Norman Geisler (1932–2019) on the Truth about Truth

Norman Geisler (1932–2019) on the Truth about Truth

July 02, 2019by: Frank Turek, Norman L. Geisler

What Is Truth?

What is truth? Very simply, truth is “telling it like it is.” When the Roman governor Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth?” nearly 2,000 years ago, he didn’t wait for Jesus to respond. Instead, Pilate immediately acted as if he knew at least some truth. Concerning Jesus, he declared, “I find no fault in this man” (see John 18:38). By exonerating Jesus, Pilate was “telling it like it is.”

Truth can also be defined as “that which corresponds to its object” or “that which describes an actual state of affairs.” Pilate’s judgment was true because it matched its object; it described an accurate state of affairs. Jesus really was innocent.

Contrary to what is being taught in many public schools, truth is not relative but absolute. If something is true, it’s true for all people, at all times, in all places. All truth claims are absolute, narrow, and exclusive. Just think about the claim “everything is true.” That’s an absolute, narrow, and exclusive claim. It excludes its opposite (i.e., it claims that the statement “everything is not true” is wrong). In fact, all truths exclude their opposites. Even religious truths.

This became comically clear when a number of years ago I (Norm) debated religious humanist Michael Constantine Kolenda. Of the many atheists I debated, he was one of the few who actually read my book Christian Apologetics prior to the debate.

When it was his turn to speak, Kolenda held up my book and declared, “These Christians are very narrow-minded people. I read Dr. Geisler’s book. Do you know what he believes? He believes that Christianity is true and everything opposed to it is false! These Christians are very narrow-minded people!”

Truth is unchanging even though our beliefs about truth change.

Well, Kolenda had also written a book which I had read beforehand. It was titled Religion Without God (which is sort of like romance without a spouse!). When it was my turn to speak, I held up Kolenda’s book and declared, “These humanists are very narrow-minded people. I read Dr. Kolenda’s book. Do you know what he believes? He believes that humanism is true and everything opposed to it is false! These humanists are very narrow-minded people!”

The audience chuckled because they could see the point. Humanist truth claims are just as narrow as Christian truth claims. For if H (humanism) is true, then anything opposed to H is false. Likewise, if C (Christianity) is true, then anything opposed to C is false.

What We Can’t Change

There are many other truths about truth. Here are some of them:

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. (Someone can sincerely believe the world is flat, but that only makes that person sincerely mistaken.)

Truth is not affected by the attitude of the one professing it. (An arrogant person does not make the truth he professes false. A humble person does not make the error he professes true.)

All truths are absolute truths. Even truths that appear to be relative are really absolute. (For example, “I, Frank Turek, feel warm on November 20, 2003” may appear to be a relative truth, but it is actually absolutely true for everyone, everywhere that Frank Turek had the sensation of warmth on that day.)
In short, contrary beliefs are possible, but contrary truths are not possible. We can believe everything is true, but we cannot make everything true.

This article is adapted from I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman L. Giesler and Frank Turek.

---

Frank Turek (PhD, Southern Evangelical Seminary) serves as the vice president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

Norman L. Geisler (1932–2019) cofounded Southern Evangelical Seminary and wrote over 100 books, including his four-volume Systematic Theology. He taught at the university and graduate level for nearly forty years and spoke at conferences worldwide.

---

Source : https://www.crossway.org/articles/norman-geisler-19322019-on-the-truth-about-truth/

How to discover God's purpose for your life?

Have you ever wondered, “Why am I here?”

Maybe you’ve gone your whole life knowing you wanted to be a doctor but didn’t make it into med school. Maybe an unplanned opportunity came your way, but you didn’t know if it was the right choice.

Maybe your dreams have changed so often that when someone asks where you see yourself in five years, you panic because you could see yourself running your own business, staying at home with the kids, serving in full-time ministry overseas, or working as a flight attendant.

You don’t know where to start, where your passions lie, or what you are even good at. If you’re confused about what you were made for, take a moment and breathe. Stop worrying about which job you’ll apply for next, what city you’ll end up in, who you might marry, or what God even made you for.

You were created on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose.

If there is any insecurity harboring inside you right now, rest in the fact that God created you and has plans for you. Ephesians 2:10 says, “... we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has created you uniquely. You are the only you on Earth, and you have a divine mission only you can accomplish. You were created on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose.

Finding Your Place in the Church

God made each of us to bring glory to Him and to share the good news about Jesus’ forgiveness of sin with the people around us. But while every Christian shares this common goal, we don’t all share the same talents, abilities, resources, interests, and perspectives. And that’s a good thing.

Some people are natural teachers, and others are natural preachers. Some easily find words of encouragement, others see into the future clearly and understand the implications of a decision well before anyone else.

These abilities are not accidental. God gives each of us at least one spiritual gift the moment we ask Jesus into our lives. These spiritual gifts are meant to work together to help build the church and draw others to Jesus.

In a letter to believers in Rome, the apostle Paul explains this concept using the illustration of a body. While each organ and body part serves a specific function, they are dependent on one another to thrive. We are part of one body — the church — and within the church, we all serve different functions.

“We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man’s  gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8).

Like the parts of a body, the church is most effective when:
• we understand that not everyone has the same gifts,
• we know who we are and what we do best,
• we are committed to working together for God’s service, not our personal success.

God distributes spiritual gifts according to His wisdom and graciousness. Our role is to learn what gifts God has given us, then to be faithful and find ways to serve others with the gifts God has given us (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Finding Your Place in the World

In addition to giving us spiritual gifts, God also places specific desires in our hearts.

Maybe you see other single moms all around you and think, “Someone needs to make a place for women with kids to connect.” Maybe you pass the same homeless person every day on your way to work and think, “Someone should do something for him.” Maybe you see a broken process in your church, community, or workplace, and think, “We could reach more people if someone would…” What if the someone God wants to work through is you? 

Where we live, when we were born, who we interact with — none of these circumstances are accidental (Acts 17:26-27). God has placed you where you are, and He calls you to serve where you are. The best way to find your calling is to consider: Who are you burdened for? And, what opportunities has God put in front of you to help those people? The answer to those questions will help you find your calling.

Some people find a niche and dedicate their lives to it. But for the vast majority of Christians, God brings different burdens and opportunities in different seasons of life.

Embracing Who You Were Made to Be

The desire to have a meaningful existence is innate in all of us. It’s the drive behind our late nights in the office, our early mornings on the practice field, and our long hours making sure the house looks perfect and the kids are well-behaved.

We want to know that what we do matters, that we are making a difference. And if we don’t understand why we are here or what we were made for, we’ll fill that need with whatever seems right at the time.

The Bible teaches that finding our purpose in anything other than the Lord will always leave us unfulfilled. After observing all the ways people searched for meaning in their lives apart from God, Solomon, one of the wisest and wealthiest kings to ever live, wrote, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Only the Lord has the answers you are looking for, and He promises that if you’ll seek your purpose in Him, your life will have an eternal impact (Matthew 6:33). 

Source : https://newspring.cc/articles/how-to-discover-gods-purpose-for-your-life