Have you ever had a problem finding your way through a busy city? On several occasions, I've been confused by someone's directions as I didn't have the same orientation as the person giving the directions. I've discovered how important it is to understand a person's language and to have a common starting point to make references. The work of navigation requires clear directions, the same definitions of words, and a common point to start from. We also need to know the difference between magnetic north which is a shifting position, with true north where latitudes meet longitudes that don't change with time.
As a young college graduate many years ago I once was making my way into downtown Boston from outside the city and discovered the traffic was worse than expected causing me to be late for an appointment. I parked my car in a hurry and worked my way through the skyscrapers without paying much attention to the location of the parking garage. Hours later I tried to find my way back and could only remember the street name of the garage but not the direction to turn to get there. Did I need to turn left on that street or right to find my way? And coming from the opposite direction did a left turn mean turning east or west? It all depended on whether I was coming from the north or the south, as from the north it meant a left turn but from the south, it meant a right turn.
Our understanding of truth can be objective or subjective depending on the reality of something and our perspective of that reality. For me that day in Boston the parking garage hadn't changed locations from when I first parked my car, but my perspective of where it was had changed. My car was still parked in the same location but I was turned around and saw things completely differently. In today's world, I could have pulled out my smartphone and checked the directions on my map, and been back to my car quickly. But back then it took me a long time to get my orientation and some real anxiety to find my way.
The GPS in our smartphones allows us to find out where we are based on the objective point of the triangulation of many satellites. And with Inertial Navigation Systems we can pinpoint exact positions with accelerometers and gyroscopes. These are great developments in the world of navigation and they serve as tangible illustrations for our understanding of truth. For if the truth is completely subjective and tied simply to each of our own perspectives we could not find our way through the skyscrapers of the city. But because truth is also objective, it is something factual that is outside of us, we can reference it and understand reality as it really is.
It's important to acknowledge the subjective truth that we all have with our perspectives as we see things initially through our own eyes. But it's even more important to proclaim objective truth, the true-truth that also exists throughout the universe. Even the truth of subjectivity is an objective truth that proves objectivity. The truth of truth is irrefutable therefore just as we know there is a true north for navigation.
This discovery of truth is essential in navigating through all of life and not just finding our way in a busy city. And this is one of the most important characteristics of the Christian faith, that it is based upon the true north that comes from God. God alone is purely objective with no biases, no lack of understanding, or shadow of turnings at all. He is the one who has the perfect perspective in all of life, and he is in complete control of all things. Because of this truth, we know we can trust him. And because of this, we need to seek the objective truth of God to find our way.
The prophets of old were inspired to proclaim the truth of God's word. And those who seek to teach the objective truth of the Bible are the true prophets of our day. Jesus himself said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set your free." True freedom and spiritual liberty come from knowing the truth of God's word and living by it. Amen.
As a young college graduate many years ago I once was making my way into downtown Boston from outside the city and discovered the traffic was worse than expected causing me to be late for an appointment. I parked my car in a hurry and worked my way through the skyscrapers without paying much attention to the location of the parking garage. Hours later I tried to find my way back and could only remember the street name of the garage but not the direction to turn to get there. Did I need to turn left on that street or right to find my way? And coming from the opposite direction did a left turn mean turning east or west? It all depended on whether I was coming from the north or the south, as from the north it meant a left turn but from the south, it meant a right turn.
Our understanding of truth can be objective or subjective depending on the reality of something and our perspective of that reality. For me that day in Boston the parking garage hadn't changed locations from when I first parked my car, but my perspective of where it was had changed. My car was still parked in the same location but I was turned around and saw things completely differently. In today's world, I could have pulled out my smartphone and checked the directions on my map, and been back to my car quickly. But back then it took me a long time to get my orientation and some real anxiety to find my way.
The GPS in our smartphones allows us to find out where we are based on the objective point of the triangulation of many satellites. And with Inertial Navigation Systems we can pinpoint exact positions with accelerometers and gyroscopes. These are great developments in the world of navigation and they serve as tangible illustrations for our understanding of truth. For if the truth is completely subjective and tied simply to each of our own perspectives we could not find our way through the skyscrapers of the city. But because truth is also objective, it is something factual that is outside of us, we can reference it and understand reality as it really is.
It's important to acknowledge the subjective truth that we all have with our perspectives as we see things initially through our own eyes. But it's even more important to proclaim objective truth, the true-truth that also exists throughout the universe. Even the truth of subjectivity is an objective truth that proves objectivity. The truth of truth is irrefutable therefore just as we know there is a true north for navigation.
This discovery of truth is essential in navigating through all of life and not just finding our way in a busy city. And this is one of the most important characteristics of the Christian faith, that it is based upon the true north that comes from God. God alone is purely objective with no biases, no lack of understanding, or shadow of turnings at all. He is the one who has the perfect perspective in all of life, and he is in complete control of all things. Because of this truth, we know we can trust him. And because of this, we need to seek the objective truth of God to find our way.
The prophets of old were inspired to proclaim the truth of God's word. And those who seek to teach the objective truth of the Bible are the true prophets of our day. Jesus himself said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set your free." True freedom and spiritual liberty come from knowing the truth of God's word and living by it. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment