Dave’s Monday Blast – October 21, 2024
Good Morning Men of Intention,
In John 14:6 Jesus plainly states that He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Make no mistake, by using the definite article THE, Jesus was clear that there is NO OTHER way, truth or pathway to life. Fast forward to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and we find Him appearing before Pontius Pilate (John 18:38) who questions the validity of His claim: “What is truth?” This has been THE question of humankind since the Garden; who or what is true?
Never before has the answer to this question been more important than it is today. In a recent article, The Denison Forum commented: “We all want to believe that our work matters, that we are leaving a legacy by what we do. Those of us whose work in words especially wonder if we are making a difference. To this end, many believe that their words can make the world what they believe it should be. Why?
Our culture has jettisoned its belief in objective truth for what Stephen Colbert calls truthiness, defined as ‘the belief in what you feel to be true rather than what the facts will support.’ As a result, some journalists believe that their value no longer lies in reporting the news but in changing society.”
The problem with this shift from objective to subjective is particularly obvious in mainline news networks and social media outlets where everyone’s words are unfiltered and unedited. The line between objective reporting and opinion has been blurred, if not obliterated.
Denison continues: “Our secularized culture can reject objective truth, but this makes truth no less objective. To claim ‘there is no such thing as absolute truth’ is to make an absolute claim. The person who denies the sunrise does not harm the sun. At the same time, we all experience what Hans-Georg Gadamer called the ‘fusion of horizons’ when we view a sunrise, listen to music, or otherwise interact with the world, we interpret it from our unique perspective. We bring it into ourselves and ourselves into it.”
Meaning = we can there-fore either abandon our quest for objective truth, as many do, or seek an authority we can objectively trust. This is exactly what Pilate did when he was confronted with the Truth claim of Jesus Christ. His question was rhetorical. No one was closer to the Truth than he was in that moment. He chose to reject the truth.
INTENTIONAL men of God know that authoritative truth must obviously come from outside our personal “horizon” and be superior to our finite, fallen minds. The good news is that we have such an authority available to us today. It is the same authority that Pilate had two thousand years ago. The admonition is always the same; choose well!
I love that old song: “We serve a risen savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer and just the time I need Him He is always near. He lives….And because He lives we can face tomorrow with confidence.”
