Day 1 - Truth
Session #1
Read aloud...
John 18:37-39
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
John 18:37-39
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
Interaction #1: Discuss truth. Does absolute truth exist? Discuss the difference between subjective and objective truth. Can someone give an example of a subjective (mind dependent -- opinion/personal preference or perspective) truth (e.g., pistachio ice cream is delicious)?
Can someone give an example of an objective (mind independent -- fact, accurate statement about reality) truth (e.g., 2×2=4, human life begins at conception)? Have you ever heard someone say, "all truth is relative (i.e., there is no absolute truth)", or "that's true for you, but not for me."? How did you respond, or how would you respond?
Can someone give an example of an objective (mind independent -- fact, accurate statement about reality) truth (e.g., 2×2=4, human life begins at conception)? Have you ever heard someone say, "all truth is relative (i.e., there is no absolute truth)", or "that's true for you, but not for me."? How did you respond, or how would you respond?
View the following two videos after Interaction #1...
Read aloud...
John 14:6
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Interaction #2: Has anyone heard the claim, "all religions lead to God?" Can Jesus' claim in John 14:6 and the claim that "all religions lead to God" both be true?
They can't both be true because that would violate the law of non-contradiction (a fundamental law of logic).
The three fundamental laws of logic:
The law of identity: P is P.
The law of non-contradiction: P is not non-P.
The law of the excluded middle: Either P or non-P.
click here for more on the Fundamental Laws of Logic
In the following videos Ravi Zacharias and John Lennox explain the Law of Non-Contradiction...
The bottom line is the laws of logic are self-evident axioms (established or accepted truth) that are taken for granted, but are used nonetheless everyday to give conversation meaning and coherence. Logic is to thinking/reasoning, what grammar is to communication. You use the laws of logic (like the laws of grammar) even if you don't know you use it, and the moment you stop is the moment the conversation becomes incoherent and meaningless.
Watch the next three videos then read the following biblical passages...
Read aloud...
Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”
1 Peter 3:14-15
14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”
1 Peter 3:14-15
14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Interaction #3: Given everything we have learned, can you think of why we started this course and our logical chart (click here to see LOGICAL CHART) with truth?
The reason we establish absolute truth on level one of our logical chart is because as much as you can try to help someone see that absolute truth exists, if the relativist refuses to acknowledge the obvious (there is absolute truth) then it will be impossible to reason with them further. Talking about God, the Bible, and life's fundamental questions (origin, meaning, morality, and destiny) is calculus level stuff meant for those who are not calling into question everything we know about the most basic laws of mathematics. If someone doesn't accept the most basic laws of math as true, how will they understand the complexity of calculus? Similarly, if someone denies the most basic axiom of thought and reason (the laws of logic are objectively true), how can you reason with them on matters as deep as God?
With this in mind and in light of the three biblical passages you just read, discuss the following: What does it mean to love God with your mind? How does one prepare to give a reason for the hope that is within? How does loving God with your mind and being prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within help us fulfill the great commission?
With this in mind and in light of the three biblical passages you just read, discuss the following: What does it mean to love God with your mind? How does one prepare to give a reason for the hope that is within? How does loving God with your mind and being prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within help us fulfill the great commission?