Truth (IV) Black and White? Yes, but grey too!

In a culture where “all truth is relative,” many feel lost and  at sea in life. But if you google “black and white thinking,” you'll see, not without reason, that it's almost entirely negative. But actually the statement “all truth is relative” is a black and white statement, and in fact self contradictory. To see this, we only need ask “Are you saying absolutely all truth is relative?” If the answer is yes, it is an absolute, black and white statement and so not relative! And if the answer is “no” then the statement is wrong. So in either case there is back, and there is white, and there is truth that is not relative. One problem is to know what is black or white. Another is the tendency for some to operate as if everything is back and white. This too is false, as google affirms!

The two extremes then, are to be sure of everything, or to be sure of nothing. In terms of a recent post, it is never arriving at the truth vs. thinking we have arrived. To put this another way, there are things we can be sure about, and things about which we need to show humility. In Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) we read “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for,  and certain of what we do not see.” The vehicle that enables us to move into this surety is a living faith, a faith that acts and is determined to stay close to Him growing in love and wisdom and grace (see 2 Peter 1:10). But what is this hope? It is the hope of our calling (salvation), it is a sure hope (Ephesians 1:18; Hebrews 6:19), and it based on the righteousness that comes through faith (Philippians 3:9). 

 

But are there other things that we can know, and be sure about? As I have  said before,  we know in three ways, by reason, intuition and experience. And our knowing is strengthened when all three aspects of knowing come together. The spiritual side of intuition can be thought of as hearing Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth (John 16:13). This has to do with encounter with Jesus who is the truth (John 14:6), but also with the teachings of Jesus who is  the Word (the rational argument, John 1:14).   We experience Jesus,  knowing Him as a person,  when we search for Him with all our our heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Note this is all the heart, not all the mind. In particular it is not that when we do this we are clever enough to find Him, rather it is that when we search with all of our hearts,  He reveals Himself to us in encounter. Finally we  also know by reason that His teachings are true when we seek to follow what is revealed in the Word (John 7:17). Knowing in this trinity of knowing is important. And it seems to me that if we are operating only in black and white, we are likely missing something. It happens, for example, when we substitute rules and dogma for relationship with Him.

Father, I am well aware this morning, that this all is likely nonsense to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 1:18). And part of it, is that truth is suppressed in unrighteousness (Romans 1:1), but  strengthened by righteousness. Help us this morning Lord to grow in the knowledge and love of God, but also to know that no matter how much we learn we have not arrived. And help us to stay humble Lord in Jesus Name Amen