A Primer On Epistemology

"The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, NIV).
"Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is true." (unknown).
"Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe).
"We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers." (G. K. Chesterton).
"... and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hos. 4:14, ESV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
NOTE THIS PHILOSOPHICAL AXIOM: ALL KNOWLEDGE BEGINS IN FAITH (FAITH PRECEDES REASON!). REMEMBER: A CHRISTIAN WITH FAITH HAS NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THE FACTS AND SCRUTINY.

They were "always learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 3:7)! That's probably why Socrates said that you must "admit your ignorance" to begin to learn. Sophomores in college think they know so much, but they have only begun to learn. Education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of one's ignorance. Augustine said that he believes in order to understand; indeed faith comes before reason! We all have faith, whether in God, mankind, nature, science, logic, or religion, because everyone starts out with some presupposition they cannot prove. Faith in science is not inherently superior knowledge--it's still faith.

People erroneously have blind faith that science has disproved creationism or Christianity, and this is dangerous to all of us. We erroneously assume that believing something makes it true and not believing something makes it false; there is no universal belief, but there is universal truth. We must always be ready to back up our allegations and assertions with facts.

By the way, science is becoming "scientism," thinking it is the only true source of truth, and consequently, it's becoming a religion according to Carl Sagan, a professor at Cornell Univ. in astronomy. Science is not meant to answer philosophical, historical, legal, ethical, or religious issues, but restrict itself to the logical, observable, measurable, and repeatable. The scientific method, as invented by Sir Francis Bacon, is only one way to find truth. You can't have your minds made up so that you don't want to be confused with the facts! If you are a know-it-all that is unwilling to admit you could be wrong, you will never know the truth of the matter at hand.

There are facts that have evidence and can be proved by various means, then there are allegations and accusations that are unsubstantiated. When someone disseminates unsubstantiated so-called facts, it is slander, not news! Journalists know what sources are and their credibility factors. Unreliable sources are ignored and so are those that have lost credibility. Anonymous "leaks" are not good sources to publish as gospel truth and are fake news services that are the tabloids of the internet and unworthy, unreliable sources.

We don't have faith in faith for its own sake, but the object of our faith makes all the difference. We must be willing to admit we could be wrong to find the truth and also be willing to go wherever the evidence may lead, no matter how unpalatable. Sometimes truth is something we couldn't have guessed and is stranger than fiction--who wouldn't have thought the Godhead or Deity was triune. In examining the evidence we fit the theory to match the facts, we don't fit the facts to fit our theory! In short, there is Truth with a capital T and all truth meets at the top because it's God's truth according to Augustine and Aquinas. Remember that Jesus announced: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." (cf. John 14:).

Jesus, being the incarnation of truth itself proves we can know it and that it doesn't change--truth is timeless and always relevant. Truth is nonnegotiable and isn't a short-term contract and we have a right to our own opinions, but not our own truth or fact (there are no "alternative facts" as Kellyanne Conway and Trump say). We all have the right to our own opinion but not to fabricate our own facts. The thing about truth is that Jesus promised us we'd find it if we searched for it with the right attitude. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" (cf. John 8:32). Jesus also said that if we are willing to do His will we shall know whether it is of God (cf. John 7:17).

Unbelievers are those who "reject the truth" (cf. Rom. 2:8) and repentance will be granted to some that they may "come to a knowledge of the truth." A sign of a true believer is that he is thirsty for and loves the truth: "... because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess. 1:10, ESV) they were judged and condemned.

Pseudo faith: Some people would say something is true because it works for them or feels right, these are fallacious presuppositions; John Dewey actually thought you couldn't evaluate the truth of an idea, only its usefulness (if it works!); the biggest misunderstanding is that all truth is relative and this would have to be a relative statement, making it meaningless! Ever since Pilate asked Jesus what truth is man has wondered if there is some absolute, universal truth for everyone everywhere--in antiquity "might made right!" There is truth in Christ who came to "bear witness of the truth" (cf. John 18:37). We must avoid the fallacious assertion that something may be true for one person, but not another and that everyone has their own truths that are only relative--we don't the right to fabricate our own truths! The Bible is truth and has the power to change or transform (cf. John 17:17) lives by virtue of that power.

In sum, Jesus said (cf. John 18:37) that everyone who is of the truth hears His voice--His sheep hear and recognize His voice and follow Him (John 10:27). In the final analysis, we need to be workers approved by God, who are "rightly handling the Word of truth" per 2 Tim. 2:15. Caveat: Beware of academia teaching the so-called theory of evolution as unquestioned scientific fact, when it's only a time-honored scientific tenet of faith!

"The Christian position is not that the truth is unknowable or that we are confused; it is that truth is knowable and we have rebelled," according to David Noebel. In application consider George Lucas' faith: "The conclusion that I've come to is that all religions are true." This is nonsensical and has no truth value, period; I rest my case! Soli Deo Gloria!

Loose With The Facts

According to the Correspondence Theory of Truth delineated by John Locke, truth is what corresponds with reality or reports the facts concerning it.  
"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."  (Proverb)
"Truth forever on the scaffold; wrong forever on the throne."  (James Russell Lowell, 1844, The Present Crisis)
"All Truth is God's truth." (Augustine of Hippo).  "All truth meets at the top." (Thomas Aquinas)

We must not twist the truth to fit our theories, nor have preconceived notions of the truth but be honest, open-minded seekers for the unknown.  Evidence is the objective reality but isn't the whole picture and is only one argument for or against--it is neither conclusive nor always definite.  Evidence is vital because faith not based on evidence is blind faith!  Perfect certainty is not necessary for knowledge, for all knowledge is contingent and based on faith.  We go astray from the way of truth when we make up our own facts or evidence; we don't have a right to our own facts, but we have a right to our own opinions!  Facts must be undisputed and not subjective.  The truth is absolute and cannot be denied; it's not relative to a situation or person.

Christianity deals in facts and in the truth as well as history, which other religions don't.  The problem with some investigators into truth is that they have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts, though we all tend to believe just the facts that fit our opinions.  No one ever gets convinced of something against their will.  For instance, scientists who espouse to evolution have ruled God out of the equation from the get-go, so how can they hope to be objective when they assume there is no God without there being any evidence for that conclusion.  They won't even admit to the possibility of God.  They don't know you cannot prove there is no God because you cannot prove a universal negative according to logic and philosophy.  Socrates was humble because he said that you will never find the truth if you won't admit you could be wrong!

The facts speak for themselves and you must be willing to go where they lead even if it's an uncomfortable conclusion.  We make theories based on fact, we don't force the facts nor twist them to fit our theories.  The problem today is that people are generally ignorant and gullible and believe everything they hear from their personal sources without questioning authority.  When someone listens to one primary source for information or news, they lose discernment.  When someone has that much of your confidence he's all the more able to get away with lying because you don't fact-check or even Google something.  We must all be suspicious and somewhat skeptical to what we hear from politicians for instance.

The two biggest problems in America are apathy and ignorance:  they don't know and they don't care!  America was only designed for an enlightened and informed electorate!  We need to keep God relevant!  When a society becomes wholly secularized and removes God from the public square and discourse the foundations of democracy are shattered and we lose our footings in a morality which will become lax.  When there is not transcendent, objective standard of right and wrong society gets corrupted and it's the job of the church to be salt and light and get society back on track to be a city on a hill.

There are basically five reasons people believe things:  authority figures say it's so; they want to believe it; their group believes it; they have a vested interest in believing it; they have always believed it--culture or tradition.  When you don't accept reality, which is what denying truth is, you will grasp at anything but the truth.  That is why Plato said that if we want to live in reality we must know what God is really like.

Right now we seem to be ruled by those who make the most noise and raise the most money, not according to debate on the issues and understanding where people are coming from; instead, there's polarization and lack of understanding. Politicians make allegations and charges without any evidence to support them, yet they persist because some will believe them (probably supporters).  We must adhere to a strict policy to a facts-based mindset because it's a known fact that where you start determines where you'll end up!  People must consider the consequences of being wrong as well as the validity of the source and track record of whom they believe.   In conclusion, we must stop just accepting news we agree with: a complete agreement is not always necessary; sometime we must agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find commonalities--we seek unity not uniformity.   Soli Deo Gloria!

As A Matter Of Fact

'The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2, HCSB).  

DEFINITIONS FROM DAVID A. NOEBEL:  KNOWLEDGE IS JUSTIFIED TRUE BELIEF.  FACTS ARE INDISPUTABLY KNOWN TO BE TRUE OR THINGS KNOWN TO EXIST IN REALITY, DEPICTING AND CONFORMING TO IT.    PRAGMATISM IS THE BELIEF THAT PROPOSTIONS DO NOT MIRROR REALITY AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE TREATED AS TOOLS AND JUDGED ONLY BY THEIR PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES [IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER IT'S TRUE, BUT ONLY RESULTS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED].  TRUTH, ACCORDING TO THE CORRESPONDENCE THEORY OF TRUTH IS THAT WHICH CORRESPONDS WITH REALITY.  

NB:  CARL SAGAN SAYS EVOLUTION "IS FACT, NOT THEORY."  HE UNDERSTANDS NEITHER FACTS, SCIENCE, NOR THEORY.  EVOLUTION IS UNPROVEN AND UNPROVABLE!  ANY EVIDENCE IS HARD TO COME BY AND THERE IS ZERO FOSSIL EVIDENCE TO BACK UP THE THEORY OF MACRO-EVOLUTION--NO AUTHENTIC MISSING LINKS OR TRANSITIONAL FORMS, WHICH WAS A WORKING HYPOTHESIS, CHAMPIONED AS THEORY, AND NOW TOUTED AS FACT!  SCIENCE DEPENDS UPON EXPERIMENTS, MEASUREMENT, REPEATABILITY, AND OBSERVATION--NOTE THAT NO ONE WAS THERE!  

ONE-TIME EVENTS IN HISTORY ARE NONREPEATABLE AND NOT WITHIN THE REALM OF SCIENTIFIC SPECULATION.  IT IS VITAL TO KNOW THAT CHRISTIANITY DEALS IN FACTS AND EVIDENCE, AND IF IT'S DEHISTORICIZED IT'S FULLY DISCREDITED AND NOTHING BUT NOBLE ETHICS AND "PIE-IN-THE-SKY" DREAMS.  

Knowing all the trivia in the world will do you no good morally, spiritually, or practically--by definition trivia is useless info.  The only time it comes in handy is as a parlor game or on a game show as a contestant, or in the audience watching it for diversion or past-time or just to have fun things to know.  People who remember trivia tend to be disorganized for the most part because they don't organize what's useful for life; others just remember everything and know it fortuitously.  The point is that knowledge in itself is not an end in itself, it must be applied and put to work to be any benefit. Just like there's pure science and applied science.   If a trivia nut keeps telling you his "facts" facetiously tell him: "You don't say?" "Is that a fact?" 

The only knowledge that matters is that which can accomplish God's will and can be put to use productively; it is no wonder that knowledge is increasing exponentially, but our wisdom or knowing how to use it is falling proportionately--we're getting worse off! (Daniel 12:4, NIV, says, "... Many will go here and there to increase knowledge [or "and knowledge shall be increased" in KJV] .")   Knowledge need not be 100 percent certain to be called knowledge. 

Knowledge must affect your life to be of value!  We must put our knowledge to work for us.  The whole purpose of knowledge is edification, enlightenment, and inspiration or motivation for good deeds. The trouble is that we all possess trivia and even genuine, useful knowledge and don't know how to make it useful--we aren't faithful to what we do know as a rule; however, if we pass on what God has shown us He will give more light.

This can be seen also in those that study for purely academic reasons or as literature, reading the storyline and seeing the Bible as a lesson to learn much like fairy tales or myths.  Anybody can read about David and Goliath and conclude that you shouldn't let bullies boss you around or be discouraged by them--it doesn't take a spiritual mind at all!  And so, included in a trivial pursuit of Bible knowledge is to focus on the mundane and things of secular interest, such as historical facts and references.

Knowledge in itself puffs up according to 1  Cor. 8:1 and the goal should be to express it and make a loving use of it--love is the fulfillment of the law!  Gal. 5:6 says that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" in the NIV.  The problem with knowledge is basically that some use it to impress others and to get proud of it for its own sake.  We all must beware of information glut whereby we know too much for our own good--not being able to apply it--and our knowledge gets ahead of us because we lose orientation and focus on our marching orders and the Great Commission; we must keep the main thing the main thing and not major on minors!

One problem in the church is the "nod-to-God crowd" doing their "duty."  They go to church in a perfunctory manner as a routine or to fulfill social obligations or to keep the conscience clean, not to apply what they hear as cheerful hearers but not cheerful doers of the Word.  These people tend to just go through the motions and have memorized the dance of the pious, knowing all the lingo of the church and are really socially engaged, as if churchgoing were a social event.  These believers are really lukewarm and need to invite Christ into their hearts so that they have more than head knowledge.  Christ must dwell in the heart to save and this is expressed in love to God and others, even enemies.  They may even apply the message to others being blind of their own depravity and spiritual need.

Now, don't mistake the hunger for the Word or the seeking of the Truth as abnormally vain or useless.  The healthy, growing believer has a genuine love for the Truth (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10) and loves the Word of God, and he will lose this passion if he doesn't apply what he knows--this is why we must pace our intake and not overload or get intoxicated with the Word only to forget it without application.  The Bible may become passe or one can get Bible fatigue as it loses its zing or pizazz, but walking close to the Lord will keep one close to the Word as it makes you hungry for more as it feeds you.  And being callous or indifferent to spiritual matters is a warning sign and the only cure is to own up to what you know and get back to the basics of love in action.

Some believers are just too distracted by the cares of this world or have too shallow of a mind to think divine meditations.  One must heed the words of Jesus in John 13:17 where He said, "Now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  The Pharisees knew the Scriptures in their head but failed to understand their spiritual meaning ("You know not the Scriptures neither the power of God," in Matt. 22:29).  What they were experts at is applying it to others!  We must apply ourselves to the Word and the Word to ourselves (cf. Job 5:37).  Never discount knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as gifts of God, but to whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48).

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge" (2 Pet. 1:5, NIV).

Faith comes via the spiritual miracle and gift of preaching!  We must go a step further: turn our creeds into deeds and practice what we preach.  Christianity is not just a creed to believe but knowing a person and putting that creed into action!  Everyone needs to be convicted of sin and inspired to godly endeavor in the body, not just the immature ones!  We have never "graduated" in church when we don't need other members of the body, especially teaching and preaching.  Disciples are "learners" by definition and have enrolled in the school of Christ for the long haul.

We must never become complacent and think we know it all and have no need of preaching.  Some have been called to teach, prophesy, and preach, while others to submit to their God-given authority in so doing.  Those who don't get convicted or inspired are in danger of being out of touch spiritually, and if they don't apply it, they can lose it, even backslide or fall temporarily into apostasy.  There are no Lone Ranger believers who can say they can worship God in the cornfield or on the mass media or even social media because there are no spiritual hermits or loners in the body.

Knowledge is not meant to be an intellectual thing where smart or intelligent people have the advantage--the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  A point in fact:  Nobody can absorb it all, everyone must be selective--you cannot be effective without being selective.  Some people try to do too much or learn too much--books can become burdensome if one doesn't learn to organize his studies and realize what God wants for him to know and apply--he must know how God uses him.  That's where knowing our place in the body and our spiritual gift comes into play so that we don't attempt too much and accomplish nothing.

Knowledge is vital, but it's not everything!  God's "people perish for lack of knowledge" (cf. Hos. 4:1, 6,14).   We must never lose our focus and perspective or discernment.  We cannot escape knowledge because that is not an option for the believer, it leads to spiritual suicide!  How can Protestants dissent, disagree and protest if they are ignorant?  The Bible tells us that the righteous are hungry for the truth, but the fool feeds on trash in Prov. 15:14, and we have all heard the computer slogan garbage in, garbage out.  And so knowledge is the byproduct of a walk with Christ:  "... [B]earing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God," in Col. 1:10; "But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." in 2 Pet. 3:18, NIV.

The only test of genuine knowledge in action or faith is obedience to the Word.  NB: Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Obedience is the only measure of faith and the second part of the Great Commission, to teach them to obey all that Christ taught--i.e., being disciples or students of the Word ("Study to shew thyself approved unto God...," in 2 Tim. 2:15, KJV or "be diligent to present yourself ..." in NKJV).

And we must have pure motives for attaining knowledge (we must not stop there and fail to complete our mission)--it's the means to the end, not an end in itself, and not just to have all the answers or to outsmart and pull rank on the preacher or prof either in order to boost our own ego. Two major issues of growth stunting in the church are apathy and ignorance--they don't know, and much worse, they don't care!  To begin learning we must admit our ignorance according to Socrates.

In sum, there's a vast difference between knowing about the Bible and knowing the Bible, which can only be done if one knows the Author when God is our teacher, whereby we grow in the grace and true knowledge of the Lord, which is a humbling experience.

Words to the wise shall be sufficient:  In Scripture, Moses, Dr. Luke, and Paul were men of great learning.  Just like the British scientist (who founded the scientific method) and philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon, is credited with the 1597 maxim, "Knowledge is power," there is the skilled use of it--that's where wisdom comes in:  Scripture says, "The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength [i.e., increase their strength]" (Prov. 24:5, NIV).  Knowledge is necessary for spiritual growth, but not sufficient--IT'S ONLY PART OF THE EQUATION; it must be lived out in love. We don't believe in knowledge for its own sake! 

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing because some know enough to be dangerous!  NB:  Knowledge per se is no measure of spiritual status or growth, it must be commensurate with love in action.  

CAVEAT:  WE MUST BEWARE OF HAVING A ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE AS PAUL WARNED IN ROM. 10:2 AND SOLOMON IN PROV. 19:2.   By all means:  "The beginning of wisdom [the right use of knowledge] is this: Get wisdom.  Though it cost you all you have, get understanding" (Prov. 4:7, NIV).    Soli Deo Gloria!