Winterfest 2021- Pre-Event Lesson-1

[This lesson is designed to prepare students for the sessions they’ll experience at Winterfest]

What IS Truth?

Scripture Basis: John 18:28-38

Begin by asking this question:

What do these four images have in common?

Answer: They aren’t real. None of these people exist. These images were generated using deepfake technology.

It is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s world to determine what is fake and what is real; what is false and what is true. To demonstrate this reality, you can play the “Real or Fake Photo Game” online at: http://www.fakeaphoto.com/real-or-fake-photo-game/ or at:

https://www.liveabout.com/can-you-spot-the-hoaxes-4099583 or at:

https://www.thequiz.com/are-these-pictures-real-or-fake/

You might want to create your own game using photoshopped pictures alongside real photos and ask your students which ones are real.

You can read more about this topic in an article titled: “Deepfakes Are Going To Wreak Havoc On Society. We Are Not Prepared.” (Forbes May 25, 2020) https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2020/05/25/deepfakes-are-going-to-wreak-havoc-on-society-we-are-not-prepared/?sh=778f89317494

Make the transition to the Bible study by saying something like:

“With so much faking going on, how in this world can we know what is real, what is true?”

Actually, this is not a new question. People have always wondered what is true and what is truth.

2000 years ago, the Roman Governor Pilate asked that very question.

We read about that in John 18:28-38:

28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.

Use this illustration:

Hold a glass of water in one hand and with the other hand dunk a pencil halfway into the glass. The pencil will appear to be broken at the water’s surface.

If someone held the glass and the pencil in front of you and asked whether you thought the pencil was truly broken, most people would most likely say “no, of course not.”

But let’s say that an alien landed here on earth and knew nothing about earthly science, he might very well say that the pencil was broken.

Question: Would the alien’s saying that the pencil was broken make it so?

No, of course not. Truth is not relative. Just because he believed it didn’t make it true. Just because he felt it was real, didn’t make it so.

Many people today are confused about what truth is and who defines it. They aren’t sure if anything is absolute; and if it is, what makes it absolute. As a result, they make decisions based on feelings and situations without any sort of foundational principles.

Let’s look at a few terms to help us understand what truth is and who defines it.

Absolute Truth -- That which is true for all people, for all times, for all places. It is objective (it is defined outside ourselves), universal (it is for all people in all places-it does not change from person to person or place to place) and constant (it is for all times-it does not change from day to day). It is not relative

Objective Truth -- It is defined outside of ourselves. It is rooted in the nature of the object under consideration and transcends the opinions of any subject considering this object.

Subjective Truth - It is defined within ourselves. It is rooted in the opinions and beliefs of the subjects who hold them and vary from person to person.

When you accept an objective standard of truth, you use a moral and ethical viewpoint that guides your choices as to what is right and what is wrong. Your “truth view” acts as a lens through which you see all of life and it’s many choices.

For further discussion of the difference between objective truth and subjective truth, click the link to J. Warner Wallace’s article entitled “Objective Truth Is One Thing, But Objective Moral Truth Is Another” at: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/objective-truth-is-one-thing-but-objective-moral-truth-is-another/

Now let’s look at the two distinct approaches to truth. They reflect two opposite ways of looking at the world.

Approach #1 - Truth is defined by God for everyone; it is objective and absolute.

It is God-centered.

Approach #2 - Truth is defined by the individual; it is subjective and situational.

It is man-centered.

The first approach acknowledges that God - not man - is central, that He is the source of all things and that He rules over all. God is the origin of truth, the author and judge of right and wrong.

The second approach puts the individual in control of moral matters; because the standard is within the individual; it is particular to that specific person (subjective) and circumstance (situational). Each person considers himself or herself the judge of what is right and wrong in any given circumstance.

The second approach is relative. It denies that there is such a thing as absolute truth.

Relativism is the idea contained in the example of the pencil in the glass of water.

A relativist might say that something is “true for me” or “true for you” but not that something is simply true for everybody, everywhere, like we would say about the pencil’s being straight even though it appears to be broken.

Relativism leads people to say things like, “I’m following my truth.”

Have you heard anyone say that before? “My truth?” What do they mean?

It’s popular to say that you’re living “your truth.” Should I live “my truth?” What if “your truth” and “my truth” disagree? Whose truth do we follow? And how many “truths” are there?

Navigating the ever-changing terminology of today’s culture can easily lead to confusion. If our “truth” is what we think, how we feel, or what currently makes us happy, we are setting ourselves up for never-ending problems.

Using the phrase, “my truth” is really just a substitute for "non-negotiable personal opinion." It is a convenient phrase for avoiding arguments because those that use it believe that people can contradict your opinion but not your "truth." The phrase is often used when seeking to justify a controversial personal stance or action because people are not allowed to argue with "your truth."

Karen: I'm leaving my husband. He is a really good, faithful guy and all, but I just

don't love him anymore. It was a tough decision, but I have to live in my

truth!"

Emily: You are so brave! I'm so proud of you for being true to yourself! Stay

strong, sister!"

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In our text for today’s lesson (John 18:38), Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?” Pilate might have very well been listening with the ears of a relativist to the words of Jesus.

Was he implying that objective truth doesn’t exist, ignoring the truth standing right in front of him? Pilate might’ve represented the same thinking so popular today: that there is no objective truth or that we decide our own truth.

If something is objectively true, it is always true and is never untrue. In other words, truth never changes based on what you or I think.

The Bible clearly tells us what …or should we say… WHO is Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Jesus Christ is Truth. He was God in the flesh. He was the human manifestation of God. The incarnation of Truth. He showed us what God is like. He pointed us to truth.

Jesus clearly tells us where to find truth. Praying to God, His Father, He says in John 17:17, “Your Word is truth.” God’s Word, the Bible, is truth. Objective truth. Everything from creation, to the flood of Noah, to the Ten Commandments, to the Virgin birth, to the death of Jesus on the cross, to His physical resurrection from the dead is true. Objective truth.

Here’s a simple definition drawn from what the Bible teaches: Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. Because the definition of truth flows from God, truth is theological.

Truth is also ontological—which is a fancy way of saying it is the way things really are. Reality is what it is because God declared it so and made it so. Therefore, God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth.

The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the “God of truth” Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16) When Jesus said, “I am…the truth” (John 14:6), He was making a bold and profound claim about His own deity. He was also making it clear that all truth must ultimately be defined in terms of God. After all, Jesus is “the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3).  He is truth incarnate—the perfect expression of God and therefore the embodiment of all that is true.

In their book, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Norman Geisler and Frank Turek share some additional truths about truth:

· Truth is discovered, not invented. It exists independent of anyone’s knowledge of it. (Gravity existed prior to Newton.)

· Truth is transcultural; if something is true; it is true for all people, in all places, at all times (2+2=4 for everyone, everywhere at every time).

· Truth is unchanging even though our beliefs about truth change. (When we began to believe the earth was round instead of flat, the truth about the earth didn’t change, only our belief about the earth changed.)

· Beliefs cannot change a fact, no matter how sincerely they are held. (Someone can sincerely believe the world is flat, but that only makes that person sincerely mistaken.)

· Truth is not affected by the attitude of the one professing it. (An arrogant person does not make the truth he professes false. A humble person does not make the error he professes true.)

· All truths are absolute truths. Even truths that appear to be relative are really absolute. For example, “I, Frank Turek, feel warm on November 20, 2003” may appear to be a relative truth, but it is actually absolutely true for everyone, everywhere that Frank Turek had the sensation of warmth on that day.)

In short, contrary beliefs are possible, but contrary truths are not possible. We can believe everything is true, but we cannot make everything true.

Not everyone, of course, believes in the truth of God’s Word. But the truth of God’s Word does not depend on what we think, how we feel, or what makes us happy. “Your truth” and “my truth” don’t really exist in that sense. The truth of God and His Word exist and are objective truth.

That truth not only tells us that we, by nature, are condemned by God for our sins; it also tells us that, by His mercy, our Savior Jesus Christ has taken those sins on Himself, paying for them with His life. By God’s grace, through faith and obedience in Jesus, you are declared innocent and given eternal life. Thank God for Truth!

The denial of objective truth is a problem not only of the past but the present, as well. Consider some of the great questions of the age: Who is God? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose in life? When does human life begin? What is marriage? What does it mean to be male or female? The world more or less shrugs its shoulders at these questions, while the loudest and most powerful voices impose their opinions on others through law and media pressure.

In other words, the message of relativism is that if the alien thinks the pencil in the glass of water is broken, who’s to say he is wrong? We can see, however, that the truth — or our failure to recognize the truth — has consequences far more serious than a glass of water and a pencil. The truth is a matter of life and death and the “wisdom of the world” is not going to deliver you or me from death to life. We must seek the truth! And we must speak the truth!

We should certainly be tolerant of others. This doesn’t mean that everyone’s opinion is true or that we have to always be silent about what we know to be true.

We definitely need to be respectful of those whose opinions are different from ours. We absolutely need to love others and act kindly toward them, no matter what they think or say. That doesn’t mean we can’t act on what we know to be true.

We have to speak the truth and act according to the truth, or we won’t be the people God is calling us to be.

Praise God that He has given us truth. To know truth is to know God Himself, to know God is to love Him, and to love Him is to become united with Him in a bond that lasts for eternity.

Close by writing a prayer in the space below asking God to renew our minds so that we might be delivered from the “wisdom of the world” and its deadly aversion to the truth and to be guided toward the One who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

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