Facts vs. Truth
Facts are what we see in the world; truth is what the word of God says. Some people believe that the two words, "fact" and "truth," mean the same thing; but in reality they can be as different as the mountain and the reflection. (Perhaps an even better example, by my way of thinking at least, is to be as different as the "picture" is from Dorian Gray.) For example if one turns to Jesus as her Lord and Savior, then the Word of God says she is a child of God, though to the world she may still look like the "street walker" she once was. If yet another one has turned from his sin and made Jesus his Lord, then the Word of God says he is a new creation, though to the world he may still look like the emaciated "crackhead" he once was.
You see this is truth: when we turn from sin and turn to God, then the spiritual change is instant and accomplished by God for us. But these are the facts: even after turning from sin and turning to God, the physical and psychological transformation will probably not be as easy or instant, but they will be possible.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." ~ Matthew 19:26 (NLT)
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~ rachman
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posted by rachman | 1:24 AM
10 Comments:
Good post. I do believe that there is a difference between fact and truth too. I define truth as the way the things really are and fact as what is proven to be true.
Scott
Hi Scott,
It's good to see you around, and I'm glad we have some points of agreement. It feels good to agree with creative people.
~ rachman
Nice blog.
I live in Portugal
by, my friend
Paulo
Hello Paulo,
I saw you came by and I hadn't commented yet. Forgive my manners; I have a lot to learn from my European internet friends. By the by I hope your English is better than my Portuguese.
~ rachman
That was a brilliant explanation for something I struggle to explain to people- that what is evident (factual) is not always what is true.
Someone said that fact and truth are the same. Of course I said no, but explaining the difference was not so easy, even when I knew what I meant. Bless you for that!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I feel humbled. It must have been God, because I'm not all that clever. Thanks for coming by.
~ r.
I can see what you are saying but I have to disagree. When it comes to matters of spirtuality what is the "truth" and what are the "facts" become what you as an indivdual believe. And beliefs can cannot be proven to be factual nor is there any way to prove that what I believe is any more of a truth than what someone else believes. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, even Scientologist all beileve that they know both the truth and the facts. But it is thier faith and devotion that they know. Because they have faith in thier beliefs they can only see them as factual and true. Making any one of the others beliefs, in thier mind, to be false and fiction.
If I tell you anything that I "truely" believe to be a "fact" and you disagree yet there is no way of proving who is right and who is wrong then it is only a matter of faith. And to me faith is belief without proof. If we all knew everything then we would have nothing to learn.
Repectfully faithful
Dear Respectfully faithful,
I like what you're thinking and saying about faith. Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. all believe they know the truth. I couldn't agree more. The statement, "If we all knew everything then we would have nothing to learn." You're on target again. I'm not sure where we really disagree. You say, "faith is belief without proof." I think that's a pretty accurate comment in the world in which we live. Though I think that faith takes us to a higher realm, if you will. Faith is the evidence of things we can't yet see. Faith is a confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. For example I hope you check back by to see if I responded to your comment. I'd love to talk again. Don't worry! I'm not trying to make you like me any more than I want to be like someone else. You have some interesting thoughts, my anonymous friend. Don't be afraid to come by and chat.
~ r.
Hello again
I don't mean to be argumentative but I don't think my point got across. You said "Faith is the evidence of things we can't yet see." that is where I disagree because faith is not evidence. To have evidence is to have tangible proof. If you have proof you don't need an act of faith. I don't have faith that the dinasours roamed the earth I know it to be true because of the evidence we have found.
You also said "Faith is a confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen." That I think is much more accurate. You hope you know the "truth" and you are confident the "facts" support what you believe to be true. But when we are discussing beliefs everything is subjective.
Facts can be proven. Truisms are self evident. Faith is neither.
Respectfully
Hello to you again, my anonymous friend,
I apologize for the slow response, but you caught me in the middle of things: moving from the old apartment, dealing with the IRS, new family members being born, and all the stress associated with those things.
Only now have I had time to give a response to your honest comments. You're not being argumentative nor will I try to convince you of anything. As you say, I am only stating my beliefs and that is certainly subjective. So I will simply share an idea with you.
The only way to see if something is real is to check it out further (like those dinosaurs). Try taking God at his word. If God is the real thing then let him prove it to you. You see faith is a gift. Faith is imparted to the Christian at the time of the new birth (when one becomes a Christian). Ephesians 2:8 tells us "for by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Acts 2:21 says, "anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," and "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). when you are ready, check and see if God is the real thing and know for sure what faith can do.
Blessings be upon you, my friend,
~r
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