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| Sabbath School Programs and Teaching Plans for your Church |
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Formerly Sabbath School Leadership, LEAD is a quarterly magazine to bring more power and polish to your Sabbath School programs and Sabbath School teaching.
 Listen to the Sabbath School Theme Music for this Quarter
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03.20.10: The Fruit-Truth 
Cultural Context
Relativism has redefined our ideas of absolute truth. Relativism claims that the only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth. Presuppositions, culture, and our worldview can skew our understanding of truth. Yet relativism has boldly stated that an absolute simply does not exist. It’s not just that our understanding of truth is relative—the existence of truth is relative.
Necessary Background/Further Resources
• The Desire of Ages, chapter 77
• Great Controversy, chapter 37
• Relativism—the view that truth varies, no absolutes.
• I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek, David Limbaugh, pp. 554, 556.
Preparation
Read the resources above. Analyze the implications about the nature of truth.
Point of Contact
Questions
• How does our culture view the Christian’s truth?
• What are the differences between scientific truth and biblical truth in the mind of society?
• How has pragmatism affected the world’s understanding of truth?
• What is the difference between an Eastern and Western perspective of truth?
Points of Conversation
In John 17:17 Jesus says, “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.”
Questions
• How do the Scriptures determine truth for you?
• What is the significance of truth in the last days?
• What are the differences between intellectual truth and living truth?
We think of truth as propositions or ideas. In John 14:6 Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In short, Christ said, “I am truth.” When Christ spoke of truth, He spoke of His Person.
Read John 18:28-40. The religious leaders take Jesus to Pilate to be tried.
“In the judgment hall of Pilate, the Roman governor, Christ stands bound as a prisoner. About Him are the guard of soldiers, and the hall is fast filling with spectators. Just outside the entrance are the judges of the Sanhedrin, priests, rulers, elders, and the mob. . . . Pilate had a desire to know the truth. . . . ‘What is truth?’ he inquired. But he did not wait for an answer. The tumult outside recalled him to the interests of the hour; for the priests were clamorous for immediate action. Going out to the Jews, he declared emphatically, ‘I find in Him no fault at all’” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 723; 727).
Look carefully at the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus when Pilate asks the question “What is truth?”
Questions
• What is the relationship between truth and desire?
• What is the relationship between truth and action?
• What is the relationship between truth and opportunity?
This story illustrates that there is no lack of truth; there is hypocritical search for truth.
Parting Thought (Bold buzz.)
“Many a portion of Scripture which learned men pronounce a mystery, or pass over as unimportant, is full of comfort and instruction to him who has been taught in the school of Christ. One reason why many theologians have no clearer understanding of God’s Word is, they close their eyes to truths which they do not wish to practice. An understanding of Bible truth depends not so much on the power of intellect brought to the search as on the singleness of purpose, the earnest longing after righteousness” (The Great Controversy, p. 599).
Read John 17:17. According to Christ, intent is prior to content. Truthfulness in the heart precedes truth in the objective world. Our understanding of truth depends more upon the intention of the individual than on intelligence and mental skill. “I will” is more important than IQ.
Reach Out
Start a study group using Keywords of the Christian Faith, by Reinder Bruinsma, in a public setting, e.g., library meeting space or a community center.
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