent (i.e., that to which it refers, whether it is an abstract idea or a concrete thing).”[2]
Nash states, “Truth is a property of propositions that correspond to the way things are…Truth…is objective, that is, is independent of human preference and desire. Our feelings cannot alter or change truth.”[3]
Truth is that which corresponds or relates to reality as it actually is. If a statement anybody makes matches the facts and the evidence, then it equals truth. On the other hand, if a statement anybody makes does not match the facts and evidence, then it equals that which is false or a lie.
If I said that the Carolina Panthers beat the New England Patriots and won the Super Bowl in 2003; that would be a lie, because the facts and the evidence would disprove my statement. Now, the fact that I wanted them to win and feel they should have won doesn’t change the fact that they lost. Instead, if I state that the Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl in 2003 and gave the New England Patriots a run for their money; that would be true, for the facts and the evidence would demonstrate that. The latter statement corresponds and matches to the way things are, it relates to reality.
[1] John 18:38.
[2] Norman Geisler & Peter Bocchino, Unshakable Foundation (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2001), p. 33.
[3] Ronald H. Nash, Life’s Ultimate Question: An Introduction to Philosophy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), p. 228.
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