The Truth about the Truth
It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen,
while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.
(Johann Goethe)
Why is it that all of mankind knows certain things to be objectively true regardless of culture, or creed, or the hand of time?
It is because God is Truth. In their essence, God with a capital G, and Truth with a capital T, are one in the same, and this is the first step in our understanding of reality. We want answers and the Truth endeavors to reveal them, but we must see this foundational concept from the beginning to find what is real.
When it comes to the most important questions in life; Where did I come from?; Where am I going?; What is my purpose here?, if we're being honest with ourselves we will admit that we've never slowed down enough, or thought critically enough about our lives to realize the amazing nature of our existence as spiritual beings. We've given ourselves away to pressures from peers and the flow of temporary short sighted cultural trends around us as opposed to listening to the truth ingrained deep within our hearts. We've skirted the bigger issues (those that mean the most), due to fears of being singled out by others, or being mocked for appearing so inwardly introspective (giving ourselves to deeper thinking). We hold onto unrecognized fears desperately without thinking, and thus never truly realize what it is were doing. Lies hold power over us in ways we cannot understand from the enchanted side of the veil that keeps us from real and useful knowledge. We must engage with our thoughts more deeply.
The truth is knowable and pure. Authors Norman Geisler and Frank Turek break it down with clarity in their co-authored book,
I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Athiest"....;
- 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. (An errant person does not make the truth he professes false. A humble person does not make the error he possesses true.)
"In short, contrary beliefs are possible, but contrary truths are not possible. We can believe everything is true, but we cannot make everything true."
Jesus says,