According to one apologist, there are three tests for truth:
The first test for truth is logical consistency. Are there any contradictions? Logical consistency means the truth must be logical, it must make sense. An object cannot be both A and not-A at the same time. Truth must be internally consistent. A fact is either true or it is not true. Aristotle wrote, “To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true; so that he who says of anything that it is, or that it is not, will say either what is true or what is false.” For example, a door can either be open or closed. It cannot be both open and closed at the same time. If a door is open, then it is not closed and if it is closed, it is not open. If one person believes a door is open and another person believes the door is closed, one of them is wrong. Two or more contradictory statements cannot both be true.
The second test for truth is empirical adequacy. Is there any proof? A worldview should be supported by evidence when it is tested. The truth must pertain in a meaningful way to reality. One’s beliefs should reflect the way the universe actually is. We can know a truth is true if it matches reality. A truth cannot become truth just because someone believes it is true. I may believe I have gasoline in my car, but this belief cannot make my car run if the gasoline tank is empty. Even if I start a political movement and convince lots of people that my car is full of gas, people’s belief that the car is full of gas does not make it so.
The third test for truth is experiential relevance. Does it works in real life? In a pragmatic way, truth should work in our everyday lives. This is a major reason why I am a Christian, because out of all the religions Christianity does the best job of describing the way the world actually works and it describes humans as they really are.
Does the existence of objective truth proves the existence of God?
Saint Augustine argued for the existence of God from unchanging, objective, universal truth. Here is how his argument went:
Premise A: There are timeless and unchanging truths.
Premise B: There must be a cause for these truths.
Premise C: This cause must be equal to, lesser than, or greater than our minds.
Premise D: This cause cannot be equal to our minds, since these truths are independent of our minds (our minds are subject to them).
Premise E: These truths cannot be lesser than our minds, since our minds are subject to them.
Premise F: These truths must be greater than our changeable minds.
Premise G Whatever is superior to the changeable is itself unchangeable.
Conclusion: Therefore, there is an unchanging Mind, which is the source of unchanging truth.
The existence of God is an objective truth that either is or is not. Either there is a God or there is not a God. The truth of God’s existence must be an objective truth or it is no truth at all.
Paul puts a great deal of emphasis on the truth of Christ’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19. For Paul, Christ’s resurrection was an objective truth. It was not a matter subject to interpretation. It either happened or it did not happen. Either Jesus is the Savior of all humankind, or He is just a religious teacher who lived two thousand years ago.
On my blog, I have presented various proofs for the existence of God and for the resurrection of Christ. Now, it is your job to decide if these things I have discussed are true or not true.
Jesus is Truth Personified
Truth is important to God. Because truth is important to Him, He does not lie (Hebrews 6:18), His Word is called truth (John 17:17), the Holy Spirit is called the “spirit of truth” (John 14:17) and Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The philosophers of today may deny that there is truth, or if there is truth, they may deny that it can be known. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Ultimately, to know Jesus is to know the truth.
Will you DARE to believe in Him?
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About the Author: Dr. Daniel King is a missionary evangelist who has traveled to over seventy nations in his quest for souls. His goal is to lead 1,000,000 people to Jesus every year through massive Gospel Festivals, distribution of literature, and leadership training. Because of his experience and research on evangelism, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts in mass evangelism. As an evangelist, he has a deep interest in using apologetics to convince skeptics that God is real.
