8.22-What is truth?

8.22

 Today on television a man said, "Truth is not truth."

Men and women of our day are increasingly given to this idea: the only absolute is that there are no absolutes—the only truth is that there is no truth. The only intolerance is the intolerance of intolerance. All this gives popularity today to the approval of such things as abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, pornography, and all kinds of lewd behavior. It is all traced back to this point of departure: the rejection of the truth…We see it everywhere today. Humanism says man is the truth; pragmatism says whatever works is the truth; pluralism says everyone has a piece of the truth; relativism says each situation determines the truth; mysticism says intuition is the truth; skepticism says no one can know the truth; hedonism says whatever feels good is the truth; existentialism says self-determination is the truth; secularism says this present world is the truth; positivism says whatever man confesses is the truth. This is the world in which we live: the rejection of the truth. — Steven Lawson (from, The Moment of Truth: Its Rejection)

This is not new.


What is truth?
Jesus said He was the truth.
John 14.
 ⁶ Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 18.
³³ Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[j]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom ^[k]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[l]of this realm.” ³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸ Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”


Facts?
Acts 19.
²³ About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of ^[ao]Artemis, was bringing no little ^[ap]business to the craftsmen; ²⁵ these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ^[aq]depends upon this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of ^[ar]Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that ^[as]gods made with hands are no gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess ^[at]Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of ^[au]Asia and the ^[av]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
²⁸ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is ^[aw]Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed ^[ax]with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go into the ^[ay]assembly, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Also some of the ^[az]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to ^[ba]venture into the theater. ³² So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the ^[bb]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know ^[bc]for what reason they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd ^[bd]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the ^[be]assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is ^[bf]Artemis of the Ephesians!” ³⁵ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great ^[bg]Artemis and of the image which fell down from ^[bh]heaven? ³⁶ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and ^[bi]proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the ^[bj]lawful ^[bk]assembly. ⁴⁰ For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the ^[bl]assembly.