Whose Truth?

Mark Dunagan
04/22/12 - Sunday Morning

Whose Truth?

In the book, “That’s Just Your Interpretation”, writer Paul Copan made this insightful observation, “A couple of years ago, our family became members of a nearby church.  As I like to do, I began teaching an adult Sunday school class.  I would at times hear comments such as, ‘That’s just your interpretation’, or (less frequently), ‘I just don’t believe what the Bible says about that issue’.  As biblical illiteracy increases in our churches and as authority of any kind-including biblical authority—is more frequently called into question, we will continue to see relativism, skepticism, and smorgasbord religion appear in various ‘Christian’ settings” (p. 26).

For anyone, especially those living in the Northwest, we are well aware that Truth has been under full attack for some time.  According to a Barna poll taken in 1997, at that time 40 percent of those who claimed to be Evangelicals said that there are no moral absolutes.  In addition, lest we feel singled out, biblical authority is not the only authority under attack.  Virtually every authority is being questioned, including historical truth.  Copan further writes, “Since the beginning of the 1990’s…historians have increasingly disbelieved that there is any distinction between myth and fact, between fiction and nonfiction:  ‘The newly dominant theorists within the humanities and social sciences assert that it is impossible to tell the truth about the past or to use history to produce knowledge in any objective sense at all’.  The writing of history is virtually no different from propaganda.  Or it can be seen as the attempt of one racial, social, or political group to assert power over another” (p. 44).

If you have been seeking to share the gospel with your neighbors and friends then you have already probably heard such statements as:

• “That’s just your interpretation”.
• “Your truth is not my truth”.
• “That is your reality but it is not my reality”.
• “There is no way that people can agree—we all come from different backgrounds; we all wear colored glasses that prevent us from seeing things clearly”.
• “We are merely products of our culture”. The only reason you are a Christian is because your parents were Christians; if you had been born in India, your truth would be Hinduism. 
• “What was written in the Bible was true for that time, but it is not true for our time”.

For Christians who are older, this is a far different battle front than the time in which they were born and raised.  And yet this attack upon truth certainly isn’t new to the world.

The Time in Which the Judges Ruled

The book of Judges is an interesting book and has many fascinating accounts.  In this book there are a number of choices individuals made that certainly leaves the reader scratching his or her head and sympathizing with what our good God endured as He watched.

Judges 8:22-27

Gideon wisely rejected when the men of Israel wanted him to be their king, rightly noting that God was their only king.  But then he gathers the ear-rings and other jewelry that had been taken from the Midianites and made them into an ephod (an apron-like garment worn by the High-Priest), and ended up worshipping it. We are not told why Gideon made this, for an authorized ephod already existed.  Some assume that the High Priesthood may have been unfaithful and that Gideon might have felt that he needed to assume the priestly duties.  “It is extremely important that we recognize this.  The essence of all compromise, and ultimately of all heresy, is that we believe that we have the right to alter or improve the revealed will of God” (Inrig p. 153).  Dale Ralph Davis makes a good point when he notes that while God had spoken to Gideon in Chapters 6-7 this did not give Gideon the right to implement his own medium of communication with God.  “Christians today do not deal with ephods, high priests, or tabernacles, and yet may have this same thirst for more—a hankering for more than what God has already given for our sustenance,  nurture, and direction.  We subtly suggest God has furnished us inadequately.  We are not content merely to walk obediently to the Scriptures, trusting God’s providence and goodness to direct us in the proper path.  No, we must have more—a specific direct word from God about what we should do in our particular problem.  So we come up saying, ‘The Lord said to me that I should…’ or  ‘The Holy Spirit spoke to me, telling me that’” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 114-115). 

• Judges 8:30-31

Even though Gideon refused the offer of being a king, he wanted to live like a king.  He had 70 sons, because he had many wives.  This was foolish, but even beyond this, for some reason these wives still were not enough.  He also had a concubine (8:31).  This woman bore him only one son.  Now someone might say, “So what?”  Or, “Stop moralizing, I don’t like you trying to force your morality on me”.  “So what if Gideon had a woman on the side in Shechem?  Who did that really hurt?”  Well the rest of the story is that the son born of that woman would execute all the other sons!  (9:5)  This is one reason I am never impressed with the idea that every person creates their own reality—that is somehow isolated from all the other realities.  The simple truth is that when people make foolish choices, those choices often come crashing into our reality.

• Judges 17:1-3

This chapter contains an explanation of why people in the times of the Judges made such foolish decisions.  “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6).  This same verse is repeated at the end of the book (21:25).  The chapter opens with us being introduced to a man named Micah.  In verse 2 we learn that he had stolen money from his own mother!  1100 pieces of silver, to be exact.  Yet he gives the money back because he had heard his mother utter a curse upon the unknown thief (17:2).  His mother freely talks about “The Lord”, and yet she is a thief and idol worshipper as well.  First she claims that she will “wholly dedicate the silver” to the Lord—to make a grave image!   Yet she only used 200 of the 1100 when it came to making the idol (17:4).  One should note that Micah was deathly afraid of the curse his mother uttered, yet has no fear or knowledge of the curse that rests upon idol worshippers. I know that our world is filled with confused individuals who have convoluted thinking—but no more than this mother and son. Let's determine ourselves to do what is right in God's eyes, and not our own, so that we can avoid such folly.

Truth is Unavoidable

Even though truth is under attack, there is really no way that a person can avoid dealing with truth.  Pilate, asked Jesus, “What is truth” (John 18:38)—and yet knew a number of things for certain:  a.  He knew that Jesus was innocent (19:4).  b. He knew that Jesus was claiming to be the king of the Jews (19:15).  c.  He knew that the Jewish authorities were envious of Jesus’ power and influence and that is why were they seeking to get rid of Him (Matthew 27:18).  What do I mean when I say that truth is unavoidable?

• When someone says, “There are no absolutes. And that’s just your interpretation”, ask them, “Is it absolutely true that it is my interpretation and is it absolutely true that you are saying that it is absolutely wrong?” Truth is unavoidable.
• When someone says, “There are no absolutes. What is true for you is not true for me”, ask them, “Is it absolutely true that your truth is truth for you?” Truth is inescapable.

Copan further observes, “It should be clear by now that no matter what position we take when it comes to the truth, we will constantly be making truth statements or presupposing certain truths to defend or justify our positions.  So let’s lay to rest once and for all the question of whether objective truth exists” (p. 28).

Be Watchful

When you encounter people who seek to undermine your confidence in absolute or objective truth, be watchful, for you will observe that:

• They make themselves exceptions to their own rules.  For example, the historian or author who claims that we are just products of our environment certainly does not speak as if he believes he is a mere helpless products, but instead often has an attitude of having arisen above cultural influences with the rare and unique ability to see the truth far more clearly than the "less gifted" around him.
• People say that so many people disagree about the Bible, that therefore a clear meaning cannot exist.  Yet they make an exception for the book they are writing.  They expect people to properly interpret their book and are offended if anyone would dare to misquote them.
• People who claim that morality is situational, make an exception for themselves when they are wronged. The moral relativist who says that it is none of their business how others live—quickly finds a moral absolute when someone keys their car, kidnaps their child, or cleans out their savings account.
• Men who claim that everything is relative, seek to persuade everyone else that their own perspective, however, is not relative, but is indeed the truth. 
• People who say they don’t judge others, frequently judge those who are making the moral judgments that God expects us to make.
• People who say that it doesn’t matter how you believe, just as long as you are sincere,  often neither appreciate nor accept the Christian who sincerely believes that Jesus is the only way, or that hell exists.
• People who say, “Question Authority” mean “Question all authority except the authority I just asserted when I stated "Question Authority".

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net