Encountering Truth: A Biblical Perspective

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, Dec 2007

By John Wesley Taylor V, Published on 01/01/07

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Encountering Truth: A Biblical Perspective

John Encountering Truth: A Biblical Perspective John Wesley Taylor V 0 0 Southern Adventist University The clatter of a mob shattered the morning calm. An accused man, noble and serene, stood before the Roman magistrate. It was the moment for judicial action. Pilate faltered. The verdict became a question: “What is truth?”1 Pilate's query has echoed through the corridors of time. It has become increasingly relevant in a world of growing confusion, a world steeped in strife and stereotypes, a planet concerned with relevance and rubbish. The question reaches us, how do we, as Christians, delineate truth? How do we identify and ascertain truth? How do we establish a biblical foundation for our encounter with truth? These questions are particularly relevant in the postmodern world-a decentered, pluralistic society that has proposed the death of objective truth, preferring to think of “a diversity of truths” or simply “truth for me.” Michel Foucault, an avant-garde philosopher and sociologist whose contributions figure prominently in the postmodern shift, suggests that even the concept of truth itself is dangerous-that “truths” are merely the agendas of special interest groups with economic clout or political power, who use these ideas, packaged as advertising, propaganda, or mass media, to bully others into believing whatever the privileged find convenient.2 Meanwhile, other postmodernists, such as Richard Rorty, - argue that we should give up the search for truth altogether and be content with mere interpretation of data, without endeavoring to assess their truth value.3 Clearly, given our contemporary context, the concept of truth merits special attention, particularly from a biblical perspective. In this essay, we will seek to highlight the significance of truth for the Christian worldview, identify core tenets in the Christian view of truth, and examine the multi-faceted process of receiving God’s truth. Finally, we will discuss the dilemma of error and the role of the Holy Spirit as guide and guardian of truth. The Significance of Truth. Why is truth of consequence for the Christian? As believers, we are counseled to speak the truth, to make decisions based on truth, to live truth-focused lives, and to be sanctified through the truth.4 We are to “buy the truth and not sell it,”5 binding it about our necks and writing it upon our hearts. We are to worship in the spirit of truth, “rightly dividing the word of truth.”6 Furthermore, Ephesians 5:9 declares that truth is a fruit of the Spirit, while Philippians 4:8 suggests that for the Christian, truth is the point of departure for all other intellectual pursuits. Truth, moreover, is a characteristic of all who enter God’s kingdom: “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.”7 The apostle John identifies the returning King as “Faithful and True” and describes the New Jerusalem as a sacred place where there is no violation of truth.8 In essence, truth is vital, directly influencing our lives. We act upon what we believe to be true, thus shaping the way we live. Truth also affects how we see ourselves. The belief in the divine creation of humankind, for example, joined with the doctrine of the Incarnation, provides a basis for human status and worth. At the end of the day, truth is what matters, judging what we experience and what we do.9 3 Richard Rorty, Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (Princeton: Princeton UP, 1979). Also, “Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism,” in R. Hollinger (Ed.), Hermeneutics and Praxis (Notre Dame: Notre Dame UP, 1985). 4 Ref. Eph 4:25; Zec 8:16; 1 Pet 1:22; John 17:17. 5 Prov 23:23; see also Prov 3:3. 6 John 4:24; 2 Tim 2:15. 7 Isa 26:2. 8 Ref. Rev 19:11; 22:15. 9 See Ps 96:13; Isa 42:3; and Rom 2:2. Tragically, however, humanity, particularly in the postmodern world, has lost the centrality of truth—it has “fallen in the street,” trampled in the bustling thoroughfare.10 Scripture cries forth, “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; see . . . if you can find a man . . . who seeks the truth, and I will pardon [the city].”11 Sadly, though perhaps predictably, none was found. God: The Essence of Truth. As is often the case with God, Christ answered the truth question before it was asked. He declared, “I am the . . . truth.”12 On another occasion, Christ prayed to His Father, “Thy word is truth.”13 Furthermore, Scripture affirms that all God’s “work is done in truth.”14 Here then is the bold biblical delineation: God is truth. His nature, His very spirit, is truth. Consequently, truth is, at its core, a Being. Furthermore, if God is the essence, the embodiment of truth, it follows that all God says and all God does is truth. His words and His works are but revelations of His nature. Here then is found the Christian response to Pilate’s question. The Word—whether spoken, written, illustrated, enacted, or incarnate—is Truth. Consequently, for the Christian, truth exists as a divine r (...truncated)


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John Wesley Taylor V. Encountering Truth: A Biblical Perspective, Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2007, Volume 18, Issue 2,