The story is told of a man who got out of bed one day, convinced that he was dead. All efforts made by his poor wife to convince him otherwise failed. Eventually, he made it to a hospital, where the doctor also tried his best to assure him that he was alive. A few minutes later, after conceding that dead men do not bleed, it would seem that he was now convinced he was very much alive. With just one final persuasive act to win him over, the doctor signalled for his finger and gently poked the tip with a needle. On sighting a trickle of blood, the man exclaimed “Ah, dead men bleed after all!”
Well, I reckon proof doesn’t necessarily guarantee persuasion.
True or False, how do you tell?
How do we know what we know? More pointedly, how do we know what we know is true?
By nature, truth is propositional, so there has to be a way of testing the validity of a truth claim. Whilst one may not necessarily need to verify a claim right away, over the course of time, the validity of a statement may need proof.
For the Christian, the starting point in establishing truth is that God speaks to His people through the Bible. This directly affirms the reliability and ultimate authority of the Bible. Inevitably, there’s some circularity in the above affirmation, and rightly so! Appealing to a greater authority outside of the Bible actually strips it of supremacy.
Without getting swarmed by what other belief systems make of this vital question of truth, the Christian can be sure of a logical and consistent framework that aligns with the reality of the world in which we live. Along with that come tenable answers to the question of meaning and purpose in life.
What do you believe, and why?
Peter the Apostle encourages us to “honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” 1 Pet. 3:15.
Admonitions like the above raise the stakes and prompt us to ask ‘what do I believe and why?’, ‘what’s fuelling the hope that’s in me?’ Are you prepared to make a defence with gentleness and respect? It’s never too late in the game to pause and consider these weighty questions, if for no other reason than to honour Christ the Lord as holy.
Perhaps you’re not yet persuaded that Jesus is whom he claims to be, would you examine the evidences in the first instance with an open mind? Would you be willing to go where the truth leads?
And for good measure, it is worth saying that dead men do not bleed after all!
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga