Defining Truth in Scripture and Conversation

Objective and Subjective

What is objective truth?What is subjective truth?Are both necessary in Christianity?

What have you experienced in regards to relativism?

Let’s think…

Introduce our weekly arguments.Know and apply objective and subjective

truth appropriately and with humility concerning:

The ability to know anything at all!The Old and New TestamentThe Church todayThe physical world around usThe plurality of different religious convictions

Practice responding to a relativistic, or Post-Modernist worldview.

Where we are going

We have one belief.This belief has many

different sides of arguments.

Some may be stronger than others.

We may disagree with our approaches.

We are all ambassadors for Christ. (2 Cor. 5:20)

One Belief, Many Arguments

Christ

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Ambassador

You are a king, then!" said Pilate.       Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

 "What is truth?" Pilate asked.

What is Truth?

Objective: Existing outside of me and represents the way things really are. “Insulin is a hormone needed for energy”Being Objective is different from being

Absolute It represents the connection between

facts and the declaration of those facts.

Christianity: Objective Justification“Christ died for on the cross for the

world’s sins”A sentence that represents the facts of

the matter.

Objectivity Ambassador

2 major categories of Subjective truth.1. Opinions concerning personal

like and dislike. “I like ice cream”

An objective truth applied to a particular context

Christianity: Subjective Justification“I am saved on account of Christ

alone.”

Subjectivity Ambassador

I find religion is meaningless -- solely defined for myself.This is indirect relativismHow should we respond to this?

What do I know? Ambassador

There is no truth…One must be able to understand the statement,

therefore each word must have truth outside of the sentence.

The sentiment represented in the sentence must also be true in order for the statement to have meaning.

Therefore, it must be TRUE that there is no truth. Stupid.

Question: How do you know that there is no truth? How can you make that truth statement if what you say is true?

What do I know? Ambassador

There are many truths…Possibly true if the truth statements are

completely subjective (definition 1). However, Christianity and Islam cannot be

both true, since both make competing and exclusive claims to truth. One is true, one is false, or they are both false for some third, exclusive claim.

Question: How can something be both true and not true? Is that not a contradiction?

Many Truths Ambassador

Scripture reveals the objective will of God In a particular place and time.Referring to a specific audience

addressed.With the intent and consistent

motivation that Christ is at the forefront of humanity in terms of salvation.

Therefore:We can’t make God’s word

“subjective” to our current time where it has not given us reason to do so.

OT and NT Ambassador

We have an inner testimony of the SpiritThis is a subjective truth that no one

else can share in the same way.However, our inner testimony is

objective in the sense that no other religion has a true experience, but a false one.

Therefore:The inner testimony is a proof of

God’s existence and the truth of Christ, but it may not be a convincing proof for others.

Church Today Ambassador

Unless we can utilize our faculties to understand truth and make truth claims that are consistent with the facts, we have no knowledge of the world.

Cogito ergo Sum: I think therefore I am.

Science, philosophy, and theology are all important truth bearing systems.

The world around Ambassador

Questions to clarify: What do you mean?What do you believe?How do you know what is true?What are your requirements for truth.

Statements to make:Objective truth must exist, or else nothing is

meaningful.Certain objective truths proceed others (Logic

before science).

Ambassador Ambassador

Why is it illogical to suggest that Logic, Reason, and other concepts be subjective? Could society construct their own definitions of Reason, Logic, Morality?

Also! Start thinking about Christ, and the evidences for His death and resurrection!

To think about and discuss