Can we know truth? Where is it found? Can we logically verify it?

These are questions from the first course of Life Catalyst Seminary, Old Testament Survey. Let us explore...

Is there an ultimate authority? Are there absolutes which can guide our lives, our world? Is there meaning to life? Why are we here? Where are we going? These questions, questions that all rational people contemplate, have haunted the human intellect since the beginning of time (Eccl. 1:13-18; 3:9-11).

I can remember my personal search for an integrating center for my life. I became a believer in Christ at a young age, based primarily on the witness of significant others in my family. As I grew to adulthood, questions about myself and my world also grew. Simple cultural and religious clichés did not bring meaning to the experiences I read about or encountered. It was a time of confusion, searching, longing, and often a feeling of hopelessness in the face of the insensitive, hard world in which I lived.

Many claimed to have answers to these ultimate questions, but after research and reflection I found that their answers were based upon: (1) personal philosophies, (2) ancient myths, (3) personal experiences, or (4) psychological projections. I needed some degree of verification, some evidence, some rationality on which to base my worldview, my integrating center, my reason to live.

These I found in my study of the Bible. I began to search for evidence of its trustworthiness, which I found in: (1) the historical reliability of the Bible from archaeology, (2) the accuracy of the prophecies of the Old Testament, (3) the unity of the Bible message over the sixteen hundred years of its production, and (4) the personal testimonies of people whose lives had been permanently changed by contact with the Bible.

Christianity, as a unified system of faith and belief, has the ability to deal with complex questions of human life.

Not only did this provide a rational framework, but the experiential aspect of Biblical faith brought me emotional joy and stability.

I thought that I had found the integrating center for my life—the Bible. It was a heady experience, an emotional release. I can still remember the shock and pain when it began to dawn on me how many different interpretations of this book were advocated, sometimes even within the same churches and schools of thought.

Affirming the inspiration and trustworthiness of the Bible was not the end, but only the beginning. How do I verify or reject the varied and conflicting interpretations of the many difficult passages in Scripture by those who were claiming its authority and trustworthiness?

This task became my life's goal and pilgrimage of faith. I knew that my faith in Christ had brought me great peace and joy. My mind longed for some absolutes in the midst of the relativity of my culture and the dogmatism of conflicting religious systems and denominational arrogance. In my search for valid approaches to the interpretation of ancient literature, I was surprised to discover my own historical, cultural, denominational and experiential biases. I had often read the Bible simply to reinforce my own views. I used it as a database to attack others while affirming my own insecurities and inadequacies. How painful this realization was to me!