Truth is our most valuable resource
How do we determine what is true?
We can know truth by what we can experience, through our spirit, senses, reason, or science. A truthview is our belief about truth. This includes how we define truth or reality.
Truth is our most valuable resource because it allows us to make good use of our time.
The categories of truthviews
Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Truth can be known through the senses, science, and the spirit. Spiritualism believes there is a spirit world that can reveal truth to us. Over 75% of the world’s population claims to belong to one of the big four religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism). Origin of life and all material things and natural laws (science) have some connection to the spirit world. The purpose of life begins, and ends, with the spirit world. Spiritualism includes the core religions of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism.
Naturalism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Truth is revealed through science and our senses. The origin of life is evolution. The world is knowable through science and all that really exists is material, and truth is defined by people. Naturalism doesn’t believe in a higher power, and reality is a social construct. The purpose of life is what you want it to be. This truthview includes Atheism and Agnosticism.
Relativism
Spiritualism
Relativism
Truth is relative and cannot be fully known. Relativism believes there is no truth, or a consistent reflection of reality, because reality is a social construct.
Other thoughts on truthviews
All of the big four major world religions have something in common, other than believing in a spiritual realm, along with the vast majority of smaller religions, they all believe human nature is selfish or prideful and in need of help to manage or overcome this selfishness.
Consider since the beginning of time people have had an internal desire to worship a higher power. Consider times you have felt uneasy in what should have been a normal comfortable situation. Consider times when you have felt calm in a tragic or chaotic situation. Why do we have a conscience and inherently know it is not good to do whatever our flesh desires? Why do we have regrets and shame? Consider to this day doctors are still seeing unexplainable miraculous, or supernatural, healings.
The Bible's why, how, and what
Why? Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus came so we would have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).
How? For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:19). Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
What? For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh (Galatians 5:17). Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26). Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Many would say the Bible is the life manual, and over 1,000 years ago it gave us the concepts that our modern day science is proving are key to success, like the growth mindset, emotional intelligence, goal setting or planning, and perseverance. More about this on the Christian Growth page.
Interesting 'Coincidences?'
· Is it a coincidence that evolution claims all advanced life forms started as a simple self-replicating organism, and the theory of evolution is based on survival of the fittest? Why did all these advanced life forms ‘evolve’ into a male and female form that require each other to reproduce? Wouldn’t it have been way more survival oriented if the simple life forms that were self-replicating would have evolved as advanced self-replicating life forms?
· Is it a coincidence that it takes faith to believe in God and it takes faith to believe in evolution? Science doesn’t have evidence that there is no God. However, hundreds of scientists believe that science itself is evidence there is a God, consider the Dissent From Darwinism, signed by many scientists around the world (and I'm sure believed by many more, they just haven't signed the declaration).
· Is it a coincidence that over 1,000 scientists worldwide have signed a scientific dissent from Darwinism? The dissent is… “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”
· Is it a coincidence that science says every energy source is either in a state of decrease or increase, yet the largest energy source in our universe, the sun, has been burning relatively stable for over 2 billion years? Yes, that was billion, not million.
· Is it a coincidence that every society since the beginning of time had a desire to worship a higher power? For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
· Is it a coincidence that a human living cell contains about 3 billion units of DNA, and each DNA includes many different tiny biochemical or molecular machines? The flagellum that has about a dozen different protein parts, including a rotor, stator, driveshaft, u joint, and propeller, it’s water cooled, and it has two gears a forward and reverse. Is this chance or is it intelligent design?
· Is it a coincidence that DNA contains genetic information that knows and guides what the cells need to build and how to build them, like the many different organs within humans and animals? Especially with animals that have physical traits that seem to go against evolution, like the Narwhal. The Narwhal has a tooth that grows into a long horn. Their cousin the Beluga whale shares the same territory and didn’t feel the need to evolve such a horn.
· Is it a coincidence that there are no other animals that come close to creating the things humans have created, and we were made in the image of the Great Creator (Genesis 1:26).
· Is it a coincidence that many animals genetic information contains specific behavior information on how to live? Especially with animals that have behaviors that seem to go against evolution. Why couldn’t the Social Weaver bird make individual nests like every other bird? Why couldn’t the Japanese Puffer fish mate like every other fish, without such an elaborate display of sand art? Why does the distinct species of feathered bird, the Cave Swift live in caves and creates their nest with their saliva? Why does the Narwhal have to grow a three foot horn? Why are there a few animals and fish species that live their entire lives inside caves while all of their ‘cousins’ live in the sunlight? There are many other counter Darwinian examples of animal traits and behaviors recorded on the Planet Earth documentary by the BBC.
· Is it a coincidence that the tree of life that Darwin drew, explaining evolution, has many “missing links” within the many different fossil records of species? The majority of animal species today came about in a rather short time frame when considering the entire life span of the earth.
'Coincidences' of the universe?
· Is it a coincidence that science claims to know exactly how the sun regenerates its sustainable energy, but they can’t recreate a similar smaller model?
· Is it a coincidence the earth is positioned in the Milky Way Galaxy between two spiral arms to allow scientific study of the universe?
· Is it a coincidence that scientists believe the universe is expanding and therefore reason it must have had a beginning? This is similar to the Kalam cosmological argument, anything that exists had a beginning.
· Is it a coincidence the earth has a moon that helps stabilize the earth’s tilt and tides?
· Is it a coincidence that gravity starts at the exact perfect location to provide an atmosphere on earth to support advanced life forms like humans? If gravity was one inch closer or further away, there would be too much pressure, or not enough pressure, for human existence.
· Is it a coincidence that the cosmological constant is fine tuned beyond comprehension?
· Is it a coincidence ancient societies felt a desire to worship a higher power and they didn’t have the Bible, so they often worshipped the sun or rain? The Bible says God spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:1-26), the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork (Psalm 19:1), and the Lord is living water (Jeremiah 17:13 and John 4:10).
The Bible and Science
· Is it a coincidence the Bible says we have the power of death and life in our tongue and says “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)? Modern science has proven our thoughts and words can have a huge effect on our lives, and thoughts are often built on words we speak, or words that we accept from others. The Bible also acknowledges the importance of thoughts by saying take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
· Is it a coincidence that the Bible says God made man from dust of the earth and breathed life into him (Genesis 2:7), and science says every cell in our body contain tiny atoms made from elements that can be found in the earth? Over 95% of our body is made up of just four elements, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and the rest of our body is made up of other elements found in the earth, some of which science still doesn’t understand what they do.
· Is it a coincidence that miracles are still being performed today? Think about the books written by doctors that explain supernatural healing or self-healing; Mind Over Medicine, You Are the Placebo, and The Divided Mind. Consider books written by doctors about true stories of unexplainable healings; Miracles We Have Seen, Physicians’ Untold Stories, Quantum Healing, The Scalpel and the Soul, and Medical Miracles.
Other 'Coincidences'
· Is it a coincidence that there are prophecies in Old Testament documents about Jesus that were created thousands of years before Him but were still fulfilled by Him? Many Old Testament documents were before Jesus, and their prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus. A virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23), Bethlehem will bear the ruler of Israel (Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:4-7), Jesus was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3 and John 1:11), they pierced Him (Psalm 22:16 and Matthew 27:35), He would die and be numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12 and Mark 15:25-27), and He would bear the sin of many (Isaiah 53:12 and Matthew 9:2, Acts 2:38 and 10:43, Romans 3:25, and 1 John 1:9).
· Is it a coincidence that no respectable historian disputes the life of Jesus, but many believe Jesus was just a great teacher or another prophet? Jesus doesn’t want anyone to consider Him as just a teacher or prophet, because He claimed to be the Son of God, which is why the Pharisees set Him up to be crucified (John 5:18 and Matthew 26:63-66).
· Is it a coincidence that Jesus was born of flesh and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18)? He got angry (Matthew 23:17, Mark 3:5 and John 2:14-16), He cried (John 11:35 and Luke 19:41), He had favorite disciples (Matthew 17:1, Mark 5:37, Luke 8:51 and 9:28). He raised people from the dead (John 11:43-44), He healed people (Matthew 11:5), He withstood the devil in person (Matthew 4:1-11). He died (Matthew 27:46-50, Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:46, John 19:33, Acts 2:22-23) and was raised from the dead by God (Matthew 28:9-10, Mark 16:9-11, Luke 24:36-41, John 20:14-16, and Acts 2:24).
· Is it a coincidence God said let “us” make man in “our” image (Genesis 1:26), and there is a perfect Holy Triune, God the Father (Genesis 1), Jesus the Son and savior (Luke 19:9-10), and the Holy Spirit our Helper and teacher (John 14:26)?
· Is it a coincidence that the first job came after Adam and Eve disobeyed God? God told Adam he would have to work the land for food (Genesis 3:17-19), which points to the first career field. Or, was the first career field psychology (the science of the mind), as the serpent tricked the woman into thinking God’s command wasn’t really true?
· Is it a coincidence that the majority of people don’t like snakes, but Eve didn’t have any fear or anxiety when she approached the tree with the forbidden fruit where the serpent was waiting? It was after the fall of Adam and Eve that God cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly the rest of its life (Genesis 3:14) and then put enmity (hatred) between woman and the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
· Is it a coincidence that the small team of disciples (Acts 1:13 and 24:14-18) did indeed change the world? They believed they were spreading God’s word and the good news of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, mankind’s savior. Is it a coincidence that the small team of disciples continued to preach the name and works of Jesus, and do miracles, without fear, despite being persecuted? Or, were they truly transformed by the Son of God?
· Is it a coincidence that good habits are very important to any success, and a good habit if formed by gaining knowledge and putting a high value on the knowledge, truly desire and commit to change, and it takes time to develop the habit? Jesus gave us a verse on how to create a good habit; hear God’s word (knowledge), hold it fast (place a high value on it) in an honest and good heart (have desire and commitment to change), and bear fruit with patience (Luke 8:15). Zig Ziglar was one of the most amazing self-development experts ever, and his son Tom Ziglar just finished a book based on his quote, “the quickest way to success is to replace bad habits with good ones.” His book explains how our why, how, and what are all related and tied into the seven key areas of life.
· Is it a coincidence that there are people who believe they are spiritual but don’t believe in a God, and the Bible calls out the devil as a deceiver (Revelations 12:9)? Is it a coincidence that witchcraft is real? Witchcraft is tapping into the spiritual realm, but not in a way approved by heaven. The Bible warns us of sorcery (2 Chronicles 33:6, Galatians 5:20, and Revelations 18:23).
· Is it a coincidence that some people are drawn to witchcraft? Or is it because we are a spirit with a soul in a body (1 Thessalonian 5:23) and the devil is a deceiver (Revelation 12:9)?
· Is it a coincidence that the world is falling apart in many ways, and God gave man dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) and the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh (Galatians 5:17), and the devil also has power over earth (Job 1 and Revelation 12:9-11)? Jesus said “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)? And the Bible says do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2).
· Is it a coincidence that the “bad guys” are outnumbered 3 to 1 (Revelations 12:4), yet Christians are still loosing battles? The Bible says the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17), and the Bible says to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). The longer we think about desires of the flesh, in the moment, the harder it is to overcome the flesh.
· Is it a coincidence that the idolatry of self (pride/ego/anger), power, pleasure, and pennies have been ruining people’s lives since the beginning of time, despite our best efforts? These are what the devil uses to tempt us (Matthew 4:1-11).
· Is it a coincidence that despite the signs that the world is falling apart in many ways, there are still many people able to resist the corruption and wickedness of the world? Jesus delivered us from the dominion of sin (Romans 6:14). Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he meditates is better, since it is enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6).
· Is it a coincidence that despite being a Christian and a believer and follower of Jesus, some Christians still lose battles with their flesh? The desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) are against the desires of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24) (Galatians 5:17) and it is how the devil gets into our lives. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world (1 Peter 5:8-9).
· Is it a coincidence the Bible says to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:3) and to disciple people (Matthew 28:19-20)? Faith in a higher power with personal accountability can deliver people from the toughest addictions. Consider why the fields of coaching, consulting, and counseling have become popular and often necessary for people to grow?
· Is it a coincidence some Christians believe the devil has no effect on Christians because Jesus defeated death and the devil when He was raised from the dead and we are “in Christ (Romans 6:11 and 6:23). However, the Bible tells Christians to submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7) and to be watchful and sober minded, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The devil can directly attack us in different ways, with thoughts and desires of the flesh or temptations, lies, and deceptions.
· Is it a coincidence that the Bible says Jesus encountered a person who was being tormented by an evil spirit and they were cutting themselves, and today over two thousand years later, cutting is still something that people are doing to themselves? Is it a coincidence that the young adults cutting themselves today also struggle with other areas of life like self-esteem?
· Is it a coincidence many of the most popular and impactful business books stress how important it is to actively search for truth (“brutal facts” or “radical transparency”), develop hypotheses to test for truth, then embrace the truth, and act on it (The Advantage, Good to Great, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Principles, The Startup Manual, The Lean Startup, and Value Proposition Design, and the Bible says the law was given through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17) and it tells us to speak the truth in love and grow up in every way in Christ (Ephesians 4:15),)?
· Is it a coincidence that nowhere in the New Testament do believers and followers of Jesus war against each other, unlike the Old Testament (Judges 12 and 20, 2 Samuel 2 and 18, and 1 Kings 15)? Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40) and to even love your enemies (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27).
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