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Featured What is truth? and How can you know truth?

Discussion in 'Other Christian Denominations' started by The Biblicist, Nov 17, 2012.

  1. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
    38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?


    The answer to the first question is quite simple because it can be objectively determined: Truth is whatever harmonizes with the nature of God and His will as revealed in the Word of Truth.

    The answer to the second question inherently involves a subjective perspective as it includes the word "you." However, the answer to this question lies in the words "harmonizes with" in the answer to the first quesiton, as any other conclusion would make God the author of confusion.

    Therefore personal confirmation of truth is derived by whatever means (objective/subjective) that harmonizes personal beliefs with the nature and will of God as revealed in His Written Word.

    What are some means provided for us to achieve a correct undertanding of truth in harmony with the Written Word of God?

    1. The EXTERNAL evidential means

    a. The "Pillar and ground of the truth" - the Church -1 Tim. 3;15
    b. The manifest fruits - Mt. 7:15,20; Gal. 5:23


    2. The INTERNAL evidential means

    a. The Witness of the Indwelling Spirit with the Word - Rom. 8:14;Eph. 6:15
    b. The Witness of regenerate nature with the Word - Rom. 7:23; 8:14


    The key priinciple is "harmony" between the revealed will of God and all evidential means used to achieve understanding truth.

    This is why error is immediatley suspect whenever a person attempts to defend or define truth by PITTING scripture against scripture or PITTING experience against scripture. Truth is not established by PITTING scripture against scripture or experience against scripture but by HARMONIZING scripture with scripture and experience with Scripture as God is not the author of confusion - Isa. 8:20/1 Cor. 14:30.



    Ways truth cannot be known:


    You cannot find the truth by searching within yourself! Without a knowledge of the Scriptures, much of the truth you know you know is simply not so. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). Jude wrote: "These speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves" (Jude 10).


    The truth cannot be found by delving into our own hearts. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). How can the truth be found in a deceitful and wicked heart?


    The nations "do not know the thoughts of the Lord, nor do they understand His counsel" (Micah 4:12). "There is none who understands" (Romans 3:11). "The way of peace they have not known" (Isaiah 59:8). "They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness" (Psalm 82:5).


    Without revelation from God, man wanders in the dark spiritually. To find his way he needs the light of God's word: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).
     
    #1 The Biblicist, Nov 17, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2012
  2. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    It makes no difference what you or I "believe" or what experiences may have influenced "why" we believe what we do. The final analysis is and always will be does our beliefs and experiences harmonize with the Word of God.
     
  3. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    First, what is "know?"

    What is the difference between knowing and concluding???????
     
  4. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    I would say concluding refers to the conclusion which in turn forms the necessary basis of knowing. Biblically your conclusions would be the "substance" of faith which provides the evidence for hope/confidence. If that substance does not HARMONIZE with God's Word then it would be a "vain" faith.
     
    #4 The Biblicist, Nov 17, 2012
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  5. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    Truth will always be what harmonizes with God's Word. Interpretation of a text is truth only as it harmonizes with the context of that text. Experience is truth only as it harmonizes the God's Word. Truth is what harmonizes with God's Nature and Will as revealed in the Word of God.
     
  6. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    Who decided what harmonizes with the Bible?
     
  7. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Joh 8:30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
    Joh 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
    Joh 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."



    And just think. I did not have to respond to my own posts to answer this.
     
  8. Michael Wrenn

    Michael Wrenn New Member

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    :smilewinkgrin:
     
  9. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    So what is your point!

    You never had a post on this thread to respond to! So what is your point?
     
  10. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
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    What is truth?

    One of the three unanswerable questions of philosophy.

    No one has ever come up with a definition of truth that can be agreed upon. We can talk about conditions that may indicate truth ... but to define it seems to be beyond the capability of humans.
     
  11. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    That is totally false! Jesus said "I am truth" and He said "thy word IS TRUTH" and therefore Truth is by Bible definition "Whatever harmonizes with the nature of God and His revealed will in the Scriptures."
     
  12. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    Agree with Crabby. TRUTH is a person, not a set of statements.
     
  13. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    How can truth be a person when you repudiate what that Person said "is truth" and he said "thy word IS truth"? A Person is no truer than His Word.
     
  14. Bob Hope

    Bob Hope Member

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    Truth is a gift given to those who walk with God.
     
  15. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    Give me a break! And pray tell how you can tell if one walks with God? Your gut feeling? A "burning in the bosom"? Majority opinion? Personal subjective supposition?
     
  16. Bob Hope

    Bob Hope Member

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    Are you feeling a bit inadequate? Why are so many of your threads a veiled cry for validation?
     
  17. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    Your type of response is the normal response from those who simply have no reasonable or rational response so you attack the messenger instead.
     
  18. Jack Matthews

    Jack Matthews New Member

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    I notice you didn't get a direct answer to this question. Essentially, for a whole big segment of Christians, particularly fundamentalists and conservatives, there is no objective standard for truth. It is simply a matter of either accepting what they have determined is correct doctrine, or being labelled a heretic by them.

    The deeper I go into the scripture, the more I discover that the truth is embodied in the teachings, and in the life example, of Jesus, and not in a rules-driven pursuit of exactly correct doctrine and theology. Jesus ministered to, and cared about people, not doctrine. Salvation comes through the blood he shed on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, not through "getting it right" by over-examining, and subjectively interpreting a written text.
     
  19. Bob Hope

    Bob Hope Member

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    And each question you ask is some weak minded attempt to be right about something except the topic at hand.
     
  20. Bob Hope

    Bob Hope Member

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    Well written. For as big and diverse as the bible is, there are several key themes repeated over and over.
     
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