Sunday School Lesson—a monument to human pride

A Monument to human pride


Theme: God Scattered the People.


Scripture:


A1 Outline

B1 Tower of Babel

C1 What the people are doing

C2 What the Lord does

A2 Notes and Questions

B1 Babel--Traditional site

B2 Some imagined ideas on what the tower looked like

C1

C2

B3 Area of Lake Van and Mount Ararat (give or take 300 km)

B4

C1 What is noticeable about this passage?

C2 Why is the language information repeated twice (same language, same speech)?

C3 When is unity good, and when it is wrong?

D1 Unity with Yahweh and His ways is good.

D2 Unity against Yahweh and His ways is evil.

D3 Is doctrine important? (Very important)

C4 Is there a Christian (?) and religious unity being promoted now?

C5 How do we avoid the wrong kind of unity?

C6 In , , and say the families were divided by their languages, yet says that all were of one language. How do we reconcile these apparent contradictions?

D1 Genesis 10 is a summary and Genesis 11 is the details.

D2 Genesis 10 tells us how the nations spread and came about. The reason they spread is in Genesis 11. After reading Genesis 10, one might ask how and why did all these people scatter? Genesis 11 has the answer.

B5

C1 They traveled east. Looking at the map, Shinar (Babylon area on the Mesopotamian plain) was about straight south. How do we account for this?

C2 They traveled east first, maybe to the Caspian Sea, then sough to the Zagros Mountains, then east to Shinar.

B6

C1 What is the significance of "Come" ("Go to" in KJV)?

C2 What is pitch (KJV)? It is bitumen, a tar that is sticky or black colored.

C3 What are they trying to do anyway?

D1 Defy God by building this tower.

D2 Making it waterproof.

D3 Not wanting to spread over the face of the earth as God wished. God is King!!!!

C4 What is their motivation for building this building? (Rebellion and arrogance).

C5 What was the tower to be used for? Some suggestions are

D1 Tower may have been used for astronomy and/or astrology.

D2 Tower may be a statement that it is higher than flood waters and is waterproof (brick and tar).

D3 Tower may be a place for the "gods" to come down.

C6 Why did they want to make a name for themselves?

D1 Be famous

D2 Pride

C7 What seems to be their greatest fear? (To be separated). Yet, what happened?

C8 When we fight God, who wins?

C9 Whose plans are these? ("...let us make..."). What plans should we be attentive to?

C10 Sons of man or humankind literally is sons of Adam.

B7

C1 How could Yahweh come down? Is He weak and could not have seen and known from heaven?

C2 What did He see?

C3 Couldn't He have seen this from heaven?

C4 What is wrong with people's heart? (Sin, here specifically pride).

C5 Where would other "gods" come from? (evil spirits)

B8

C1 What is the meaning of Yahweh's word "...nothing will be impossible for them?" Does this speak of a liberated free will?

C2 Is there selfishness and self-pleasing in the human race? What can we do about it?

C3 Does God hate?

D1 There are six things Yahweh hates, and seven things are abominations of his soul: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a devising heart, plans of deception, feet that hurry to run to evil, (, LEB)

D2 The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. (, NKJV)

D3 ...slanderers, haters of God, insolent men, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (, EMTV)

B9

C1 Note the 3 times "let us" is mentioned.

D1 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. (, NKJV)

D2 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (, NKJV)

D3 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." (, NKJV)

C2 Note the word confuse, confound, etc. The Hebrew word is בּלל bâlal baw-lal' and means mix thus here confuse.

C3 What are the three main personages related to Babylon?

D1 Nimrod-Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD." And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). (, NKJV)

D2 Nebuchadnezzar-Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. (, NKJV)

D3 Beast of the book of Revelation-Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. (, NKJV) and throughout Revelation. This is the anti-Christ.

C4 Do things happen to us that return us to God's ways?

C5 Are all trials in our lives chastening from God?

D1 Sometimes it is.

D2 Sometimes it is the effect from a fallen word (most sickness or accidents).

D3 Sometimes it is our own stupidity and bad decisions. We cannot blame God for our bad decisions and choices. What guide do we have to avoid bad decisions?

C6 Can God's plan be thwarted? Does sin thwart God's plan?

C7 How can we seek God and His Kingdom?

B10

C1 Whose plan happened? God's plan to spread out over the earth or these people's plan to stay in one place?

C2 What is God's plan and way of living for Christians?

B11 the summary.

B12 How do we serve God?

C1 What was satan's problem? Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " (, NKJV). Is this good advice for us?

C2 Can we serve two masters? "You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (, GNB92). How does this apply to those who teach "when you send in your seed faith, God will make you rich."

C3 Whom did Paul, the Apostle, serve? For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom also I serve, (, EMTV)

C4 It comes down to we serve God by obeying the rules of the New Testament.

B13 Are we serving God?

B14 Noah served God. What happened to his descendants? How can we avoid this fallen situation from happening with our children/grandchildren?

From my friend and Christian brother, John Kulp

Conscience Toward God

In the first installment of this topic, we covered in a few words what the Scriptures mean by an “evil conscience” and a “purged conscience”. But what is meant by the concept of a “good conscience before (or toward) God” in Paul’s testimonies and in Peter’s exhortations? Let’s look at these passages one at a time.

“And Paul, earnestly beholding the council (Sanhedrin), said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1). Many believe that Paul meant this introductory statement to refer to his past life as an observant and zealous, though yet unconverted, Jew. Likely he sought to appeal to their consciences, as to Jews who...

Click the link above to read the whole post

Hard Questions—Christians have objective truth?

How can it be reasonable for Christians to claim knowledge of an objective truth?




I'm not positive of her full question. I think she is asking if believing in God can be an objective truth.


A1 Objective truth

B1 Basically is reality.

B2 It is raining outside. True or false?

B3 God exists. True or false?

B4 How do we test if these are true?

B5 Does God exist?

A2 Reasonable truth is what a Christian claims.


A3 Christians don't believe in blind faith.

B1 Many may have not thought this through, and so they are ignorant.

B2 We have a reasonable faith.

A4 Again I refer to Cold Case Christianity and Please Convince Me.

Sunday School Lesson—And the rains came

And the rains came




Theme: God Delivered Judgment and Grace


Scripture: Genesis 7:11-8:22


A1 Outline

B1 The flood Genesis 7:11-16

B2 The flood's effect Genesis 7:17-24

B3 The flood recedes Genesis 8:1-4

B4 The raven and dove Genesis 8:5-14

B5 The Lord's promise Genesis 8:15-19

B6 Noah's worship Genesis 8:20

B7 The Lord's response Genesis 8:21-22

A2 Notes and questions

B1 Timeline

B2 The flood Genesis 7:11-16

C1 On what day did the flood start? (The 17th day of the second month).

D1 Josephus feels that this was what we call November.

D2 Most commentators look to maybe what we call May.

C2 What are the fountains of the great deep?

D1 The word for fountain means spring.

D2 The word for great means great, big, and huge.

E1 You covered it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. (Psalms 104:6 KJ2000)

C3 Is the whole world meant or was it a local flood?

D1 Arguments for a local flood

E1 http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/flood.html

F1 They interpret all their examples by their context, except for Genesis 7.

F2 They assume all the mountains of the world were the same height as they are today.

F3 They assume every animal was a full grown adult and would eat a full grown adults amount of food.

F4 They assume every animal included every variety of the dog kind for instance.

E2 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/localflood.html

F1 Much the same as above.

F2 Don't take the Bible so literally.

F3 Believe science first, the Bible last.

D2 Arguments for a world-wide flood

E1 https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/global/was-there-really-a-noahs-ark-flood/

E2 https://answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/noahs-flood-covered-the-whole-earth/

E3 http://creation.com/geology-questions-and-answers Covers a number of questions that may arise about flood geology.

E4 Major developments

F1 Major geological catastrophes.

F2 Sea fossils in unusual places.

F3 Major shaping of the earth suggesting water shaped terrain.

D3 The Hebrew word used for flood. 1142 מַבּוּל (mabbûl) flood, which refers to THE flood of Noah as in Genesis 6:17, Genesis 7:17, Psalms 29:10, etc. This word refers only to Noah's flood.

D4 From the D6 Fusion teacher's book:

"Questions often arise as to whether the Flood of Noah's day was a global flood or a regional one. There are numerous reasons to believe that it was global in nature. Consider the following.

• The wording of the entire record supports the idea of a global flood. In fact, authors would struggle to find wording that could present any more extensive and destructive a scene than what is painted here. Further, the Hebrew words for a local flood are never used in connection to the flood of Noah's day.
  


• In Genesis 7:19, it is said that the waters "prevailed." This word at its core means "overwhelmingly might" and would not fit the description of a local flood.
  


• If this were a local flood, Noah and the others wasted their time, money, and energy by building somethings completely unnecessary, It would have been much better to migrate to another region.
  


• The presence of sedimentary rock layers and marine fossils give evidence that even the highest mountains were once covered by water.
  


• God's promise to never flood the earth again would be a lie, since we have had countless local floods throughout history.
  

For more information regarding the global nature of the Flood, Henry Morris deals with the subject extensively in The Genesis Record. For further information on the Flood and specific aspects of the Flood story, The Institute of Creation Research has a number of resources here

For a discussion about how the highest mountains could have been covered see, here."

C4 Why 40 days and nights?

D1 That long to have the type of destruction where all would die.

D2 Moses was on the mountain 40 days and nights. Exodus 24:18

D3 Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years. Numbers 14:34

D4 Nineveh was to be overthrown in 40 days. Jonah 3:4

C5 The word for ark is

D1 Original: תּבה

D2 Transliteration: Tebah

D3 Phonetic: tay-baw'

D4 It means box.

C6 The great rain and geological upheaval. What is happening?

D1 The geological processes that happened at that time--here.

D2 Did it rain before the flood--here.

D3 The effects of a huge flood--http://www.icr.org/article/5871.

D4 A video explanation--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsvVMjsnDVU.

C7 How long did it take to build the ark?

D1 Verses to read

E1 After Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Genesis 5:32, GNB92)

E2 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came on the earth. (Genesis 7:6, GNB92)

E3 These are the descendants of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he had a son, Arpachshad. (Genesis 11:10, GNB92)

D2 Where did the idea come that the ark took 120 years to build? (Then the LORD said, "I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years." (Genesis 6:3, GNB92)).

C8 Who shut the door?

C9 Why did God shut the door instead of having Noah do it?

C10 What does shutting the door mean to those who did NOT believe and to those who did believe?

C11 Was there a free choice for any and all people to believe God and enter the ark or just decreed for Noah and his family?

C12 What was the cause of this horrible flood? (Sin)

C13 What does sin result in?

C14 Because of Noah's faith, we see God's mercy and grace.

C15 Did Jesus believe this flood really happened? (Yes. The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 24:37-39, GNB92)

B3 Genesis 7:17-24

C1 Who was the protector of Noah and his family?

C2 Can God protect us?

C3 Does He always protect us physically?

C4 Does He always protect us spiritually?

C5 Do these verses show how wide an area the flood impacted?

C6 How does interpreting the Bible in its plain, normal sense help us?

C7 How did Noah show he had faith? (He obeyed).

C8 Was there a second chance for the people of the world?

C9 How does Noah's faith affect you?

C10 Did God care about everyone or only Noah and his family?

C11 Does God care about you today?

B4 Genesis 8:1-4

C1 Do we sometimes think we are forgotten by God? Was Noah forgotten?

D1 11 So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? 12 "Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers? 13 "Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' 14 "I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15 "If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now–if I have found favor in Your sight–and do not let me see my wretchedness!" (Numbers 11:11-15, NKJV)

D2 Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? (Psalms 44:24, NKJV)

D3 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. (Habakkuk 1:2-4, NKJV)

C2 The flood from the first rain drops until Noah and family left the ark was about 371 days.

C3 What all did God remember? (Genesis 8:1)

B5 The raven and dove Genesis 8:5-14

C1 Why didn't the raven come back? (It can eat dead things).

C2 After Noah looked out the hatch of the ark, how many days did was it before the land was completely dry? (Approximately 57 days, Genesis 8:13-14)

B6 The Lord's promise Genesis 8:15-19

C1 Did Noah leave the ark when he wanted to?

C2 God looks to our benefit rather than our desire.

C3 How does this apply to our prayers?

B7 Noah's worship Genesis 8:20-22

C1 When Noah sacrificed, what was he acknowledging? (That he was a sinner that needed forgiveness).

C2 How did God respond?

C3 What is our sacrifice?

D1 Jesus, the Passover Lamb (Purge out the old leaven, in order that you may be a new batch of dough, since you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7, EMTV)).

D2 Therefore, brothers, I exhort you through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1, EMTV)

D3 And I have all things and abound. I have been made full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. (Philippians 4:18, EMTV)

D4 Therefore through Him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing to His name. (Hebrews 13:15, EMTV)

D5 But do not forget the doing of good and generosity, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Hebrews 13:16, EMTV)

D6 You also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5, EMTV)

B8 More questions

C1 How does God protect us today?

C2 What are the importance of following God's commands?

C3 Where are God's commands written for us? (The New Testament).

Using the four steps to study Bible texts

[From my Christian Brother Daniel Dickey

Using the Four Steps to Study Bible Texts

Try using the four steps on a text of your choice from any Bible book. All you need is a Bible, a pen, some paper, and about 30 minutes.

1. Pray: Pray before and throughout your study of the Bible

Start by praising and worshiping God. Confess your sins. Ask God for the Holy Spirit's help so you can correctly understand and apply God's Word to your life today. Do not proceed to the next step until you have done this.

2. Say: What does the text say?

Select a text to study from any Bible Book. Write the reference (book, chapter, and verse) here:

Now read the text carefully and study the text you chose. All observations should be based on what the text actually says. Write your observations here.

Some Additional Guidance

Observe: Ask questions like…

• Who is talking?


• What is the theme?


• Where is this happening?


• When is this happening?


• Why did this happen?


• How is god working?

3. Mean: What does the text mean in its context?


Determine what the author intended to communicate to the first readers according to the context. The following questions will help you do this for your text.


What is the immediate context for the text you chose? (Hint: use paragraph breaks, subtitles, and chapter breaks to help you.) . What is the larger context? Remember that it always helps to study a larger context than is necessary, but studying too small a context can lead to error.


Now read at least the immediate context and answer the following question to the best of your ability. For some texts, you may need to read a larger context. According to the context, what did the author intend your text to communicate to the first readers?

Briefly write down any questions you have about what the text means. These questions can be helpful for future study. God can use them to help you understand the Bible better.

The complete context of every text also includes the language, the culture, the historical background, and the setting of the author and first readers. Helpful resources would be a Study Bible, Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia, Greek Lexicon and Interlinear/Reverse Interlinear Bible.

4. Apply: How will I apply this text to my life today?

Whenever we study the Scriptures we should also determine what God is saying to us personally and make a plan to put that into practice. To do that, you can ask God, "What do You want me to do as a result of my study of Your Word?"

While praying, make a practical plan to apply what you have learned from God's Word to your life. To make a plan, answer the following questions:

•    What will I do?

•    When will I do it?

•    Where will I do it?

•    How will I do it?

Review your plan. Is it something you can do today? Does it include a way for you to know when you have completed it? If not, revise your plan.

Here is an Acrostic to help Apply God's Word

PRECEPTS: Prayer to pray, Reason to praise, Error to avoid, Command to obey, Example to follow, Promise to claim, Truth to believe, Sin to Confess.


So remember PRECEPTS and after studying the text ask yourself, is there a…

• Prayer to pray
  


• Reason to praise
  


• Error to avoid
  


• Command to obey
  


• Example to follow
  


• Promise to claim
  


• Truth to believe
  


• Sin to Confess

From my Christian brother Daniel Dickey

Sunday School Lesson—Noah obeyed God

Noah obeyed God




A1 Scripture

B1 Genesis 6:5-22

B2 Genesis 7:1-5

A2 Notes and Questions

B1 How does God see?

C1 He is creator.

C2 He is omniscient.

D1 Hebrews 4:13

D2 Revelation 2:23

D3 Proverbs 5:21

B2 Genesis 6:5.

C1 What does God see in this passage?

D1 Wicked actions

D2 Wicked thoughts

D3 Note the adjective "continually." The word implies "every day."

C2 What is the source of evil, wicked, actions?

D1 The heart.

D2 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (Matthew 15:19, EMTV)

C3 What does God see today?

C4 What are we to do?

B3 Genesis 6:6

C1 Did God really repent?

D1 Compare

Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. (Jonah 3:9-10, NKJV)

D2 In English the word repent has the idea of changing of the mind because of sin or failure.

D3 The Hebrew word has the idea of breathe deeply, sigh. It is the idea of changing the course of action because of a change in circumstances.

E1 People, nations, etc. Jeremiah 18:7-10,

E2 God's judgment is usually conditional unless stated otherwise. Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23

E3 Yet it is conditional.

F1 God came to seek and save those who are lost. Luke 19:10

F2 Jesus preached repentance. Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15

F3 He wants all to repent 2 Peter 3:9

F4 God responds to true repentance. Jonah 3:9-10

F5 This is the reason the Bible states that God repents. 1 Chronicles 21:15, Jeremiah 26:3, Amos 7:3

E4 Some things are unconditional

F1 Messiah Daniel 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7

F2 All covenants between God and man (except God's Law (Old Testament Law)). 2 Samuel 7:14-16

E3 Hebrew words

F1 1344 נָחַם (nāḥam) (From TWOT) For more info see here.

G1 The origin of the root seems to reflect the idea of "breathing deeply," hence the physical display of one's feelings, usually sorrow, compassion, or comfort. (From TWOT)

G2 In this regard, A. J. Heschel (The Prophets, p. 194) has said, "No word is God's final word. Judgment, far from being absolute, is conditional. A change in man's conduct brings about a change in God's judgment." (From TWOT)

G3 Usually this reflects God's emotions.

F2 2340 שׁוּב (shûb) (From TWOT) For more info see here.

G1 The third important use of shûb in the Qal, and theologically the most crucial, is in passages dealing with the covenant community's return to God (in the sense of repentance), or turning away from evil (in the sense of renouncing and disowning sin), or turning away from God (in the sense of becoming apostate).

G2 Ezekiel 14:6, 1 Kings 8:47-49

C2 Does God have emotions?

C3 Do people ever have this type of repentance?

C4 What are we to do?

B4 Genesis 6:7

C1 Is God cruel and mean to destroy all? Even babies?

D1 "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 3:23).

D2 The parents made bad choices, so their children suffered.

D3 It has no bearing on the babies and the final judgment.

C2 Does sin have consequences?

C3 Does our sin affect God?

B5 Genesis 6:8

C1 What does look for in people?

C2 What is grace? (Receiving what we do NOT deserve). Romans 11:6

B6 Genesis 6:9-10 Noah walked with God. The list of his sons.

B7 Genesis 6:11

C1 What did God see?

C2 What was the earth filled with?

C3 What is the warning to the earth today? (Repent or face God's judgment).

B8 Genesis 6:12

C1 The Hebrew word is H7843 שָׁחַת shachath (From Strong's). It means destroy, rot, ruin. This is the condition of humanity and all of creation.

C2 How do we see this type of corruption in the world today?

B9 Genesis 6:13

C1 What does God say the earth is filled with?

C2 Is this true for today?

C3 What was God's judgment?

C4 Could the people of Noah's day repent?

B10 Genesis 6:14 What is gopher wood? There have been many suggestions.

C1 Smoothed, shaped wood.

C2 Box wood

C3 Cedar

C4 Cypress

C5 Others

C6 Links: here, here,

B11 Genesis 6:14-17 The size of the ark, basics instructions, and the reason for it.

Build a boat for yourself out of good timber; make rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side. I am going to send a flood on the earth to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die, (Genesis 6:14-17 GNB)

B12 Genesis 6:18-20

C1 Is this covenant conditional or non-conditional? (Non-conditional)

C2 Is this covenant with Noah and his family or with the animals also?

B13 Genesis 6:21

C1 Did God do all the work for the provisions?

C2 Is work good?

B14 Genesis 6:22 What did Noah do? (He obeyed God)

C1 What did Noah do? (He obeyed God)

C2 Is it best to follow God's plan or ours?

C3 Why doesn't today's church live, act, and believe according to the teachings of Jesus?

B15 Genesis 7:1-3

C1 Why did God want 7 of each clean animal?

C2 What is a clean animal?

D1 The Hebrew word implies something that is not defiled, contaminated, or something that has had the contamination removed.

D2 A cleanness, pureness, in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense.

D3 Clean animals were also used in the service of man as a pride of lions is not the same use as a herd of cattle.

C3 How would Noah know this before the giving of the Law?

C4 Are animals still classified this way?

B16 Genesis 7:4-5

C1 Why did God judge humanity?

C2 How soon? (in 7 days)

C3 How long? (40 days)

C4 What was Noah's response?

C5 What was humanity's response?

C6 Why did innocent children die?

C7 Why did innocent animals die?

C8 Why is there death today?

C9 In light of this what is the responsibility of parents and adults?

C10 Is there any standard?

C11 Does this standard change with society's standards?

C12 Are there different standards for different cultures?

Hard Questions—What is the difference between objective and subjective truth?

What is the difference between objective and subjective truth?




The article below is from my ongoing book on basic doctrine.


Truth (Basics)


A1 Defined

B1 Eyewitness: as in testimony

B2 Repeatable: as in math

B3 Consistent

B4 Legal: based on law, as in speed limit

B5 Faithfulness: as in true to a person or cause

B6 Fact vs. Opinion. This would be difference subjectively/objectively.

B7 Comment from IVPBBC--

The Greek concept of truth emphasized reality; the Old Testament word translated "truth" had more to do with integrity or faithfulness to one's word or character. Jewish thought characterized God as the Truth, so Jesus' hearers should realize that he refers specifically to God's truth in the Jewish sense. [Comment on John 8:32--The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament Copyright © 1993 by Craig S. Keener]

B8 The Hebrew, 'emeth, has to do with stability.

A2 Theories

B1 Objective: the description of an object is correct

C1 Correspondence theory: verifiable

D1 How a statement's truth or falsity corresponds to the world of reality.

D2 How thoughts and statements correspond to things and facts. [1]

D3 Examples:

E1 It is raining outside. Is it or isn't it?

E2 The dog ate the hot dog. Did the dog eat the hot dog or not?

D4 Difficulties

E1 God exists. Is this true or not?

E2 How can this be verified?

E3 Usually statements need to be checked as true or false have to be verifiable and repeatable.

B2 Subjective:

C1 Coherence Theory of Truth: not verifiable. This deals with how something lines up with subjective reality. Something may be true because it lines up with our belief system.

C2 Constructivist theory: truth is what society has struggled with and come to a conclusion. It is not based on any transcendent facts. "...perceptions of truth are viewed as contingent on convention, human perception, and social experience. [2] Basically truth is whatever society says it is, thus changeable.

C3 Consensus theory: truth is whatever is agreed upon by a person or group. That group may be a group of one or the whole human race.

C4 Pragmatic theory: does a belief work; if it does, then it is truth. Thus some believe an idea must be tested by a group or individual. There is also negative pragmatic theory that holds that if it works may or may not be true, but it is for sure that if it fails, then it is NOT truth.

D1 Negative pragmatism: any statement can be true, but if it doesn't work (it fails), it has to be false.

B3 A flow chart concerning truth can be found here: http://www.truthdefined.com/7-TheoriesOfTruth.htm

C1 Truth cannot be known: nihilism

C2 Truth can be known

D1 Inflationary (substantive) theories: (truth can/may be defined)

E1 Correspondence: the idea that there is a "correspondence" between belief and reality.

F1 Need to define terms

F2 Examples:

G1 That leaf is green; need to define leaf and green.

G2 I love my wife; need to define love and wife.

G3 God exists; need to define God and exists.

E2 Coherence

F1 Defined: a statement must cohere (stick together) to other statements known to be truth

F2 Examples:

G1 "It is raining cats and dogs outside."

H1 True or false?

H2 How does it compare to commonly accepted truths.

I1 Is it wet outside?

I2 Are drops of water falling from the sky?

I3 Are cats and dogs falling from the clouds?

I4 Are other people standing here see the same?

G2 A common example

Coherence Theories are valuable because they help to reveal how we arrive at our truth claims, our knowledge. We continually work at fitting our beliefs together into a coherent system. For example, when a drunk driver says, "There are pink elephants dancing on the highway in front of us", we assess whether his assertion is true by considering what other beliefs we have already accepted as true, namely,

• Elephants are gray.
  


• This locale is not the habitat of elephants.
  


• There is neither a zoo nor a circus anywhere nearby.
  


• Severely intoxicated persons have been known to experience hallucinations.
  

But perhaps the most important reason for rejecting the drunk's claim is this:

• Everyone else in the area claims not to see any pink elephants.
  

In short, the drunk's claim fails to cohere with a great many other claims that we believe and have good reason not to abandon. We, then, reject the drunk's claim as being false (and take away the car keys).

E3 Pragmatism

F1 Defined: If it works, then it is true. (Relativism).

F2 Post-modernism

F3 No absolutes except the absolute--there is no absolute truth

F4 Not practical as it is subjective and changeable.

F5 Is it falsifiable?

D2 Deflationary theories: (truth cannot or needs not to be defined)

E1 Redundancy: adding "it is true" to any statement. It is true that the dog is barking. It is true is not needed.

E2 Prosententialism: this deals with prosentences. A prosentence is a sentence that stands for something. "My dog is black, so I didn't see it at night." The word 'it' means the dog. If I say, "That's true," the sentence "that's true" is a prosentence.

E3 Disquotationism: removing quotations marks around statements. The statement "it is true," simply becomes it is true.

B4 Ways to know something [see 3]

C1 Empirical

D1 What sense organs (taste, smell, see, feel, hear, also instruments that may extend these as microphone, telescopes, microscopes, etc.)

D2 The senses may be wrong as in optical illusions, delusions, hallucinations, ventriloquists, etc.

D3 We may know our own stimulated senses but how do we know others?

C2 Rational

D1 Not what is sensed but what is arrived at by reason using mathematical proofs

D2 Descartes: I think, therefore I am. (also rationalists as Spinoza and Leibniz).

D3 Criticism:

E1 The world out "there." How does someone know the sun is shining.

E2 Reality would be different for different people. How do I someone else thinks?

C3 Mystical: a feeling or sense inside someone as premonition, burning in the bosom, tingling, "peace"

C4 Pragmatical: finding out what works

C5 Authority: because someone (an authority) says so. This is no more than "trust me" and is often manipulative.

B5 The Bible and Truth

C1 Words for truth

D1 "emet" H571 with the idea of stability, truth. This would be as a stable object that when pushed, blown on, tested is various ways proves unchangeable (unalterable) thus constant, lasting permanent. Stability includes the ideas of resistance to change. It comes from the root "aman" (TWOT entry 116). There is an idea of reality in what is said and done. God is truth.

D2 "aletheia" G225. It means not hidden or covered up. It is something out for all to see. "It denotes a reality that is firm, solid, binding, and hence true. With reference to persons it characterizes their action, speech, or thought, and suggests integrity." [4]

C2 How can we know that this sentence (Jesus is God) is true?

D1 All the above theories fail. God cannot be studied or analyzed.

D2 What direct proof would be adequate?

D3 Does circumstantial evidence adequate?

D4 Is there a difference is "proof" and "reasonably?"

E1 Proof: an absolute found in math and logic but not science.

E2 Reasonable: the preponderance of circumstantial evidence

B6 Only God can know and reveal truth, so whatever the Lord Jesus says and does is truth. That is the only measure of truth. In this sense logic, science, and math are not perfect.

C1 Can only true Christians know what is true or not?

C2 Is the phrase, "All truth is God's truth," true?

B7 Jesus--this is the only correct one. (Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. --John 14:6)

B8 Theory and how we live our lives

C1 Theory is interesting and philosophical but what about how we live our lives. People do not live their lives totally in the theoretical. Is it raining or not? Does God exist or not? Since God cannot be tested with the senses, we must find these out by what is most reasonable. This is a view to circumstantial evidence. The more circumstances there are, the more likely it is true.

A3 Contrasted

B1 Lie

C1 He said to him, "I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ' Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' " (He was lying to him.) (1 Kings 13:18)

C2 "Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. (Ezekiel 13:22)

C3 A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies. (Proverbs 14:5)

B2 Deceit

C1 My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. (Job 27:4)

C2 He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit. (Proverbs 12:17)

B3 Hypocrite

C1 The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? (Luke 13:15)

C2 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:28)

B4 Belief systems that fear the truth with uncomfortableness, exposure,

C1 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

C2 That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us." Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: "Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them, (Isaiah 30:9-12)

A4 Importance

B1 Is freeing (And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." --John 8:32)

C1 No need to remember lies

C2 Confidence

C3 Safety

C4 From harm

C5 From deceit

C6 From false teaching

B2 Only known from the Bible (Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. --John 17:17)

C1 Holy Spirit is teacher

C2 Bible is the text book

C3 You and I are the students

C4 We only learn when we study

A5 Bible passages

B1 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (Exodus 34:6). Thus the very character of God, what He does, what He says, and what He thinks is truth.

B2 And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak." Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" And he said, "Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!" So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ' These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.' " (2 Chronicles 18:13-16) Thus a contrast between truth and lie; the king saw the difference perhaps from the tone of voice. Micaiah might have been speaking this with a sarcastic voice.

A6 References


    B1 http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophyepistemology/a/Coherence.htm


    B2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth


    B3 http://www.truthdefined.com/7-TheoriesOfTruth.htm

B4 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm

A7 Lecture

B1 Define truth

B2 Offer examples

C1 If a=b and 12/4 = 3 and 3 = 12/4, then does truth = fact and fact = truth

C2 If fact is truth, then was Satan's offer to Jesus truth or the words of Satan to Eve were fact?

D1 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "' You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" (Luke 4:5-8)

D2 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ' You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ' You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (Genesis 3:1-4)

A8 Sources

B1 [1] Correspondence Theory of Truth (n.d.). In Correspondence Theory of Truth. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correspondence_theory_of_truth

B2 [2] http://www.truthdefined.com/7-TheoriesOfTruth.htm The reader is hereby given permission to copy and distribute any or all pages from this website as long as text and graphics is not altered and the copyright and this permission statement is included as part of all copies. Information on this website must not be used for any commercial purposes.

B3 [3] http://www.shrdocs.com/presentations/16815/index.html

B4 [4] Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged (TDNTa), Kittel, Gerhard; Friedrich, Gerhard, 1985, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Entry: aletheia.