Torch, Fall/Winter 2012

18 TORCH hen I was in high school, my church began an Awana club, and I soon found myself working with a group of eight-year- old boys. One night I spent a half hour helping one of the boys memorize his first Bible verse. At last, he could quote it perfectly, but when I asked him what the verse meant, he just stared at me with a blank expression on his face. He could repeat all the words, but he had no clue about their meaning. A great difference exists between repeating words and understanding or comprehending them. If we truly understand, we will be able to translate the information into other words. But … What Does It Mean? Ever since the time of Christ, Christians have discussed the meaning of many terms as they have tried to express clearly and accurately what the Bible teaches. Often, the discussions among Christians are prompted by issues that are swirling about in the larger culture. In recent years, there has been a lot of debate both outside and inside the Church about what can be known and how it can be known. This discussion has often focused on terms like “truth” and “certainty.” At times, the arguments have sounded rather complicated, and sometimes the language has gotten heated, leaving many observers wondering what the talk is all about. As we seek to understand what God teaches about this subject, or any subject, we need to strive for both balance and clarity. Sometimes our discussions can focus too narrowly on one aspect of what the Bible teaches, failing to consider all of the evidence in God’s Word. For example, numerous verses clearly teach that there is only one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4–6; 1 Tim. 2:5). If, however, we focus exclusively on the oneness of God, then the deity of Christ can be diluted, as it is in Judaism and Islam. On the other hand, if we speak of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit but do not also emphasize the oneness of God, then we may end up sounding as though we believe in three gods. The biblical doctrine of the Trinity holds all of the evidence together in a balanced way. We also must remember to clearly define what we mean, or we easily can be misunderstood. Even though English is spoken in both the United States and in Britain, the same words can be used with different meanings on the two sides of the Atlantic. When I am in Britain, I need to remember to use terms in the British sense if I want to communicate what I intend. If not, what I say may be heard in ways that are confusing, embarrassing, or inaccurate. To communicate effectively, we have to listen carefully to how others use words, so we can speak meaningfully to them in language they can understand. Defining Truth and Certainty In our culture today, the word “truth” is used in several different ways: • In the realm of science, truth refers to what the consensus of scientists holds to be accurate at a particular time but will likely be refined or altered as research yields additional evidence. • Truth also can refer to what a particular system of thought teaches. In this sense of truth, what the system affirms is the truth, so anything that differs from the system must be erroneous. W