What is this New Theory of Truth?

That there is only One True Proposition that is presently available to mankind.

What is that Proposition?

“Jesus Christ is God.”

What is a Proposition?

A Proposition is the name for the most basic type of sentence. It must be of the form “A is B.” e.g. Snow is white.

If there is only One True Proposition available for mankind, does that mean that all other propositions are False?

No! We have been taught that there are only two choices to describe propositions, either True or False. This is called two-valued logic, and has been used since Aristotle formulated his “laws” of logic 350 years before Christ. During the last century discoveries in Logic and Mathematics, and This New Theory of Truth, make it imperative that we replace two-valued logic with three-valued (or multi-valued) logic.

What does that mean?

That means that there are at least three ways to describe a proposition. True, False and neither-True/nor-False (nTnF). You might say that our decisions in life are mostly in Shades of Gray, and not Black and White issues.

If Truth is God, what is False?

Now that Truth has been defined, we are able to define Falsehood. The only False proposition is the denial of the Truth “Jesus is God”, i.e. “Jesus is Not God.” All other propositions must be classified as neither-True/nor-False, ranging from erroneous to inerrant.

John 8:44- He has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies. (TEV)

In the Greek text of this verse “a lie” is literally “the lie,”* and this is significant for the exegesis. Jesus is speaking in absolute categories, as He often does in the Fourth Gospel; and He is contrasting God with the Devil, the Truth with the Lie. God and the Truth are one, as the Devil and the Lie are one; and so there can be nothing in common between God and the Devil or between the Truth and the Lie.
A Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of John; p654, Newman, B. M. & Nida, E.; ISBN 0-8267-0137-X.

*Apostolic Bible, Green, L. Morris, New World, I. Panin, Wuest, Young.

Does Multi-valued Logic help to solve other problems?

Yes! Since earliest times, men have been puzzled by sentences called Paradoxes. An example of a paradox is: “Everything I say is a lie.” Is this sentence True or False? If it is true, then it is false; if it is False, then it is true. Two-valued logic is unable to deal with this difficulty. If Paradoxes are classified as neither-True/nor-False, it solves other similar problems.

Doesn’t Multi-valued Logic complicate things?

Yes. We are used to assigning one of two values to our ideas, “True” or “False.” Now we know that that is incorrect. The gray areas need a different designation such as; Correct/Incorrect, Valid/Invalid, 90% correct, 10% incorrect, etc. Probably the colloquial use of “True” and “False” will never cease, but as long as we remind ourselves of the correct meaning of “Truth,” we will not be misled.

Didn’t Aristotle know about Paradoxes?

He did know about the problem of Paradoxes, but he ignored them and settled for the simplest solution of two-valued logic, either True or False. He did not have the history of over 2000 years of dealing with logical and mathematical issues, and he did not have a definition for “Truth.” Now, whether we like it or not, we solve everyday problems with computers using Multi-valued logic or in modern terminology, Fuzzy Logic.

Isn’t it good enough to believe in “God”?

No! Most everyone believes in “God.” We have to ask what do they mean by “God.” If this God is not the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not the only True God. The only person who can reveal God must be Himself God.

What if one has never heard of Jesus Christ, does that mean he is lost?

No other name has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Don’t Scientists and Mathematicians Discover Truth through their measurements and intense efforts?

No. Honest and knowledgeable scientists and philosophers have admitted that their discoveries are not Truths. Not only that, they are honest enough to admit that they have not been able to find a Definition for the word Truth.

Truth is knowledge of God, and God cannot be Discovered. We may come to know Him only if He reveals Himself.

If the only True proposition is “Jesus is God”, doesn’t that mean that “Truth is God” is not true?

Yes! That is a very astute observation. “Truth is God” is Not a True proposition, because there is Only One True Proposition. The proposition “Truth is God” has to fall in the third class of propositions, neither-True/nor-False. It is Inerrant because all of it is found in the Bible. Many people believe that “Truth is God,” but their Definition of “God” is something other than “Jesus Christ.”

If I Google “Truth is God” I see several web sites that are based on the philosophy of Gandhi. What gives?

The idea that “Truth is God” can be found in a 5th c. B.C.

Hindu epic called the Mahabharata. On page 162 it states that  “Truth is God himself.” (Mahabharata, Bk 1, Sec. LXXIV)

Gandhi’s teachings were compiled by one of his followers into a book entitled: Truth is God. It can be found online  here. Fatal problems in his logic are evident from the first paragraph of the first chapter: My Quest.

“I am but a seeker after Truth. I claim I have found a way to it. I claim to be making a ceaseless effort to find it. But I admit that I have not yet found it.”

How could someone claim to know the way to the Truth, when he admits that he himself has not yet found it? How can anyone expect to lead others to the Truth, when he himself is still looking for it?  A quick perusal of his writings, including his autobiography, which is subtitled “The Story of my Experiments with Truth” show that his definitions of Truth and God are a jumble of contradictory ideas, and he has nothing worthwhile to offer to the discussion.

Has anyone else defined Truth as God?

Yes, second century writings ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus show great insight into the nature of truth. (The fifteenth book of Hermes; Of truth, to his son Tat.) St. Augustine mentions the Hermetic writings several times.

The Babylonian Talmud (5th-6th c. A.D.) answers the question
“... what is truth?” with “The living God and King eternal.” (Sanh. Bab. f.64.1.)

The ancient Greeks came very close to seeing it. This shows the great insight these men had and we owe them much respect. But if the word “God” is not defined correctly, knowing that “Truth is God” does not give anyone True knowledge.

Does that mean that the propositions in the Bible are not all true?

This is a most unexpected and difficult issue in the New Theory of Truth.

If the only True proposition is “Jesus Christ is God,” we are forced to say that the rest of the propositions in the Bible are neither-True/nor-False. But unlike any other book, all its statements are Free of Error.

How can I tell which Bible verse is True and which is neither-True/nor-False?

Let’s compare these two positions:

1- If I believe that David was King of Israel, but, I do not believe that Jesus is God. Do I have everlasting life? The answer is No.

Now reverse the question;

2- If I do Not believe that David was King of Israel, but I Do believe that Jesus is God. Do I have everlasting life? Of course the answer is Yes.

This shows us that there is a crucial difference between these two Biblical propositions. The same comparison can be made with all other Biblical propositions. At a minimum I need to believe that Jesus Christ is God. Believing in any other proposition in the Bible does not help to save me.

Does that mean I can believe False things and still be saved?

No! Since the Only true proposition is “Jesus is God” the only False proposition is its denial: “Jesus is Not God.” Whether one realizes it or not, a person believes one or the other. All other propositions are nTnF.

There are many who claim to be Christians yet believe in unbiblical ideas such as evolution. Can one believe incorrect things, but still be a Christian?

We thank God that this is correct. None of us is immune from error. Not a single one of us has a perfectly logical and pure doctrinal system. The important thing is that we believe in the One True Proposition.

The fact is that it is Not our incorrect beliefs which prevent us from being saved, because we are all already lost. What does save us is knowing the One And Only True proposition that is available through God’s grace: “Jesus Christ is Lord God.”

Isn’t it important that our faith be as close to Biblical teaching as possible?

It is very important that our beliefs agree with what the Bible teaches in all things, history, science, law, medicine etc.  The more consistent and harmonious our beliefs are with Biblical doctrine, the more fruitful our lives become.

Does that mean that only the Christian knows Truth?

Since the only One True Proposition is “Jesus Christ is God,” only those who believe that Proposition know any Truth at all. That is, only Christians know Truth.

By definition, a Christian is one who believes that Jesus Christ is God. And since this is an Eternally True proposition, the person believing it receives Everlasting life.

The rest of mankind does not know any truth at all. Their minds are populated by propositions that are nTnF or False. They might believe in many inerrant Biblical propositions, yet they do Not know any Truth. The unbeliever might excel at storing and using Information, but none of it has any eternal value, because none of it is true. Anyone can know the Nature of Truth, but only the elect know Truth.

The most correct stance of a non-Christian with respect to Truth is Skepticism or Agnosticism. The best efforts of a non-Christian will finally oblige him to conclude that “I know that I do not know Truth.” We must hold in high esteem any non-Christian who has come to that resolution.

Why is this important?

John 17:3 gives the definition of Everlasting Life as “Knowing the only True God and Jesus Christ whom God hast sent.” The reason a person has everlasting life is because he has believed the only eternally true proposition that is available to mankind at the present time, “Jesus Christ is God.”

... eternal life is the knowledge of the truth.
Augustine, On the morals of the catholic church, NPNF I-4, Ch.25.47, p54.

Does the Christian acquire true knowledge because he has done something to please God?

No! The knowledge that “Jesus is God” is God’s gift. Nothing we do or say can help us to believe this True Proposition. It is critical to understand that by nature we are incapable of differentiating Truth from Falsehood.

Isn’t that unfair to all the other people who do not believe this and are trying very hard to please God?

When Adam disobeyed God’s simple command in the Garden of Eden, his sin carried over (was imputed) to all his descendents. The just punishment for this sin is everlasting death. For justice to reign, God has the right to send every descendent of Adam to everlasting hell because that is the choice we made while we were in Adam. But God has chosen to show his Grace by saving a part of mankind and revealing himself to them. By believing in this one true proposition, a portion of mankind receives everlasting life.
Grace is a Costly Demonstration of Unexpected Love. (Dr. K. Bailey)

Does that mean that we can go on sinning and still go to heaven?

We have no choice but to sin in this present earthly life.

Sin enters into every human activity of thought, will and feeling. Pure, unmixed, one hundred percent goodness is an impossibility. D. R. Davies, London Quarterly, April 1948.

The only Sinless act in our life is believing that “Jesus is God” and this takes place only through God’s grace. Even faith in God is a Gift of God. Once one realizes that everlasting life is God’s gift, our natural reaction should be, “I want to please God by living a life that is worthy of him. I want to show that I am thankful for this undeserved gift. After all, God has saved me from everlasting damnation, why would I act in a way that brings Him dishonor?” I am assured of Everlasting Life because, thankfully, my destiny is Not in my hands, but in His hands.

Does that mean that we are robots and we have no choice?

When we rebelled against God in Adam, we effectively told God that we want to be on our own. We want to make our own choices. We want to be “free” to make any choice we like out of the myriad choices that are available to us. But we ended up in a position where we are not able to choose the most important thing we need, Truth. That is left up to God. In all other things we are free to choose, but the only choices available to us are Sinful ones.

What is sin?

Sin is disobedience to God. No human is without sin. No human performs a single sinless act of perfection throughout his whole life. Even in our most devout, prayerful moments, we are in sin.

Your theory of Truth begins by assuming that there are only two possible Truth values: True and False, yet you end up concluding that there are more than two truth values. Doesn’t this undercut your whole argument?

Not Really. The question “Does Truth exist? Can have two possible valid answers, “Truth exists” and “Truth does not exist”. (“I don’t know”, or “I am not sure”, or “it is Neither”, all can be retorted with the answer that there is at least one thing I know that is True, thus establishing the Fact that the denial of the existence of Truth is self-defeating.) The fact that most propositions are classified as neither-True/nor-False does not alter the fact that Truth and Falsehood both exist.

Isn’t love the greatest good? If we love each other, everything will turn out OK.

Love is Not the greatest good.
Truth (=God) is the greatest good.
To prove this, all we need to ask is “Is love the greatest good?” We see that Truth is sitting in judgment of love itself.

“To Truth Jesus gave the first place. . .
The first place does not belong to love or mercy or pity. It belongs to truth.”

Speer, Robert - The Principles of Jesus - p177

Is the proposition “Jesus Christ is God” true because it corresponds to an actual State-of-Affairs?

The concept of Correspondence does not apply to the One True Proposition because we cannot separate it from God Himself.
In the case of every other proposition, the State-of-Affairs is SEPARATE from the proposition that We invent and assign to it. But only in this case, the One True Proposition and God are IDENTICAL (though Not comprehensive)!

Furthermore, the One True Proposition is a Revelation from God, and has Not been invented by humans.

Since Knowing is the assimilation of the Known by the Knower, believing the One True Proposition: Jesus Christ is God, is the same as being indwelt by God Himself. All other propositions do Not lead to any assimilation, because None of the other propositions are True. It would be better to call them Information rather than Knowledge.

Don’t the words Jesus Christ and God each have to be True, for the whole Proposition to be true? Does not then that falsify your theory that there is only One True Proposition?

The fact is that individual words by themselves do not possess Truth value.
Only Propositions possess Truth value.
The name Jesus Christ by itself is neither-True-nor-False. Similarly, the word God is classified as neither-True-nor-False. But when combined together into a Proposition, we are then able to assign a Truth value to the Proposition.
The need for a Third Value (nTnF) other than True and False is inescapable.

I admit that the proposition “Jesus Christ is God” is True and eternally valid. Are not the propositions “The Father is God”, and “The Holy Spirit is God” also Truths?

There is an important distinction that must be made between these three propositions. “Jesus Christ” is the name of a person, the only name given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Father and Holy Spirit are Titles of Office. The names of the First and Third persons of the Trinity have not been been revealed to us. Only the name of the Second person of the Trinity has been revealed to us. (Remember that the name Jesus was not a random choice. See Matt. 1:21, Luke 1:31, 2:21) Believing that the Father or the Holy Spirit is God does not give us Eternal life. Jesus Christ is our intermediary (the door), not the Holy Spirit or the Father. Titles of Office for Jesus are The Word of God, Son of God, etc.

Do I have to know the nature of Truth to have everlasting life?

No! But it is satisfying and comforting to know what is Truth, and that we know that we know Truth.

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