“Those who resort to words to tell us that words distort reality and truth engage either in a futile or self-refuting activity. Radical theologians who decry Christian verbalization themselves often employ a torrent of words to demean or undermine the importance of words for theology.” ~ Carl F.H. Henry
It’s a pretty trendy thing to make truth relative as though it were water passing over our hands to be directed however we want. Behind the critique that we cannot know the Bible because we do not have the original manuscripts from the hands of the Apostles is an attack on truth. “Well we can’t really know what they meant because it was written 2000 years ago. Who knows, you know? I just try to figure out its truth for me.”
It sounds seductively logical. Who are we to think we can figure out what they meant 2000 years ago in writing the New Testament? How could we be so arrogant as to say with any certainty this is what it meant?
They used words. Words carry truth because they are agreed upon and shared in a community, society, or people. You can understand what I am saying because we have the shareable symbols of the English language in common, and a generally agreed upon meaning for those words. Where that does not occur, communication is constrained. If I come into contact with someone who speaks Pashtun only and I speak English only, we have no common communication.
We didn’t make up meaning for the words in Greek and Hebrew. We learned the words and languages to produce accurate translations so that we can interact with the text just as the 1st century Christians did. While it’s great sport for post-modernists to be skeptical of all things, including the use of words as Carl Henry illuminated in the quote, how do they make the claims of skepticism?
They use words. Words that mean something because truth is real. If there were no such thing as truth we would have absolutely no basis for communication. Green today could be blue tomorrow. Except, not even that could be because being green today is an assertion of truth. The use of words to cast doubt on words is a truth claim. It’s self-defeating and circular and nonsense. “You can’t trust words because meaning can shift and who knows what it will be tomorrow. Yes I’m making a statement of truth using words and given what I said you shouldn’t trust me.”
Absurdity.
So what does that have to do with God or theology?
“More is sacrificed by defecting from the truth of revelation than simply the truth about God and man and the world; loss of the truth and Word of God plunges into darkness the very truth of truth, the meaning of meaning, and even the significance of language.” ~ Carl F.H. Henry
Truth is indeed like water passing over our hands. We stick our hands in, thinking we’re changing everything. However, the water is still water. It still flows and does what water does. We can use it for any number of purposes, but it’s still water.
So is truth. We can immerse ourselves in it, use it for any number of purposes, and even be nourished by it in THE Truth, Jesus Christ.
What happens when we deny the Truth? The same as when we quit drinking water.
We die.
