True Truth and False Teaching

There is an increasing notion, spreading pervasively throughout the world today, that an individual has the right and ability to decide truth for him or herself.  This concept has spread with such imperialistic force over the last half-century that not only is it subsumed within the culture, but it has foisted itself upon every element of society.  The common assertion, perhaps slightly oversimplified, states that every person is free to decide truth and to dictate reality as he or she sees fit.  Truth has been so irreverently reduced to a preference that truth has been removed of any actual content beyond its contextual usefulness.  In essence, this ideal would claim that truth is relative to the individual and can be anything, even if it opposes another's truth.

While the historical underpinning for this concept of multiple truths is postmodernism, the effect has been to make truth an individual, relativistic ordeal.  Absolute truth is considered impossible because everyone has their own version of truth.  The result of such a claim is two-fold.  First of all, any and every human being is made into a truth master, capable of creating and determining any truth and worldview that they could desire.  The second effect is that truth critiques and appraisals have been made wholly obsolete because, ultimately, all truths are esteemed as equally valid.  Such a claim does much to explain the torrent of relativism and immorality throughout the world today.

To be certain, it is wholeheartedly against Scripture and the teachings of Jesus to say that truth is relative.  Jesus spoke quite directly that He alone is the truth (John 14:6; 1 John 5:20).  And Scripture is particularly unified that truth is absolute and revealed.  The logic behind such an assertion stems from the source of truth: God.  Because God is the supreme source of Truth, in order for humanity to have access to truth, it must be revealed by God Himself.  The reality, then, is that truth is absolute because it is based on an absolute source.

Naturally, this flies in the face of the contemporary understanding of truth being a relative, individualistic endeavor.  For starters, this puts the person who would claim a certain truth under the authority of Scripture to weigh their particular truth assertion(s).  Additionally, and more importantly, a methodology must be put in place to assess the various and differing truth claims.  Luckily, Scripture is not silent in this regard.  For this, the New Testament authors and Jesus Himself, speak a good deal about truth and falsity, particularly in reference to false teachers and false prophets.

Jesus warns explicitly against false teachers (Matt. 7:15; 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22).  Paul addresses falsity (2 Cor 11:13; Eph. 4:25; 2 Thess. 2:9; 1 Tim. 6:20).  James, Peter, and John also warn against false teachers and teaching (James 3:14; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1).  Needless to say, for such a united warning against falsity, it indicates that this was and is a serious problem in the world and in the Church.

To say that one thing is false is to define it as not true.  This means that what is false is inherently untrue.  Although this may seem like obvious semantic play, the essence of such an assertion should not be overlooked.  Think of the profound logic that the postmodern-world would neglect or dismiss: if something is true it is not false, and if something is false it is not true.  The world at large would view such logic as absolute, indefensible, and archaic.  Unfortunately, the idea that any conceivable idea can be true if someone believes it sincerely enough is an absolute statement that is not founded within its own system of thought.

The issue comes down to truth appraisal.  What rubric is to be employed when weighing various truth claims?  How do we assess truth as being true?  In the end, two simple assertions must be put forth. The first is the authority of Scripture.  Scripture, being the very written Word of God, is the authority that founds or trumps any and all truth claims.  This carries with it the necessity of Jesus, in very nature God, being the beginning and end for all truth assessment.  If any particular truth claim does not jibe with Christ Jesus or with Scripture then, plainly, it cannot be true.  Unfortunately, Christians have all-too-quickly accommodated to these divisive, individualistic, and relative definitions of truth.  Instead we need to consider the words of Paul in his letter to the Colossians:

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Col. 2:8)."

The truth-ness of truth is in how it relies on Christ for its foundation, and how defensible it is from the standpoint of Scripture.  Let us then hold tightly to the Truth, which is God!

The Logic of Jesus

Jesus is the key.  If we are not drawn to and through Jesus in the search for God, we are missing the mark and running a dangerous route.  There are a lot of people who believe in a god and are comfortable talking about the divine and about spirituality, but when Jesus' named is declared, defenses are raised and relativism is thrust into the forefront.  In reality, apart from Jesus, Christianity has no worth.  It is Christ crucified and resurrected that is the sole starting point for any serious discussion of spirituality, religion, and truth.

There is a widespread secular religious doctrine that goes something like this: "all religions worship the same god, or, all roads lead to the same end."  This is blatantly incorrect and incoherent.  Addressing this from the point of view of logic, two fundamental laws of logic are in play, namely the law of identity and the law of non-contradiction.

Jesus' life and message had a tremendous amount of inclusivity, meaning that the Gospel message of the good news of Jesus is open and applicable to all mankind.  On the flip side, the message was definitively exclusive, in the sense that only through faith in Jesus as the risen Son of God is right relationship with God restored and the burden of sin lifted.  There are basically four biblical assertions that lay the groundwork for all truth about Jesus:

(1) God, who is holy, infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, is the Creator of the whole of universe.  The Bible posits this from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation.

(2) The wages of Sin, which separates the depravity of man from the holiness of God, is death and must be accounted for in order for man to be justified and restored to right relationship with Him.

(3) Jesus, the Son of God, through His perfect life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection, paid the penalty of sin due all mankind.

(4) Through confession of sin and belief in Jesus as the sole source of reconciliation to the Father, believers can enter into a restored, right relationship with the Lord and be blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and eternal life.

These are the four basic assertions that undergird all of Christianity.  If we are to consider the laws of logic, especially identity and non-contradiction, then two things must be noted.  The first is the exclusivity of the Gospel.  Only through faith in Jesus is salvation and eternal life reached.  Additionally, sin separates man from God and must be atoned for, Jesus being the atonement.  These two things fundamentally make Christianity what it is.  If these two fundamental doctrines are not held, then it is not Christianity and, ultimately, not true.

Therefore, any worldview, religion, or spiritual experience that contradicts, or challenges the truths of Christ are to be examined as such.  Christianity is based on the work and life of Jesus, the very Son of God.  This is either true or not, it cannot be both.  Thus, we must either accept the truth claims of Jesus as wholly true or altogether reject them as false.  Only one of these is possible.  To allow syncretism is not only to downplay the truth claims of Christ but also to ignore His teachings entirely.  Let us be on guard to not allow relativism to hinder our faith.