Search This Blog

Saturday, January 01, 2005

Is religious truth really knowable?

Ask The Pastor: How it got started.
E-mail your questions
Master List of Articles


Question: Is religious truth really knowable?

ATP: More and more I am running into or hearing of people who are in a spiritual searching process. Many of those in such a searching process are those who, from the outside, appear to have life put together: Good job, adequate money, secure home life and good health. Yet they are feeling that something is missing.

At the core of their searching are questions about truth. Does God exist? If he does, who is he? What does he require of me, if anything? What will happen to me after I die? Will I see my loved ones again? How can I be sure?

All of these questions are answerable with great certainty, but there is a learning curve that must be dealt with first.

For starters we must understand that religious truth is no different than any other kind of truth. It is governed by the same rules. If something is true, it is true in reality not just in our minds. That means if there is only one God, there cannot be nine Gods, no matter how many people think that nine Gods exist. If there is only one way to heaven, there can’t be fifteen ways to heaven, no matter what public opinion polls say.

Two plus two is still four, no matter how many votes "7" gets. You get the idea.

So, for example, do we know whether there are nine Gods or only one? Yes. The historically verifiable fact of the resurrection of Christ shows us the way.

Because of the Resurrection and the clear evidence showing that it took place, we know that Jesus is who he says he is. If he is who he says he is, he is in truth the Son of God, the Creator of the world, the Messiah, the only way to God the Father. If he is who he says he is, then then what he says is true. If what he says is true, then the Bible is true. And if the Bible is true then there is only one God. Why? Because the Bible says so.

A single, but unbreakable thread holds all of that logic together: the Resuurection. Disprove it and the above "truth" all goes away. What a foolish thing the Apostle Paul did when he hung all of Christianity onto the truth of the Resurrection. Paul says that without the Resurrection Christians should be pitied. Why? Because we have been such dopes. Foolish to narrow things down so far Paul! Foolish! Unless, that is, the Resurrection is true.

Truth makes all the difference, and it can be known. Unlike Neverland believing isn't enough. What we believe must be true.


No comments: