Today, we begin a new message series called “GodQuest.” What is a quest? A quest is a search for something of great value. Going on a quest is an adventure which connects you with other people who are on a quest for the same thing. In our case, the object of our quest is God, the ultimate treasure.
Hebrews 11:6b (NIV) … anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The Bible says that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him, those who are on a quest to discover God. In this series, we will be looking at some of the tough questions that people have about God. In many cases, not having the answers to these questions has keep people away from God or caused doubts that have hindered their relationship with God.
As we go through this series for the next six weeks, I am praying that God will reward you as you are on this quest to know Him. I also pray that what you learn in this series will equip you to better share your faith with those who have questions.
This morning, our first message in the GodQuest series is called “What is Truth?” When we are searching for God, we are really searching for truth. Many people think they have spiritual truth figured out. Christian Smith in his landmark book “Souls in Transition” lists the core beliefs of many Americans.
- A God exists who created and orders the world.
- God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other.
- The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
- God is not involved in people’s lives except when they have a problem to be solved.
- Good people go to heaven when they die.
The first two beliefs are not far off the mark, but where did the last 3 come from? The last three beliefs simply came from what people want to believe, they certainly didn’t come from the Bible.
You see, there are two kinds of truth, subjective truth and objective truth. Subjective truth is whatever I want it to be, whatever makes sense to me, whatever feels right. Subjective truth is accepted by many concerning religion, but it doesn’t work well for math or science, does it? Objective truth, on the other hand, states that there is an absolute truth about God, about morality, about math, about science that is the same for everyone in everyplace at every time.
Isaiah 5:20 (NIV) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
The Bible says that there is an objective truth, there is good and evil, darkness and light, bitter and sweet. Those who mix things up with subjective truth and call evil good and good evil are in for trouble.
So how can we know objective truth? Every person has their biases and points of view, where can we go to get the unbiased objective truth about God and the world we live in? The answer is from God Himself, who alone stands outside of time and the finite constraints of the world. God has revealed His objective truth to us through the Bible.
John 17:17 (NIV) … your word is truth.
And what does God’s Word reveal about the truth?
John 14:6a (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
God’s Word reveals that the ultimate objective truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Today, we’re going to look at 3 characteristics of truth from the Bible to answer the question “What is Truth?”
Listen to or watch my October 2, 2011 message What is Truth?