Pilate said it when he stood before the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

"What is truth?" retorted Pilate." (John 18:38)

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge. It asks, “How do we know that we know?” And whether we consciously construct it or not, we all have an epistemological starting point by which we survey all of life. It establishes our moral baseline, delineating between right and wrong. For some, it fluctuates as much as the latest fad. For others, it’s as fixed as the scientific method.

For me, it’s as tried and true as the Bible.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NIV)

And I make no apologies for that. The Bible is not just my starting point; it’s the final authority when it comes to matters of faith, doctrine, and how we are to live our lives. I believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God—Truth with a capital T.

The challenge is that we live in a culture where tolerance has been elevated above truth. It’s considered wrong to say that something is wrong, and I think that’s wrong.

I was listening to a liberal friend of mine wax eloquent about how "intolerant" Christians are during a teacher lunch one day, and how there should not be a Book that decides what's right and wrong for everyone.

I felt the Lord nudge me to "answer a fool according to His folly," so I said, "I am really tired of your intolerance of my perceived intolerance, so you're the intolerant one."

Not one to back down, he replied, "Well, I don't think there should be any book that decides what's right and wrong for everyone. I mean, how arrogant! What's right for you may not be right for me."

"There is not one external source for right and wrong?" I asked. "Since you believe that to be true, can I kill you now - because, who is to say it is wrong? You're the one who said it may be "right." It may be right for me."

"Well, now," he backpedaled. "There should be some basis for right and wrong, just not the Bible."

"Ah, so now we come to it. Your real concern is the TRUTH of God's Word and not that there is a basis for right and wrong. The Bible says we treat people with respect and do not kill because people are made in the image of God, and it is forbidden in the 10 Commandments. God is our reference point as Christians and always will be."

My point? What is your basis of right and wrong if you take God out of the equation? 

A medical missionary friend of mine was sitting in a meeting in the Amazon Jungle listening to an anthropologist who came to visit the native people. This speaker told the natives, "Look at all the bad that Christianity has done for you! Imagine where you would be without Christianity."

One of the elders in his church shouted, "We'd be eating you now if it weren't for Christianity!" 

Please remember (as Francis Schaeffer has said): "There is a right, there is a wrong. There is good. There is bad. BECAUSE GOD HAS SPOKEN!"

I certainly want to be known more for what I’m for than what I’m against. And truth shouldn’t be used as a weapon. But to think that everybody is right and nobody is wrong is as silly as pretending that everybody wins and nobody loses. Come on, you know the T-ballers are keeping track of the score even if all the adults are saying, "We're just here to have fun! No one is winning and no one is losing."

And even if not keeping score works for one season in Little League, it doesn’t work in the real world. When the truth is sacrificed on the altar of tolerance, it might seem as though everybody wins, but in reality, everybody loses.

God calls us to a higher standard than tolerance. It’s called truth, and it’s always coupled with grace.

Truth means I’ll be honest with you no matter what.

Grace means God's Riches At Christ's Expense!

So, in answer to the question: Which Is It - Truth or Love? 

The answer is: YES!

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NIV

1. Are you more geared toward LOVE than truth?
2. Are you more aimed toward TRUTH than love?
3. How can you combine the two in a balanced way today?

Rejoicing, On the Victory Side!

Beau