What is Truth?

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Timonator348

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I’m struggling with the idea that I know non-Catholic Christians who are good, honest, decent people and living good Christian lives yet we disagree so adamantly about fundamental truths of the faith (the Real Presence, Baptism, sola Scriptura, etc.). There is one version of the truth, God’s truth as revealed through Jesus Christ (See John: 1:17; 8:32; 14:6; 16:13) just to name a few :D. So my question about these non-Catholic Christians, who appear to be guided by the Holy Spirit, is how can their interpretation of Scripture and mine be so different yet coincide with the one truth of God’s revelation? Does the Holy Spirit give different truths to us on an individual basis? Please help me with this… :confused:
 
With your signature duly noted, a better question is “Who is Truth?”

Jesus Christ is truth.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

If I said “The sky is blue”, is that truth? It is certainly something that is true but it is not all truth. I can say many things that are true but all truth - truth itself - is found only in the person of Jesus Christ.
Truth is a person. Truth has a name. Jesus Christ tell us “I am the truth.” Jesus Christ IS truth itself.

God became man once in history. God took on flesh and walked among us only once and that was two thousand years ago in Palestine. Jesus Christ had only one body, not two bodies, but one. And his body is the Church.

Can something be both true and not true at the same time? Can it be raining and not raining at the same time? Can baptism was away sins and not wash away sins? Can priests forgive sins and not forgive sins? Does Purgatory exist and not exist? Is Mary the Mother of God and not the Mother of God?

Impossible. There can be only one truth and that truth can only be Jesus.

Jesus had one body and his body is the Church. Christ’s body, the body of truth itself, is the Church. Christ’s body is the body of truth, and there can be only one. There can be only one truth and so there can be only one Church.

This is not just metaphorical or a parable. It is the most real thing in the world.

-Tim-
 
Contrast how Jesus’ words, “I have come so that you may have life more abundantly” are interpreted by Joel Osteen in his prosperity gospel worship services against how Catholics use these words in worship concerning the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.
 
Jesus established a (one) Church, and gave that Church the fullness of Divine Revelation (the Deposit of Faith), which has been passed on from generation to generation for almost 2000 years now. It is this Church from which you can determine what the truth is, not some man-made Protestant denomination coming along 1500 years later.
 
I don’t believe most non Catholics really have that much of a problem with Catholism.They are told basic scriptural verses which their pastors preach which they say this or that other denomination doesn’t interpret rightly.They do point out why the disagree with Catholicism if asked but they don’t seek enough to find the true answer.They accept what seems logical or what they can live with according to their state in life.Most Americans see the need for the bible and its moral teachings but the average protestant cares litttle to know all of scriptures.Like these teleevangelists on tv.I don’t think that they are really out to decieve people.THey preach the scriptures in such a way as to reach as many people as they can and make a living in the meantime.I consider myself a devote Catholic but I still enjoy watching some of these protestant ministers on tv.Its easy to see the error but i can ignore them and just listen to their enthusiasm.Those ministries which preach planting the seed for God’s favors for instance I’ve never heard one actually say they guarentee you’ll get what you ask for but of course subtly imply as much.
 
TimothyH said:
With your signature duly noted, a better question is “Who is Truth?”

Jesus Christ is truth.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

If I said “The sky is blue”, is that truth? It is certainly something that is true but it is not all truth. I can say many things that are true but all truth - truth itself - is found only in the person of Jesus Christ.
Truth is a person. Truth has a name. Jesus Christ tell us “I am the truth.” Jesus Christ IS truth itself.

God became man once in history. God took on flesh and walked among us only once and that was two thousand years ago in Palestine. Jesus Christ had only one body, not two bodies, but one. And his body is the Church.

Can something be both true and not true at the same time? Can it be raining and not raining at the same time? Can baptism was away sins and not wash away sins? Can priests forgive sins and not forgive sins? Does Purgatory exist and not exist? Is Mary the Mother of God and not the Mother of God?

Impossible. There can be only one truth and that truth can only be Jesus.

Jesus had one body and his body is the Church. Christ’s body, the body of truth itself, is the Church. Christ’s body is the body of truth, and there can be only one. There can be only one truth and so there can be only one Church.

This is not just metaphorical or a parable. It is the most real thing in the world.

-Tim-
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I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve often thought of the analogy if Jesus held up a banana at the Last supper and said “This is a banana” you would believe him, if he held up bread and said “this is bread” you would believe him, if he held up bread and said “this symbolizes my body” you would believe him, but when he says “This is my body” you don’t believe…🤷 I guess God’s power is limited to “water into wine”.
 
Timonator348 said:
So my question about these non-Catholic Christians, who appear to be guided by the Holy Spirit, is how can their interpretation of Scripture and mine be so different yet coincide with the one truth of God’s revelation? Does the Holy Spirit give different truths to us on an individual basis?
Click to expand...
I’ve always thought so. I had a few kids to raise and I had to treat them as they were, individuals. So, I might want the to end up in the same place; people who wouldn’t steal, but I had to get the message across differently. That’s pretty simple but what God does is Mystery, too complex to understand, but He’s our Father, Loves us, He’ll meet us wherever we are if we really want Him, love Jesus. So He gives us what we need the way we need in the place we are in.

When we all get over there to the other side of the veil, there’s no Scripture, anyway. The Love part is the Eternal part.
 
What is Truth? Without Contradiction.

That definition was taught to our parish years ago by our former priest. I often remember that when I read Scripture (Pilate) or think about another religion’s truth/truths (Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, etc) and I put that answer into the mix for clarity.
 
One can take the question what is truth in various aspects…

for starts:

Truth in the mind is the conformity of the mind with extra-mental reality.

Conformity of the mind with reality outside the mind.

And yes as some have already noted who is truth? Jesus of Nazareth the Christ.

Now as to other Christians having only aspects of the truth that Jesus taught us and gave us etc…much has to do with the difficulty of their not being in full communion with the Successor of Peter …with the Catholic Church…they do not have the benefit of the form of the Church as Jesus formed it…

But of course they have much truth! …let us together work to restore full communion…and let us together seek to always follow he who is the Truth.
 
Conforming our mind to something outside our mind, well put! I think if we must know the Truth and Truth will set us free than we must always strive to conform ourselves to God and not expect God to conform to our standards of what we think or feel he should be. No matter what popular culture throws at Christianity to try and make it relative we must always remember One Truth! One Church! One Body! One Flock! One Shepherd!!!
 
I think another important point I’ve heard on this topic is that truth is not subjective meaning when we are at the gates of heaven or being judged by Christ we will be judged by our faith working through love and how we kept His commandments, not on the dictates of our own conscience which makes the Word of God objective. We are not in the position to tell God “my actions felt right to me so you should let me into heaven.” I like Praxising’s analogy of treating each of your own children differently but two things that can be said about that: you still have some morals, rules or standards (eg the Commandments) you expect all your children to adhere to because you love them and they love you. Unlike us human parents who can make mistakes, God is perfect and all knowing so as his children we know we can trust his word in everything he tells us to do to love Him and be with him eternally in heaven.
 
timonator3;There aren’t different truths.Some people(ex:saints)may be given truths which were formely revealed(St.Birgitta ask Jesus how many lashes HE recieved and Jesus said 5,347.thats not the correct no.I can’t remember exactly) Not revealed my mistake but He doesn’t give different truths to different individuals.By the way one does not have to believe that was revealed to St.Birgitta but some Catholics do.I believe the HS gives all of us truths(that is true believers).Not new truths but leads us in the truth.we do the right things without thinking about them.
 
I guess this question boils down to is truth subjective (to our feelings or opinions) or objective (a set standard we must conform to)? Truth is an interesting concept because it exists in any situation. There is only one truth in any situation no matter what anyone involved in the situation says it doesn’t change what actually is the truth of the matter. Jesus Christ is Truth incarnate! This almost hard to grasp with our finite minds but how beautiful it is to know if we live truthfully in our lives we truly have Christ in our heart.
 
Unlike the synoptic gospels, the Gospel of John states that Jesus said to Pilate that he is a king and “came into the world…to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice”, to which Pilate famously replied “what is truth?” (John 18:38).

In a volume of Believe It Or Not, Ripley quotes Pilate speaking in Latin, “QUID EST VERITAS?” (“What is truth”) and adds that an anagram of this is “EST VIR QUI ADEST”---- “It is the man who stands before you”.
 
Good morning, Timonator348,

Well, you qualified the plain question, “What is Truth?” in your text to the OP.

I go along with those way say, it’s the same truth for everybody.

I’m posting because I would like to point out Jesus Christ’s other statement of the same truth. In the gospel of John, while praying in the Garden of Gethsemani while his apostles slept, Jesus said to His Heavenly Father, “…sanctify them with the truth; your word is truth …”

From that statement, I derive that God’s word is truth.

Since Jesus Christ is the incarnate word, His statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” does apply to Him and to His Heavenly Father’s spoken word as the same truth.

Another definition of truth that I have learned, was while setting in on Prof. Mueller’s Philosophy class at the St. Thomas Moore Institution, now an accredited college, here in Fort Worth. The other definition of truth, “The truth is a statement which matches the condition it describes.”

These two definitions of truth have served me well.

God loves you,
Don
 
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