Two thousand years ago, a Man stood up and said I AM the Truth...Only One Man has (that I know of) stood up and said this -that He is Truth...And while the statement that He made about Himself is very clear, The Truth to each of us is always not clear...Jesus says that God's Word is Truth (John 17:17)...So God is a God of Truth, if you believe in Jesus...God has to be that Way and be Absolute Truth, if He is God...Truth has to be one of His Attributes, if He is Absolute Truth...Jesus came to bear witness to Truth, God's Truth (John 18:37)...The statements Jesus said and made about Truth are either true or untrue, they too cannot be both...This is because, Truth is exclusive...There cannot be different kinds of Truth, as we study about Truth and what He said...So one must look at this statement, what Jesus said about Himself, as either being true or not being true -it can't be both...So you either believe Jesus or you do not believe Him in what He said and taught...Is He Truth in your mind or is He not?...Jesus spoke God's Word, and God's Word is Truth, Absolute Truth, and exclusive Truth...Yet, some believe or believed it is and was true, while others did not and still do not believe His statement...Truth is not relative, but a Person...There is Truth under God and Jesus and that Truth is Absolute...Jesus claimed to be the Truth, and Christianity is under debate because Truth is under fire...
When Jesus made this claim to be Truth, He said He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life, and added that no one gets to God except through Him...And for the non-believer this further complicates the Truth, and Absolute Truth...And I must add that Truth must be something that is unchanging...Something cannot be the Truth today and then not True in the future...Truth cannot be Truth in Jesus' time or when the Bible was being written and not be true today...So God must be the same today, as He was in the ancient days and in the beginning, and He has to be True tomorrow and forever, as well as True and unchanged in Eternity...If God changes then Truth changes, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever...
Time and cultures do not change universal and eternal Truths...But man's truth cannot be explained or described as our truth is in the eye of the beholder...
No other Man has ever said He was Truth in the whole history of mankind, to my knowledge, but Jesus...And since no other man has ever said he was or is Truth, then that would make Jesus' claim about Truth exclusive...So, if you believe His statement (that He is Truth), you do believe He is unique and absolutely exclusive, and that is why His followers follow the exclusive set of His teachings in the gospels...And this as believers say is God's Truth...And that is both important and relevant to Truth...And since Truth is exclusive, one can see why He said He is the only Way to God, His Father -because that statement is a very exclusive statement about Truth...And a very troublesome for many...But Truth, if it is a Universal Truth, must be Truth for everybody...If my Truth is different from your Truth, then it is not Truth, or an Absolute Truth...And Jesus is the Absolute Truth, and that is why He said what He did, and why He is Truth...He came to earth to testify to the Truth, so we could be set free...
Why should one believe the stories of Jesus and what He said?...Shouldn't Truth be clear, and very clear for that matter?...But Truth is actually not clear...When we read the Bible and about Jesus healing, feeding crowds, raising the dead, and doing miracles -we must think and ask and still ask after all these years, who is He?...And is who He says He is- Is He Truth?...We must be aware of what we read about Him...Even Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, and Josephus talked about Jesus outside the Bible and had opinions on Him...Jesus existed, He was a part of history...But when we ask the question why should one believe Jesus, or do you believe Jesus is who He says He is, we see the Truth is very much tied to what we believe, and our personal belief system...Truth seems to have become in the eye of the beholder...This makes Truth much less clear...Truth becomes belief to each man...So by believing in Jesus and by believing He is Truth, one can see how Truth does get connected to belief and faith...We can often resist Truth, just as we resist belief and faith...Resistance against Truth leads us to doubt and unbelief...But resistance is not Truth, and does not necessarily make something untrue...
Jesus walked the earth everyday for three short years, in His ministry, healing everyone who believed in Him, doing miracles, teaching stories about life, and teaching about the Kingdom of God, and God Himself...And in these three short years much was learned about Truth and Absolute Truth...Jesus' personal miracles speak much about God, and much about Truth...By doing miracles that were against most of the Laws of Nature, then He proves He is Divine and is from heaven, and was sent by God...His miracles show us there is Absolute Truth and Absolute Morality...How else can one explain His miracles?...His miracles show us the authority God has given Him...It is easier for us to see earthly things and believe in those things, but it is more difficult for us to see and understand heavenly things (John 3:10-13) and heavenly Truth...
When we read what Jesus spoke, when we read what He did, these are not earthly things, and not earthly tendencies...You have to make a decision about Him, if you want to get to Truth?...And He wants us to make a decision about Him...He wants us to ask, who is He?...When one has evidence or access to the evidence to Jesus like His opposition, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the Pharisees had, you should have a thought on who He is...He did and does things only One could do if they are from above, from heaven...The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders could have researched ALL the things He did if they wanted to, but they did not...They were there...They were an eyewitness to Him...They took the knowledge they had and failed to advance it to the truth...
There are times in our lives, when we are given or have a certain amount of evidence and information and fail to see it for what it is...There will be times when we do not recognize truth...But we should be always learning and searching for truth in our lives...But always searching and learning and never deciding, is much like taking a vacation and never getting there and never wanting to get there...You are always on the road, but you never get there, therefore, you never get anywhere... Why learn anything about history, the humanities, or even the arts or sciences, if you cannot come to a truth on it?...St. Paul said there are people who are always learning, and never able for one reason or another able to acknowledge the truth (1 Timothy 3:7)...Knowledge and truth are to be realized and recognized...
Why should we believe these things about Jesus?...Why should non-believers and believers believe that Jesus is the Truth?...For that matter, why should anyone, believe in anything?...The answer is because it is true...The only reason one should believe in anything, is because it is true...
Another thing that gets in the way of truth is our personal understandings and what we understand...Just because I do not know how and why I am able to speak, does not mean, I cannot speak...I do not know the process or how I or anyone speaks, but others can speak...So just because I do not understand something, that in itself does not make it untrue...My limited understanding may get in my way of believing a truth or truths...This is why Nicodemus had a hard time understanding Jesus, we have a difficult time understanding the heavenly things, and the eternal things (John 3:10-13)...And we might remember, Jesus was always teaching the eternities...So truth is not determined or changed by what I understand...There are many truths I do not understand...And there are many things I do not know...And just because I do not know many things does not determine whether is something it is true or not...So there are many truths I do not know about...But because I do not understand or know about different things, that does affect how I feel or believe in that truth -that I do not understand or know about...Because I do not know about that truth or understand the truth around it, may tend to make me not to believe in it...Explaining Truth in this way can make Truth get complicated...
But Truth does not change...By the very nature of truth, any truth is that it does not change...Otherwise it is not a truth...A two thousand year old fact, was true then, as it still is today...So time cannot and does not change a truth...An old truth may fade in time and in our memories, but it still does not change the fact, that if it was a truth and fact then, it still is a truth and fact now...So if a truth happened at the start of time, if it is a fact then, then it is a Truth now...Th fact would always be the truth, and would be a truth from the beginning of time and forever...So a truth is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow...The Ultimate Truth is eternal, and ultimate truths are forever...
If one believes that man is moral and tries to be good, then I would ask, where did this morality start?...Does it come from a Truth...If one wants to believe differently from something else than a Loving Creator, then in the beginning that we could have started with evil...There would be no order in the world and no two men would get along in the world...It would be a very evil world without morality...The world would be chaotic and random and anything could go...But there is organization in this world...There is design in this world and the universe somehow got finely tuned...There is a consistency in the world...The universe is not chaotic...How did we get this design, and this finely tuned organized world?...Was it by evil and random blind chance...The world without question is organized and finely tuned...There is morality throughout the world...There is an Ultimate Moral Truth...There is an Organized Design in our universe...These truths, about these things, do not change with time...This Truth is forever and ever...
Jesus stood up one day and told His Disciples that He is Truth...If one believes what Jesus said and that He is Truth, then that makes the Truth Personal...Truth is a Man...It also would mean that Truth and faith are closely linked...This is Personal in the sense that Jesus is a Person, who did, in fact, walk the earth...And He was and is both full of Grace and Truth...So it is not difficult for me to believe, since Truth is a Person, that Truth is personal for each one of us...And since every individual is different, our faith is a little different for each of us...If we do say that Truth is a personal belief, then everyone has their truth and truths...Truth might be your personal beliefs...Truth is built into what you you personally believe...When you are discussing or debating or having conversation with another on something you do not agree with, you talk about your own personal beliefs -you present your truths...Putting this into better context, if you believe in Jesus and another person does not, you can debate others about Him and His Truths...But in the end, you will believe what you believe as the Truth, and the person opposing your Truth and truths will believe what they believe in...So Truth is rooted in belief, your own personal belief...Therefore, if you believe this, then there are many different truths...Your truth and those truths of others, but there is One Absolute Truth and it is Personal, because it is a Person, and His name is Jesus...
Are all of our decisions based on reason, truth, and faith?...We are given reason and free will...These things are God-given...It seems we grow into faith, reason, and truth...These three attributes go hand in hand...When we make decisions are they based on truth, or are they based on how we feel about that subject or that decision?...Is one's decisions based mostly on what they like, and the pleasure it will bring or is it based on some truth?...When we are making a decision, any decision that is not based on what we like or dislike, are we doing it from pure reason, with no emotional bias, we make that decision based on truth, our truths...Why else make a rational decision?...Or does the Holy Spirit come into play about Truth?...And we know that the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth...The Spirit of Truth guides us to Truth...But, we know from past experiences, our feelings do get involved in the decisions we make, even the moral decisions we make...So are our decisions and truth might be blurred by a feeling we have...Does the saint, when he has a decision to be made, just ask God what the right decision is because of his faith, and then leave it to God?...
St. John in his gospel gives us a lot of information on truth...Here are some of the truth excerpts from John's Gospel...
Jesus tells us that God's Word is truth...Here Jesus is praying for His disciples and asks God to sanctify them with the truth of God's word...St. John gives us many verses on truth, truthful, and what truth is...
The opposite of truth is the evil one...Satan was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him (John 8:44)...
Pilate, when Jesus was on trial, asks "What is truth?" (John 18:38)...Jesus, had just said, that the reason He was born and came into this world was to testify to the truth (John 18:37)...After Jesus was born, He tells us He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John (14:6)...In fact, He is abundant life...And everyone on the side of truth listens to Him...Jesus is the true vine and God is the Gardener...Everyone who hates evil, will come into the Light...Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what He has done has been done through God (John 3:20-21)...For the man who accepts Jesus' testimony certifies that God is truthful (John 3:33)...John the Baptist, was one of those who testified about Jesus, and the Baptist by doing this, testified about the truth (John 5:33)...
Jesus is the statement and definition of Truth...Since Jesus is the Truth, when He speaks, He can only speak what is true...Every word He said would be and is the Living Truth...We must realize this as we read the four gospels...
Jesus says "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses that has given you bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven, and gives life to this world." (John 6:33)...Jesus is the Bread of Life...Those who speak on their own, do so to give honor to himself, but those who work for the honor of the One who sent Him is a man of truth and there is nothing false about him...If we hold on to Jesus' teachings, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free (John 8:32)...So Jesus tells us that if we believe in His teachings and hold on to them, then we know the Truth...And this Truth shall then set us free...
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and tells us that He will send another Counselor, a Helper to live with us forever- the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17)...The fundamental nature of the Holy Spirit is truth...
John the Baptist tells us that the one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all....He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony...The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful (John 3:31-33)...
Truth is absolute...Truth refers to what is dependable, tested, and trustworthy...Truth is rational, truth is logical...Truth should be able to express our faith through reason...But is truth perfectly rational, and is truth perfectly logical?...If we are one hundred percent rational and one hundred percent logical we should easily explain that there is a God...If we are perfectly rational, can we have perfect faith...We daily battle with faith versus reason...Our head battles with our heart...Faith and reason should not contradict...But in life they do...If we have faith in God, why can't we articulate our faith to everyone, so they too would believe...My reason should be able to express my faith, and my faith should be able to express my rationalities...In my opinion, some articulate and wise wise people can do this better than others, but Jesus was the Only One who has walked on earth, that has had perfect faith and perfect reason...And because of who we are, we were not able to understand this, while He was on earth, and why we have trouble completely understanding the Gospel and Scriptures...
Man is flawed...Our faith is not what it can be, and our reason, rationality, and logic is limited...Jesus' heart leads His mind, and His thoughts...We can reflect on the truth and how it gives harmony to mind, body, and Spirit...We can learn from Jesus- about the truth...
Is there an absolute truth???...Or is truth just a personal perception. and different for each one of us?...This would mean there are two types of truth, absolute and personal...But if truth is personal for each one of us, then there are many types of truth...And maybe each of has his own idea about the Absolute Truth...
Here are more questions and some ideas about truth...Without an Absolute Truth and only personal truths then the world is seen only through our (own) eyes...If there is only our truth then we could determine what is right and what is wrong in our truths and our world...The world then would revolve around us only, if only our truth is the truth...Sometimes we have a personal truth that is not true...For instance, many years ago one might believed the earth was flat...The earth was flat was never a truth...Yet people still believed this years ago...And this was the truth for many...
Some believe and perceive that there is nothing better in life for them than to be happy and to do good as long as they live; also that they can find happiness and pleasure in what the eat, and what they drink, and in their work...And Solomon says that these things are God’s gift to mankind...But these things do not give us Truth, they give us temporary pleasures of our earthly lives...This things are part of God's design, and a part of our happiness...
We can believe in whatever we want, but all the things we believe in are not always the truth...Believing ONLY in our personal truths, does not always help us believe in God...Man does a lot of thinking in terms of me and mine...We are selfish...Loving, sharing, forgiving, and turning the cheek (to be struck again) to and love for your enemy is (still) a dramatic change for man...We do not consider these ideas as often as Jesus would want us to...Jesus is completely unselfish...We would not have much reason for God, if we were the truth, and the world revolves around us...We might even just do what we please, everyday without not much thought at all of our fellow man...That would be the majesty of man...We would be each of us holding judgment against each other...If there is no absolute truth, then our personal truths are what is most important to each of us individually, and everything is permissible that make up our own personal thoughts...This would be because, what we think is the truth -becomes the truth...This type of personal and individual world of each man for himself would be chaotic and non-loving...We need this absolute Truth, we need God...
Truth is exclusive...There is only One Absolute Truth, who is the Way, the Life, and the Truth...Yet, when we talk of personal truths, truth turns more to our own personal belief system than it probably should...Because our personal truths are biased, our belief system is biased...Our personal truths and beliefs may or may not be what others believe is true...Our truth is what we believe is true...We often find a truth, but we do not know it is truth because we do not have enough data and information...But we can also be given enough information and still not see the Truth...So personal truth and the Exclusive Truth can become vague and confusing to us, when we have only partial data and information...But also we do not understand all the truths around us and in the universe, because we do not understand all things...Part of our reasoning and not understanding (vagueness and confusion and our lack in understanding, I think) makes God a mystery...If everyone believed and understood The Truth and and Whole Truth, then God would be less of a mystery, and less confusing to us...And there also would be many more who believed in Truth, if we were closer to eternity than to this finite earth and flesh ...
Mankind has this connection between each other...God has forever linked Himself to man...It is because, God made us all in His image and He gives us His Holy Spirit...God is Truth (Psalms 31:5 KJV)...There is this great connection between love, spirit, and truth...Man is a Spiritual being and we look to God for love and Truth...God is Love (1 John 4:8)...To love, we need another and others...Jesus teaches us that the two greatest commandments are love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength...Love your neighbor as yourself...So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12)...We know that loving God and loving others are our two greatest commandments...We can see how Jesus forever ties God and man together with LOVE...
Truth exists...Truth is unchanging...Truth is exclusive...Truth is universal...Truth is timeless...So Truth is eternal...Truth is full of grace...Truth can be proven with reason, logic, and knowledge...Truth has the foundation of LOVE...So Truth must make sense in both the heart and the mind...And so Truth must satisfy the heart, as well as the mind...And we must remember that our truths, are often more related to us as an individual and not to Jesus, who is actually the Absolute Truth...
Time has no effect on Truth...God's Truth is Eternal...Truth withstands the test of time...And Truth has withstood the test of time...So time has tested the Word of God, and God's Word is Truth...God's Word has not passed...God's Word is still Truth...God's Word is the Unchanging Truth we need and what we search for...We must stand firm with the Truth and in the Truth...Truth is the same yesterday, today, and forever...
Jesus brings us the Absolute Truth in life...Jesus told His Disciples in one of His commands to love one another, and when they did, everyone would know that they were His Disciples...Let us love one another and show the Power and Truth of Jesus...Jesus satisfies the needs of the mind and the needs of the heart...He satisfies the rational and the emotional -and that is what Truth does and can do...
Jesus is the basis of truth...How Jesus lived, taught, and died is Truth...Jesus shows us who we really are...Jesus teaches us to love...He teaches us to forgive...He teaches us to love God with all our strength, and to love our neighbors...Jesus' focus was on LOVE of God and love of your neighbor...All His life and teachings manifest into the Truth...So Truth is a Person...
I used to think that truth was a simple thing or things...Later in life, I read St. John's account of Jesus comforting His disciples with Truth and then His later discussion with Pilate (about Truth)...Then I found that Truth becomes much more complicated...The Disciples were willing to submit to the Truth after Jesus had died on the cross and was resurrected...It seems once they saw Him after His death, they were ready to believe His statement that He is the the Way, and the Life, and is Truth...Pilate in his conversation with Jesus did not submit to Jesus as the Truth...
So is there a universal truth or is truth something personal?...What is true for one individual, may not be true for another...For instance spring may be my favorite season (my truth), but fall may be another's (favorite season)...My favorite color may be green and yours red...But truth goes far beyond seasons and colors...But this does not mean, there is not One Absolute Truth...
Truth is not something necessarily we like or dislike...We can like Truth or dislike Truth or be neutral on Truth...But Truth is still and always will remain the Truth...
How does one define truth???...Are truth and faith the same???...If you have complete faith, does it then turn into truth???...If truth is defined by the individual, then there is more than one definition of truth...Each individual has their own truth...
And we might ask this about Truth, "Does Truth and Faith meet in eternity and turn out to be the same thing, if you believe in Jesus and that Jesus is Truth?"...
One definition is truth is something that can be verified or has been verified...A general agreement on a fact, a set of facts, or a reality...If one cannot convince that individual of a truth or truths, to them it is not a truth or the truth for them...
If we try to define what knowledge is, one might define it as the skill-set one acquires throughout their life...This acquirement can come from education, books, working, or life and life experiences in general...One may acquire a skill-set or knowledge about one's profession after working for years...One might say she is knowledgeable about his or her job...Truth and knowledge can and does overlap...We must have some knowledge of the truth, for it to be our truth, or a truth...
Truth also maybe defined as honesty, sincerity, and one's good faith about a subject or reality in a more general sense...This would be one's likes or dislikes about their own personal tastes or beliefs...This type of truth is more subjective...Everything we read, see, and hear is that truth or is that our own personal perspective of what we just read, saw, or heard?...How close are perspective and truth?...
Some define truth as when your belief system matches reality... So it was not a truth, before your belief system matched that reality, but it is a truth now, because you belief system matches that reality...
There are probably many more definitions of truth...You may have your own definition of truth...But again, this does not rule out that there is One absolute truth...
When people are searching for answers they are searching for the truth...The searchers need facts...But they also must have a desire, need, or want to find out about the facts...
When police officers investigate a crime they like to have all the facts...They want to solve the crime...There are little facts and big facts...If they have four or five facts, that is better than two or three (facts)...If they have different twenty facts they may be able to solve the crime...So when we or others investigate something looking for the truth, the more facts we have the better...This type of truth is more objective...
Truth and fact are always, truth and fact...Man, it seems to lessen the value of truth and facts over time...It seems in many instances man likes newer and modern Truths versus very old ones...The longer we go without seeing, feeling, or reading about something the less it seems to be a fact, or at least it is harder to believe...But time does not change the truth...Old facts, especially ancient facts are all subject to belief of an original author or person...For instance saying Custer existed and made a last stand can only be proven by someone there at the time of Custer, who would have written about it or saw it and passed it down orally, generation to generation...But nonetheless, the original author or authors were the ones documenting this fact, to help one believe that fact...
Moses led God's people out of Egypt and into the promised land...This fact may seem less (of a fact today) to many because it happened so long ago...Things that happened last week or last year are easier to believe...They are newer and fresher...A fact of your life that happened fifty years ago, is still a fact today...It (that old fact) may be less a part of your life today..Nonetheless, it is still a part of your life today...But regardless of in your lifetime or a previous time, a truth is always a truth...
The original authors of the Bible were probably ancient storytellers...The Bible was passed down orally, before it was written down...These storytellers would have passed their stories of God from one generation to generation...After all, the alphabet and writing materials and books were to come later in man's history...
It is logical to think, when Moses started writing the Bible, in approximately 1200 b.c. he would have told the story in a true fashion...He would have heard the stories of Genesis and Abraham and all the other characters of the first five books of the Bible...He was writing it for many reasons and I suspect one was he wanted people to know about the true God...The Books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, for many after he wrote it, and after they read it, would change their definition of truth...So if you believe in God, then you believe He is the absolute moral truth...Since He created us in His image, we have absolute moral truth in us, and we would always want to do what is right and want to do good...The problem is we have sin in us, and we can't always do good...We want to be good, we can't be good...We want to be perfect, but we can't be perfect...We want to love, we don't always feel love...We are divided between God's image and the Holy Spirit He gives us and the sin and evil that we struggle with daily...St. Paul sums up this struggle with sin in Romans seven...He teaches that it is this sin, that divides us and is why we can't be good, why we can't be perfect, and why we do not always feel love...
I think there are little truths and big truths...Little facts and big facts...Important facts and not so important facts to every individual...But the three biggest truths, biggest facts, and most important facts in the history of earth are Jesus lived, Jesus died, and was resurrected from the dead by our One and Only Father, our Creator, my LORD and my GOD...Our interests and events in our lives may get us to seek the Father...God gives us just enough light to find Him...But He doesn't give us too much light to see Him and many things about Him...We only see a slice of Him, a part of Him...
Being an eyewitness to truth is very important...If we are not at an event, it is harder for us to validate the fact or truth...Since we were not there, we cannot validate that particular reality...When we are not there to eyewitness the original event, we need validation...TV or video may give us some validation...Each one of us validates an unseen truth, truths, or set of truths in our own personal way...The more time has passed since the original event the more difficult the validation usually takes...Custer's last stand maybe harder to validate that hurricane Katrina...It may take longer to believe Cleopatra existed versus Custer being a real character...The more information we have on a subject the better...So maybe we ask a personal friend for their opinion on a fact or truth...Maybe we read a book or an article to validate that fact (we want to validate it)...And to find more and more information, maybe it is two friends or two books...But this brings us to another point, some truths may be meaningless or apathetic to us...If we do not want to know about Cleopatra, we will do little or no research to find out (if she existed)...The same thing can be said of God...We must want to find out about Him...If we do not want to seek Him or find out about Him this truth does not matter...
Truth thus gets confusing...Jesus knew this when He told His disciples He is the Truth...The Twelve would each interpret that saying and Him each in different ways...In fact, they all may have had twelve different ideas on the subject of Him saying I AM the Truth...Jesus does tell us (in John 16:30) that the disciples, finally say, this makes us believe You came from God...Jesus answers (in John 16:31), you believe at last...The disciples are finally on the side of Truth...They believe in the Truth...They believe in Jesus...They were eyewitnesses...
Truth becomes a belief...When you personally believe something in your world, in your reality it becomes a truth for you...This is regardless of what others beliefs are...
But truth is more than your belief...Truth becomes faith, like our reason will become hope...Our lives and our decisions should be based on obeying the truth...The Father and Son are the truth..Jesus came into this world to testify to the truth...Everyone on the side of truth listens to Him (John 18:36-37)....Jesus said I AM the truth...He is more than the truth...Jesus is also the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)...God's word is truth (John 17:17)...Jesus is not only our measure of truth, but of righteousness...Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14)...
Jesus taught us love for our Father, and love for our neighbor... He spent His life teaching this...He wants us to be with God and to share, help, and be with others...This was His belief...This was His Truth...This is the Truth...
Of the above discussion on truth and Jesus, the resurrection stands out as a most important fact and Truth...St. Paul makes us examine the truth about the resurrection...Did the resurrection happen???...Do you believe in the resurrection???... What if did not happen???...St. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 teaches us about why we need this Truth:
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Blaise Pascal, the brilliant mathematician, said that we will know the truth, not only by reason, but by the heart...We know their is a difference between faith and reason...Reason is really how we view our own truth and truths...So when our feelings of faith in our hearts meet the truth we have in our minds, we have true faith...When faith and reason meet, we have complete faith...When we have complete faith in Jesus, we have found the truth...So perfect reason and perfect faith do meet and intersect at Truth...
The Bible gives us many virtues...When we see how the the Bible describes God of all the virtues, St. John tells us God is love...St. Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), that in life many things fade and pass on or are transitory...Prophecy comes and it happens, then it will cease...Where there is knowledge, it will pass away...We have youth, and it passes by and we become adults...What remains in our lives that are important are faith, hope and love...But the greatest of these is love ...So the great virtues, similar to faith, are part of His Truth and a part of truth...
Jesus says I AM making everything new...Write these words down, for these words are trustworthy and true (Revelations 21:5)...He is filled with the Truth, He can make all things new again...He can make the old Truths look and feel new again...
Love does comes from the heart...Truth also comes from the heart...Jesus' death is the most important LOVE anyone could give for us...Maybe the most important fact for mankind is Jesus' resurrection...The resurrection of Jesus is the most important Truth for humanity...His resurrection helps us have faith that we can be with Him and God eternally...
Before there was time, God was there...Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalms 90:2)...And God loves the world He created...How much does He love the world?...For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever who believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16)...Before time there has been this One Great Truth...From everlasting to everlasting is the Truth...
Jesus everyday went around with the people...He drew large crowds...He spent His time healing and feeding crowds, proclaiming the kingdom, raising the dead, and teaching about His Father...He did many miracles for believers and non-believers and His opposition to see and hear about...His opposition did not want to seek Him and learn the truth...They did ask for another sign, another miracle...Would one more miracle, make a non-believer now believe?...His opposition could have ask one of those raised from the dead, about Jesus...They did question and investigate one blind man, who was healed, and this did not convince them (John 9:13-41)...Jesus' opposition was Spiritually blind and were not aware of what they were seeing...One might ask, when you are an actual eyewitness, how much evidence or more evidence do you need to decide on the truth?...Sometimes our own lives can be too busy, too disobedient, and (we think) too important to us to see the things we really need to see...Sometimes we cannot see the Truth...
When we read the Bible and about Jesus healing, feeding His crowds, raising the dead, and doing miracles we must see and not be Spiritually blind...We must be aware of what we see...When we hear what Jesus spoke, when we see what He did, these are not earthly things, and earthly tendencies...You have to make a decision about Him?...He wants us to make a decision about Him...When one has evidence or access to the evidence to Jesus like the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the Pharisees had you should have a thought on where His authority came from...He did and does things only One could do if they are from above, from heaven...The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders could have researched ALL the things He did if they wanted to, but they did not...They were there...They were an eyewitness to Him...They took the knowledge they had and failed to advance it to the truth...They were like St. Paul said earlier, always learning, but never able to acknowledge the One Real Truth, they had seen day in and day out...
Even after we as man, rebelled through our sin, God sent His Son so we might be saved and gain redemption...Jesus was born, and came into this world, to testify to the truth...Everyone on the side of truth listens to Him (John 18:37)...Jesus teaches us, that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)....He is the way we should live our lives...Knowledge comes from the experiences we live, and the ones we choose to believe...Truth is derived from our knowledge...Our personal truth gets grounded in our knowledge and personal beliefs...Absolute Truth and the knowledge of truth comes from Jesus...He is the Truth...Non-believers choose their truth from their own personal experiences and knowledge...A non-believer's truth is only gained from their own personal experiences...Believers see truth as coming from their personal knowledge learned from Jesus...All things are made through Him...Believers see their Truth as a way to live...Believers decide to live the way He lived, and to choose the same truths as He did...He is the absolute Truth...There is an everlasting Truth...He is eternal Truth...There is a universal Truth...There is a Divine Truth...Truth is a Person...This is why Truth is personal, because Truth is a Person...Truth is much more than a set of facts...Truth is a Person...So Truth is a Man...His name is Jesus...
Truth somehow lives on...Truth endures...Truth is shockingly real as the Disciples found out as they listened to His Truths...Truth is something we can hold onto, because He came to earth to teach us about the things that matter most...And Truth endures today, because He is True and the Truth...