Truth

 We all have an innate desire to know the truth. It's hardwired into us to seek out what is real and authentic. You can see this in a variety of places in human life and society. Our dedication to scientific advancement and discovery, the plethora of books on philosophy, and the meticulous nature of most justice systems point to our desire, our need, for truth. 

This happens on a personal level as well. For many people, starting right about their teenage years, they begin the process of "finding themselves." We often treat life as a journey of discovering truth either about ourselves, the world around us, or some combination of the two. True happiness is then found when you find your "true self."

While none of the things I've mentioned so far are perfect or even good, they all point to the same innate longing in all of us; the need for truth. Behind all our attempts at discovering truth, either scientific, historical, or personal, is the implicit assumption that the truth exists and that we can find it. All our searching points to some greater Truth beyond ourselves that all various pursuits of truth we make ultimately lead to.

That Truth is God.

Truth is about what is real. God is the most real reality there is. All other real things, us included, are only real insofar as God creates and sustains us through himself. This search for the real is what drives us to study the sciences, to figure how everything really works. It drives us to dig through history, to discover what really happened. We are searching for the underlying reality to everything we see and are.

Knowing that Jesus is the Truth, the one to whom all reality points and on whom all reality depends for its existence, how can we as Christians be Truth people? How can we guide people who are searching for the truth to the Truth? What does it look like in our congregations that we fervently stand for the Truth?

First we must recognize that all genuine searches for the truth are good because they are ultimately, in their own way, a search for Jesus. If God really is the Truth that under-girds all things then there is nothing to fear from honest scientific, historical, or moral inquiry. These things are tools used by people to learn more about their Creator.

Second we must also recognize the limits of human methods for seeking truth. The first limit is our own limitedness. We are not infinitely wise or capable, so what we can discover is inherently limited. This means that the things revealed to us by God take precedence over the things discovered by reason. However, true things discovered by reason will be in line with the things revealed by God.

The second limitation we have is sin. There is nothing we do in this world that is not affected in some way by the corruption of sin. This means that we can be earnestly looking for truth in the wrong way or in the wrong place. We can emphasize some human methodology or discovery too much or denigrate other people's honest searching. We can believe things that are in fact not true to be true, or just as dangerously things that are partially true.

Third we must recognize that things are true in this world insofar as they point to and participate in God, according to their nature. For example, we can learn a lot about rocks from the study of geology. Rocks can teach us about the power and wisdom of God in how they are made and in their variety. However, a rock is just a rock. They were made that way by God and do their job effectively. This means that while things in the created world do point us to God, none do so perfectly. The only perfect revelation of God in the world is Jesus Christ.

So what does it mean for us, practically speaking? It means that as Christians we are never afraid of questions. We know the Truth and we should be glad to share it. It means that we shouldn't be so anti-science, as so many are. We recognize science as a legitimate search for truth, but we are aware of the limitations that any human endeavor has. Ultimately all truth points back to Jesus. 

Being Truth people means that we should love study. First and foremost that means the Bible, but it also means being willing to study history, philosophy, science, and more. While studying the Bible should always be at the heart of what we do it is not unfaithful to sometimes study history or some other topic, as these things also ultimately point to God. We should encourage our youth to go into the fields of science, engineering, medicine, law, and other professions that seek out truth. 

Being Truth people also means being humble people. We know the Truth, but we can never know God fully. We should be open and honest that we too are on a journey of discovery as we grow closer and closer to Jesus. We too are in need of transformation and further participation in who God is. This is good news, because it means that there is always more to know about God and that we can always be closer to Jesus!

Of course truth does not stand alone, and God is not reducible merely to transcendent truth itself. Next week we will examine the next of the three transcendentals, goodness.