What Is Truth? AKA What is my worldview?

“Worldview” was a subject brought up by My Sunday School Teacher Eddie a couple of weeks ago. That subject made me want to re-read The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer a Christian Worldview. Don’t even ask me how it is going. There are four volumes. It was written in 1982 by this twentieth century Christian philosopher. He is in heaven now and I wonder how he would interpret our national Christian worldview today?

He said that in the future whether we believe the Bible is actual truth would be what is at stake for the Christian. Wow, I think he was right. But he was only stating the obvious because history reveals that people have always had a problem with, “What is truth?” Pilot even asked Jesus that before he executed Him. What he was asking was: Is there really anything that is a certainty? Is there an unchangeable life ruling system? Is there anything I can put my absolute trust in? When the world asks what do I believe, is there an answer?

And what our answers are to the above questions is our own worldview.

The Barna Group says that the 2014 faith and culture trend will lead us to apply definitive answers to these questions about truth; - 1. What is our church teaching us? (Do I trust and believe it foundationally?) – 2. How is national violence affecting us? (What is our standard for control of violence?) – 3. What are our schools teaching our children? (What are the foundational philosophies to which my children are exposed?) We will each have to answer these questions about truth we have been avoiding for centuries.

This same Barna Group (I’m not making this up, Google them) polled United States Christians in 1984 using this survey:

• Do absolute moral truths exist?
• Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
• Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
• Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
• Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
• Is Satan real?
• Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
• Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

If you answered “yes” to all of these questions you were one in only 9% of those claiming to be Christian in 1984. Now you are in the 4% of Christians. So this “truth” question is very important to our view of life and our place in the world. And, yes, we may have to answer these questions and live by our answers this year as the trend indicates.

I don’t know why we are having such a problem with the meaning of truth. The Bible addresses it 380 times. How’s that for a definition?

But I think the sustaining, you can grab it and hold on to it, definition came from Jesus Christ Himself. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father God but through Me.” He said He was in the past and for all time to come the only reality for life’s journey, the only absolute truth, and the only sustenance for physical and spiritual existence.  And that He was the only way to gain acceptance into our place with the Heavenly father. As we continue in this truth we obey and serve Him. He was very dogmatic about this.  There are no other options for those claiming to be a “Christ”ian.

So the questions are; Do I believe this Jesus Christ Son of God as explained in the Bible from creation to revelation? Do I use the Bible as my truth guidebook? Do I relate to the world around me with this as my unchangeable foundation?

This absolute doctrine may make us a little uncomfortable in our world of unfixed, uncertain, and “it’s OK to believe what you want to,” and “can we really define truth” philosophy.

But it’s the truth.

1.      It will revive our churches.

2.      It will bring enforceable standards to our violence problems.

3.      It will help us guide our children into having their own Christian worldview.

4.      It will show all those around us that we know where to get real answers to life’s tough questions.

It’s a real Christian’s worldview.