The idea of truth is something that’s been brought up in conversations around me several times recently, and has hence been on my mind.  Truth seeks to answer the “Matrix-esque” question: What is Real?  Truth can be defined as “accuracy” or “the conformity to reality or actuality”.  You may have heard the phrase “absolute truth” thrown around.  How is that different?  Isn’t all truth absolute?  Some people would have us think not.  There is a movement of relativism in our society which claims that different things can be true for different people.  I don’t buy it.  I know this ideology has been around for a long time, but I think a lot of the recent shift toward relativism is reactionary and an attempt to be “tolerant” of other ideas and beliefs.  But what does belief have to do with truth?  I hope to believe in things that are true; I hope not to believe in lies or deceptions.  And I hope the same for others.  But can my belief impact what is true?  No.  People can have different beliefs.  I can be “tolerant” and respect the beliefs of others, even if they differ vastly from my own.  In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what you believe.  What matters is what is true.  If I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus as my Savior, what difference does that make unless my belief is based on truth?  Likewise, if you don’t believe in God, it makes no difference – unless, of course, there is a God.  Then it makes all the difference in the world. 

People like to be “spiritual.”  I think because you can be “spiritual” and even hold to some form of Theism without really seeking out truth, or at least the whole truth.  It feels nice to believe that there is some Greater Good out there, but you don’t have the commitment of actually finding out what that Greater Good is (or worse yet, what it wants from you).  As long as we’re kind and loving and contributing to the Greater Good, we must be on track , right?  But what if there's more?  What if there is a Greater Good, a Truth, that can be known, that wants to be known, and we choose to ignore it?  Perhaps knowing the Truth could give meaning and purpose to the vague spirituality which so often still leaves a void in one's soul.

Of course, there are others who prefer the naturalistic route.  If it can’t be proven with hard “scientific” facts, it simply is not possible and cannot be true.  If science doesn’t prove God, he must not exist.  I can sympathize with this view better than the simply spiritual, I think, because I tend to be somewhat of a skeptic myself.  I’m not prone to believe in something without strong evidence showing it to be true.  But not all facts are scientific.  I like the example from the movie "Contact" where the character Palmer challenges Ellie to prove that she loved her dad.  You can't prove love with science.  You know in your heart when you love some one, and you prove it by your actions.

I think most of us, even professing Christians, have a tendency to lean too heavily toward one end or the other: either overly ambiguous in our spirituality, or overly skeptical of anything beyond the physical.  People have so many different ideas, opinions, beliefs, and philosophies – how do we know what to think?  I don't know about you, but I want my beliefs to be based on what is true, to conform to actuality or reality, lest I deceive myself.  If you're not sure what you believe, I would encourage you to seek the truth, openly and honestly.  And in your search for truth, seek facts, not opinions, remembering that some facts are known not in the mind, but in the heart. 

What do I "believe" about Truth?  I believe what Jesus says:

What is Easter all about?  It is about the central message of Christianity: the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Actually, Paul breaks up the gospel message into four parts in his first letter to the Corinthians:

To borrow the breakdown of this from my pastor, these are the four parts of the gospel message that Paul outlines here:

1. Christ died

2. Christ was buried

3. Christ was raised

4. Christ appeared

I think sometimes we tend to focus mostly on the death part and not enough on the resurrection.  Easter is a great time to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s grace and forgiveness, and also on the implications of Jesus’ resurrection.  Jesus died for our sins, but he was raised that we, too, might be raised and have eternal life.  For, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Mark 12:27).  Our hope of everlasting life with our God comes from Jesus’ own resurrection. 

Jesus said:

Some people have a hard time believing in the concept of a “resurrection” and it becomes a barrier to faith in God and Jesus.  It is a concept outside of our realm of experience, and thus difficult to fathom.  The idea of a resurrection is no stranger to the people of today than it was to the people in the days of Jesus, and many in that day also had a hard time believing, even though they were around for Jesus’ own resurrection.  

However, Paul emphasizes the importance of the resurrection to the Christian faith as he continues his letter to the Corinthians:

I think that last line is so powerful.  The Christian faith is not based on loosely held ideas or warm, fuzzy feelings.  It is based on evidence of God’s faithfulness throughout the ages, as recorded in the Bible, and also in our own lives; it is based on prophecies that have been fulfilled; it is based on the life of Jesus, on his death, and his resurrection; and it is based on the testimony of many.  Paul’s fourth point in his gospel summary is that “Christ appeared.”  It wasn’t as if Jesus’ body simply vanished from the tomb and nobody ever saw him again.  He appeared to hundreds of people over multiple occasions, which provides strong evidence that the resurrection did happen.

Peter proclaims in his second letter:

The apostles wholeheartedly believed in the resurrection of the dead and that Jesus was the Messiah.  They were there and saw Jesus alive after he had been crucified.  They believed in the gospel so strongly that they were willing to die for their beliefs (and most of them did).  If you truly believe in the gospel message, it will change your whole life.  But if it’s not true, and we have no hope of eternal life, yet we follow it anyways, Paul says that we are to be “pitied more than all men.”  So, consider that a challenge to take your faith seriously, and know where your hope comes from (1 Peter 3:15).

This Easter I will remember that my hope comes from Jesus.  I will remember that He died for me, for the forgiveness of my sins. He was buried in a tomb.  He rose from the dead, and afterward appeared to many people, showing himself to be God and Messiah.  He lives and reigns so that I, too, may live.  And I look forward to new life and the day that God says: