Truth Matters

A few months ago, political commentator Matt Walsh created a documentary entitled, “What is a woman?”  When filming for this documentary, he interviewed Dr. Patrick Grzanka, Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies at the University of Tennessee.  The interview was almost over before it began.  Here is the exchange:

Matt Walsh: “’I would like to just start by getting to the truth’.

DPG: ‘I am really uncomfortable with that language – “getting to the truth”. ‘Why is that uncomfortable?’ ‘It sounds deeply transphobic to me. And if you keep probing, we are going to stop the interview.’

MW: ‘If I probe about what the truth is?’

DPG: ‘You keep invoking the word “Truth”, which is condescending and rude.’

MW:  ‘How is the word “Truth” condescending and rude?’

DPG:  ‘Why don’t you tell me what your truth is? And you are walking on 30 seconds more of thin ice before I get up.’”

To this college professor, the idea of truth is condescending and rude.  The truth is, if we are not able to determine the “truth” about gender, can we truly define the truth about anything? 

How did we get to the place where the very idea of truth is condescending and rude?  This is a college professor stating this.  He is educating the next generation of leaders of our country. 

This reminds me of a passage from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 59:1-15

Doctrinally, this passage is speaking of the Jews during the great Tribulation, but it certainly has an application today.  This is especially true of verses 14 and 15.  Truth is fallen in the street.  Truth has failed.

It was just a couple of years ago when it was declared by some that 2+2 = 4 was racist.  How can math be racist?  But truth doesn’t matter, at least not to those who can declare a fact to be racist.

We are fully involved in a house fire called relativism.  This is the idea that truth is relative.  Gravity may be true for you, but it isn’t for me.

We are not talking about issues of opinion, such as “everything” bagels are the best in the world.  I mean issues like 2+2=4.  There is nothing relative about a fact.  Here in America, we are fully able to determine what we do with the facts, but we can’t all have different facts. 

Gravity is true for me, and it is true for you, too, despite the fact that you may not agree with gravity.  A person may say there is no God, but they are wrong.  The fact is, there is a God, whether that person believes or not.

Truth is truth.

In our text in the book of John, the Lord Jesus Christ is standing before Pilate.  This man had the authority to execute Jesus or to set Him free.  But the Lord Jesus Christ didn’t shy away from him or try to get out of the situation.  Jesus spoke plain truth to Pilate.

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

(John 18:37)

When Pilate replied unto the Lord Jesus Christ, he asked a question and then didn’t wait for the answer.  “What is truth?”

This question truly defines the attitude of many today.  “What is truth?”

This question was not a question at all, but it was a statement.  If Pilate was truly asking, he would have waited for an answer.  What Pilate was doing was issuing a statement.

He was stating that truth is relative.  “What is truth?”  My truth is not your truth.

Like that professor, Pilate is offended at the very idea of truth. 

Let us understand that when truth is relative, truth becomes irrelevant.  If there is no standard for truth, truth no longer matters.

If there is no truth about things like gender, biology, creation, etc… there is no truth at all.

Many in our society today embrace such foolishness.  We are here today in this state because those who know the truth have fallen asleep at the wheel. 

Truth is fallen in the streets because those who knew better held their tongues. 

There is, indeed, a time to be silent, but there is a time to speak.  Holding our tongues during times of deceit is moral cowardice. 

There is truth to be told, and there are still some out there who are seeking truth.  In fact, a majority of the world still knows that a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl.  A majority of the world understands that 2+2=4.  A majority of the world understands that it is wrong for a parent to allow their child to “transition” from one gender to another.

There are still those out there who are seeking the truth about the evil in the world today.  They can see a great divide, and they want to know what is going on.

“What is truth?” I would say that the truth is still important to them.

How important should the truth be to the Lord’s church?

1 Timothy 3:15

Will we stand for the truth?

There is still truth in:

1.  The Holy Saviour (John 14:6)

When Pilate stood before Jesus Christ, he was standing before truth, Himself.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the truth.  When we know the truth, the truth shall make us free.

John 8:32

Pay careful attention to wording.  Again, let me say that John 8:32 does not say that the truth will set you free, it says that the truth will make you free. 

Why is this important?  Because something that is “set” free can be captured again.  That has to do with one’s circumstances. 

Something that is “made” free cannot be imprisoned at all.  This has to do with one’s constitution or makeup.  Our soul, the real “us”, cannot ever be captured.  We are made free in Christ.

When we know the truth, the truth shall make us free.

The ultimate truth that the world needs to know is the Lord Jesus Christ.  I work in a shipyard filled with those who need to know the truth.  I am very thankful for the opportunities to have an influence on people there, but there is just so much more that needs to be done.

The world needs to know the truth, and there are still those out there who will receive the truth.

The truth is:

The Holy Saviour

•  The Holy Spirit (John 16:13, 1 John 5:6)

He is the Spirit of truth.  The Spirit is truth.

These are each declarative statements. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He is truth.

When we receive the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit of truth move in and reside in us for good.  He becomes a permanent resident.

He will guide us into all truth because He is truth.  When a believer starts embracing deceit, he is silencing that source of truth within him. 

Many believers have embraced error knowingly because it goes smoother for him if he does.  They believe in going along to get along.  They don’t want to stand out. 

But here is the truth about this mooshy form of Christianity, it turns more people off than it attracts.  It is much better to be open and honest about controversial topics than to just compromise. 

There are people out there looking for truth, and if they can’t find it in their local church, where will they go? 

There is truth.  The Holy Saviour is truth.  The Holy Spirit is truth.

•  The Holy Scriptures are truth (John 17:17)

“Thy word is truth”

When the Bible speaks of eternal matters, it is truth.  When the Bible speaks of creation, it is truth.  When the Bible speaks of gender, it is truth.  When the Bible speaks of human sexuality, it is truth.

When the Bible speaks of the holiness of the Lord, it is truth. 

This is all very controversial to some.  But we must not be silent.

Truth is important. 

We must stand up for the truths found in the Holy Scriptures.

Even if it costs us.  The idea that we go along to get along should be repulsive to the Bible believer.

And, believe it or not, standing for truth in these days will attract those who are looking for truth.

Even  many lost people know that there is truth. 

In John 18:37, Jesus said that He was sent unto the world to bear witness to the truth.  He is speaking of Himself, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Scriptures.

This is a great purpose for us as well.  Let us bear witness unto the truth.

Truth is important.  Let us be agents of truth.