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I.
DEFINITION OF TRUTH “What is truth?” John 18:37-38
A. An
exact and faithful expression of the facts ILL: On
the witness stand – “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth.”
B. The
standard by which to judge all else; a final authority
C. The
real answers to the real questions; those thing that remain
Hebrews
2:26-28
II. RECEIVING
THE TRUTH
A. Man
is Unfulfilled Without the Truth – He is to:
1. Serve
in truth (I Samuel 12:24)
2. Buy
the truth (Proverbs 23:23)
3. Seek
the truth (Jeremiah 5:1)
4. Know
the truth (John 8:31-32) NOTE:
knowledge of the truth must therefore be possible
B. God
is the Source of Truth
1. God
the Father is truth (Psalm 31:5)
2. God
the Son is truth (John 4:6)
3. God
the Holy Ghost is truth (John 14:17)
C. God
has Promised to Reveal the Truth – His Truth is:
1. To
endure to all generations (Psalm 100:5)
2. To
be known with certainty (Proverbs 22:21)
3. Contained
in the word of truth (John 17:17; 2Thessalonians
2:13; 2Timothy 2:15)
III. THE
BATTLE FOR TRUTH
A. Truth
is Often Disregarded by Man
1. Truth
is fallen in the street (Isaiah 59:14-15)
2. Men
are not valiant for the truth (Jeremiah 9:3,5)
3. There
is no truth in the land (Hosea 4:1,6)
4. Men
turn their ears away from the truth (2Timothy
4:4)
B. Truth
is Often Negated by Conflicting Authorities (Romans
1:25; 2Corinthins 2:17; 4:2)
1. The
word of God: the only God-given authority (John
8:31-32; 17:17)
2. Tradition: the
authority of man’s long-time practice (Matthew
15:1-9, esp.v.3,6,9; Colossians
2:8)
3. Philosophy:
the authority of man’s greatest wisdom (Colossians
2:8; Acts 17:18, with v.16,22,23)
4. Science:
the authority of observable facts and repeatable physical laws (1Timothy
6:20)
5. Scholarship:
the authority of academic learning and agreed upon knowledge (2Timothy
3:7; Isaiah 29:9-12)
6. Pragmatism:
the authority of what brings the desired results (1Corinthians
1:18-25)
7. Experience:
the authority of personal experience (Romans
10:2-3)
C. One
Authority Must be the Final Authority
1. The
authority a person accepts when two authorities disagree becomes his
supreme authority
a. Theistic
evolution (Bible vs. Science)
b. “Praying
through” for salvation (Bible vs. Tradition or Experience)
c. Concerts
and Drama (Bible vs. Pragmatism)
2. Only
an absolute authority can give absolute truth; all other truth is relative
and changeable (Psalm 119:128)
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