What Is Truth?

PNG radio for today's culture and timeless truths come together it's reasoned relevant content apologetics worldview and answers to the questions that you need to know from Alex McFarlane ministries. This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days weaker writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane what is truth. This truth exists, absolute truth objective truth, moral truth, it's applicable to all people, doesn't exist. Welcome to TMG radio Alex McFarlane's your way, some basic foundation for Christian apologetics and a defense of the faith were going to talk about. Does truth exist does God exist are miracles possible. Can God intervene in the world is the Bible true is is Jesus really the son of God and several other things that I think are pretty important topics these days because we live in a time is as you all know there is so much spend there so much battle for really the voice of people and the ear of the public and so the churches always got to be vigilantly ready to rise to the challenge of Jude verse three, and earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints defending the faith once delivered and so notice that we are to passionately fruitfully consistently defend the faith notice. Jude verse three says the faith, not a faith and I think about this to the faith once delivered to the saints that the gospel is not something that we revise and we improve on and tweaked over the years.

Last summer, a leader of the major denomination said that unless we're addressing social justice and in less were addressing gender issues were not preaching the gospel these days. I disagree with that. First Corinthians 15 three through five. The gospel is the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus for the sins of the world to think about this for those that are liberal and even in wants conservative denominations now saying we have to address all of these other issues of these issues might be important but look, if we have to add social justice and if we have to add gender issues and things like that to the gospel and if were not preaching the gospel unless we add on these liberal pet causes does that mean that from the first century to the last five years. People want preaching the gospel, because if you read everything from Pentecost to the early church. You know, up through the Reformation, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Menno Simons, Zwingli, all through early America George Whitfield Jonathan Blanchard Charles Finney DL Moody RA Torrey Billy Sunday Billy Graham CS Lewis they want preaching gender roles and social justice that were preaching the death, deity, resurrection of Christ for the sins of the world. So be careful. For those that want to garnish or enhance or revise or update the gospel. A sure way to make the church irrelevant is to try to change the gospel to make it more relevant we are to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. The death burial and resurrection of Christ. We proclaim it we explain it, we defended we don't improve upon it because it can't be improved upon its perfect the sacrifice you made on the cross and praise the Lord Jesus is disclosed buys a prayer. If you've never called on Jesus to be born again to be saved. We would urge you to do that today the world in which we live today is very unique society, not with the technology of the last few decades, the world is more connected than ever before and planes travel faster and pick people out over the world and for those that don't want to travel.

The Internet provides pictures and videos and all the information anyone could ever possibly want about any part of the world and all of this technology is resulted in a massive globalization.

Eastern cultures are no longer unique only to Eastern societies in the technology of the 21st century has completely revolutionized humanity. It it really is a unique time in which were alive and it's no longer uncommon for young people and people in social media to have friends scattered all around the world. Now let's talk about some the implications of this.

However, it is great that cultures are intertwining and it is possible to experience things that people of previous generations would never of even known about or perhaps could only read in a book, but globalization has also caused a greater awareness of other religions and other belief systems.

For example, Eastern religions were largely popular in the 1960s due to bands like the Beatles promoting them and then a belief system like Islam really only was known to most Americans vaguely in the 1970s with the American hostage situation and the Shah of Iran being deposed from his country.

I think about atheist blogs on the Internet. There are very common and even Facebook posts a network that is the place where atheists can safely post their beliefs about their rejection of God.

So much has been going on with the advent of Internet culture were wired up 24 seven people with mobile devices. Literally, they've got the Library of Congress in the palm of their hand. Not this great globalization gives us an opportunity to share the gospel of Christ like never before. But it also gives people of other belief systems entrée into the lives of our kids, people of more awareness of other belief systems that challenge the faith of Christian apologetics seeks to provide reasonable evidence against other belief systems but also positive evidence for the claims of Christianity going to talk about how we can know truth explain truth live truth model, truth, and when called upon to do so we can defend tree state from I am a watchman ministries. Here's today's I am a watchman minute. Most know the story of Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo how they refused to bow and worship the idol and were thrown into but saved from the fiery furnace. However, most do not realize that the pagan king was not forbidding the men to worship God. He just wanted to be worshiped as well. I worry that many today compromise their faith by thinking they can worship God and the things of this world before you say oh that's not me. Let me note that whatever we think about more than God or focus on more than God. That's an idol.

We can't love the Lord as Scripture commands with all of our heart and mind and strength.

If God is not first place in our heart and mind and spirit. Let's commit to making God first place in our life today. People will be faithful, be a watchman, I am a watchman.com Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism of homosexuality. The role of government abortion and war. Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring them, yet were called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions 10 issues that divide Christians Alex McFarlane challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues such as social justice evil and suffering, photography, and environmentalism as he echoes the biblical invitation, this reason together only by engaging the Scriptures deeply thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we, in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians buying this book and many others@alexmcfarlane.com why we don't follow traditions merely for the traditional medical world and search for the reasons behind Christian Diemer engage magazine development is from the reviews and like in the believer spiritual share. Truth engage magazine at liberty University. You'll earn more than a degree in the satisfaction of seeing what you can accomplish and what God can accomplish more than 600° options from associate 100% online more discover God's truth through every degree at liberty University where we train champions for Christ good at liberty\exploit. To learn more at liberty\exploit. To learn more timeless truths in a soundbite culture for a new generation radio does truth exist were making the case for absolute truth in John 1838 Pilate asked Jesus what is truth. Increasingly, skeptics argue that there are really no longer issues that are right and wrong for all people and all places.

And when it comes to things like transgender-ism and homosexuality belief systems constantly were really given the mantra well that's true for you but not for me. You have your truth. I have my truth. Can we still make a case for absolute truth will on today's edition of TMG radio were going to try to do that in the case begins by answering the ancient words. Pilate asked Jesus in John 1838. What is truth. Pilate understood that there were different sides to a story.

The Jews wanted Jesus killed and Pilate believed that Jesus hadn't done nothing wrong or nothing worthy of death, but Pilate also wanted to please the crowd. Now today we know that similar controversies exist today, people can claim that there are no absolutes but does that make their claim should see the problem with the mindset when somebody says we know there is no there's no absolute truth. Are there. There is no truth that everybody has to respond to or acquiesce to blot that claim itself is an absolute statement that the very claim that there is no absolute truth has to overcome two issues.

Now think about this. First, if this statement includes itself, then the statement there is no absolute truth is not true.

It's relative not always true.

Now if this statement is somehow exempt or excluded from its own claim.

There's no absolute truth, except this one.

While the person that is climbing absolute while denying absolutes is really making a contradiction in either case, how do you deny absolutes when you're making an absolute statement. Now that's might sound like a lot of lofty gobbledygook, but it but it really makes sense. I mean words have meaning we use words to try to convey truth laws hold each other accountable for the way we use or miss use words so if people say well you have your truth out of my truth there really saying there's no absolute truth and it's absolutely true. What I just said that's contradiction.

So let's talk about something.

Let's go way back to a couple of hundred years before the birth of Christ to Aristotle and the Greeks that taught us how to think reasonably all the reasonable thought has existed ever since the Garden of Eden, which is used are reasoning powers in the wrong way. Sometimes Adam and Eve tried to reason and legitimize what was better to listen to the serpent and obey God, and they they reasoned wrongly and chose to sin, but by the time of Aristotle.

They were codifying and explaining and trying to categorize different types of logic and logical principles, one of which is called to listen the law of non-contradiction of this law states the two opposing ideas can't both be true and false at the same time. Another words, 2+2 cannot equal four and 2+2 cannot equal five. At the same time under the same conditions of 2+2 = 4. Logically, it cannot be three or five now some skeptics that are more influenced by an Eastern worldview than they might realize well that they'll stable everything is just relative it's it's all perspective you got your perspective. I've got mine as everything is really just a solution but this claim is really ludicrous because it contradicts the reality that all people experience you can't say everything is an illusion. Unless there's some other clear reality with which to compare it.not think so… We have the world is just maybe it's a program running in somebody's computer.

It's a matrix we better escape the matrix like that movie set. If your script everything is an allusion welcome paired to what you would only know something was fake. If there was something real that you also were familiar with. You could only discern that life is somehow an allusion.

If you also knew that there was on the other hand, reality. But now careful, who's to say that this is not reality and something else is allusion or vice versa.

Again, claiming that this world is some empty illusion avoids reality, but it doesn't really answer our true existence while were here.

So what I want to talk about are some ways that we know there is truth. For one thing, God has spoken to us, and he's given us a mind and a conscience and here in the pampered prosperous West we pontificate and where and we don't have to get up every morning and just most people don't at least have to fight for food and sustenance. Like so many do in the world. It's really in the decadent West that people for the last several decades have been able to sit back and try to pass judgment on God.

In reality and and really it's ludicrous to think of people speculating well it does reality even exist. Obviously it does.

There is something real. Otherwise we wouldn't be here to even debate about it so God has given us a reasonable mind were accountable for how we use it were accountable for our response to nine truth. The Bible says that in times past God winked at man's ignorance, but now commence people everywhere to repent. Because God is spoken to us in a number of ways he's revealed himself through creation. He's revealed himself through our moral knowledge. That is our conscience he's revealed himself through Jesus Christ. He's revealed himself through the pages of Scripture. Even in some extreme circumstances in extenuating circumstances. God reveals himself in dreams and visions to people to make himself known so we can perceive truth we can understand truth we can grow in our knowledge of truth what the Holy Spirit of God calls people everywhere to do. Maybe God is calling you to do this right now is to respond to truth to humble yourself and turn to the God who is revealing himself to maybe even knocking on the door of your heart right this moment, and use none things about God, but you're being offered a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and and that begins when we admit that were sinners and we turn away from sin and we say, Lord. I'm sorry for my sent and II believe I'm accepting the reality that Jesus died on the cross and he did that for the whole wide world, but he did it for me. Do you know Jesus did that for you to read that Jesus loves you so much. You matter to God. Whoever you are, believe it. You matter to God the state in looking to come back to talk more about truth and why we so more than ever in this day and age need to know it and defend state tumor back after this. Alex is written many books to help you defend your faith. One of them answers questions from skeptics it's cleverly titled 10 answers for skeptics today.

Skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward truth and in the book Alex McFarland identifies the 10 most common types of skepticism that plagued doubters minds. It offers believers proven strategies for connecting intellectually and spiritually with those who are skeptical about the claims of Christianity. Learn how to answer intimidating questions. Identify the root issue behind those questions and dismantle the spiritual bombshells dropped by atheist plus provide encouragement to face hostility by persevering in love.

The ultimate apologetic Christians could offer as a witness to our loving God, check out 10 answers for skeptics. When you visit Alex McFarland.com.

If you're a Christian parent. You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church.

This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children.

The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series. You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net in the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism. Alex McFarland is a voice you could trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to truth for a new generation radio.

Welcome back. 15. The radio Alex McFarland here and were talking about truth how we can know truth and why it's so important that in this day and age we defend the truth and it's very important that we impart treat her children only take something really really exciting. Every summer we delete youth apologetics can't apologetics biblical worldview. It's a blast. Last year we had students from seven states it's coming up this summer at a July 20-24 were going to be in western North Carolina truth for new generation. We have rented this why camp. It's wonderful ropes course activities but were going to have 15 sessions, and what does it mean to be a Christian. How can I study my Bible, how can I stand strong for my faith. Listen, what, when your son or daughter is in middle school, high school when they go to college. You don't want them to become an evolutionist and agnostic socialist so we talk to kids about God and country. This can be music. This can be food, fellowship, friendships that are made for a lifetime.

Go to my website Alex McFarland.com youth groups, young people. This is the perfect gift and I would say it's imperative, as we are in a battle of worldviews teacher young people to defend truth in our apologetics camp and our staff will do our utmost to show them Jesus and to equip them to stand strong for the Christian faith also want to make people aware of the fact that I'll be at the Cove am so excited to be making a return trip to just the most beautiful Christian retreat you'll ever see the Cove, the Billy Graham training center at the Cove. I'll be there in late July to teach through Daniel and Revelation will learn Bible prophecy together how God rights history and advance their website is the Cove.org CO VED Cove.org and I would love to see you at the prophecy study in late July at the Cove. What, let's go back to the subject of truth and I want to read an interesting quote. John Wesley, the great founder of Methodism. Wesley said, quote Christianity true scriptural Christianity has a tendency in the process of time to undermine and destroy itself. For wherever true Christianity spreads it brings diligence and frugality, which in the natural course of things brings riches, prosperity and riches naturally begets pride, love of the world, and every temper that is destructive to Christianity. Wherever Christianity prevails, there's the dangers that Wesley that it would stop its own foundation. I think about this kids today and millennial's and younger they they love a free, safe, unimaginably prosperous America. With so many technological breakthroughs.

But what many of them don't understand is that it was Christianity and it was a moral compass and it was deferred gratification and self-restraint and frugality and working hard in saving your money basically living moral righteous Christian lives for two centuries. That gave us this free, safe, prosperous America. So Wesley's observation was that basically Christianity which brings discipline and right living, which brings success and prosperity. There's the danger that as people come along that lose sight of the Christian virtues, humility, self-restraint, frugality, generosity rather than decadence and and being a spendthrift. It can destroy a culture the fruits of the tree destroy the tree, the more the fruits now JD Unwin Cambridge sociologist anthropologist historian. He wrote a very famous book in the 1930s about sex and culture and he basically said where sexual restraint is gone. Cultures digressed and fall apart. He studied the top 80 civilizations over course of 5000 years of human history and he talked about marriage and family and moral restraint being the building blocks of society and he said, but were you have morality, family, hard work, work ethic, self-restraint you become prosperous, and when the children and the children's children and the children's children's children don't have those moral virtuous attributes in their heart values and the greatest value of all in the eyes of Unwin, the anthropologist sexual restraint.

He said this is 90 years ago, when sexual restraint is gone. A culture is irrevocably bent for destruction. Think about Jonah and the Ninevites. The Ninevites were pagan. They were indulgent they were immoral and they like perhaps America of the 21st century were irrevocably on a track for destruction.

What save Nineveh that was that God in his mercy, and through the preaching of Jonah sent a great revival but America we are irrevocably bent on self-destruction. The loss of our Constitution, increased lawlessness, anarchy, decadence, unless by God's power his providence and his sovereign mercy unless God sends a great revival. We need that truth exists. The fact is that that were not living truth is been revealed and we've not responded to it. Truth can be defended, but so many people today don't want there to be truth because if there is truth and a God from whom that truth emanates. That means that they're going to have to repent of sin, and so Wesley is right that Christianity, unless it's in every generation, newly stoked and solidly imported Christianity steps.

It's an foundation.

I would say not Christianity, but the fruits of Christianity which is the blessing and the increase that comes from following the true and living God. See there are a lot of people that love the blessings, but they don't know the blessed Sir.

And so were going to talk about the ways we can know truth, creation, conscience, Christ Scripture and God has sometimes spoken in other ways, but these are ways that we can understand and impart today. We can grow in our walk with God and share them with others to go on my website Alex McFarland.com and let us know how we can come along and help be equipped to stand strong for the truth how we can together evangelize the lost and equipped the say thanks for listening to TMG radio and take your stand for truth. TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland ministry, PO Box 10231 is Burrell, NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404 call us at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God, and the number one or give online@alexmcfarland.com while you're there, listing the program archives. Read Alex's blog invite Alex to speak at your event or contact Alex with a question or comment, Alex McFarland.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time. As we bring you more true for a new generation fund TMG radio