I have been reading The Christian Mind by Harry Blamires. It was written in 1963 but is highly relevant for today. He has some interesting comments about truth.
In my book, The Renovation of Our Soul, I discuss the difficulty we have in knowing what is true. This is a result of several factors—we are finite, we are limited in our knowledge and in our ability to utilize the knowledge we have, and we have a sinful nature. However, that does not stop us from trying to learn what is true. So as Pilate asks: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).
Some people think truth is like a pudding or a brew; which is concocted from a variety of human opinions. [1] This is the thinking today; truth is relative and is dependent upon one’s view and the society in which one lives.
But Blamires believes that truth is more like a rock which is exposed by scrapping away the dirt surrounding it and the dirt is human prejudice and passion. [1] And I would add human ignorance.
Or Blamires states truth is like a lighthouse. It always sends out its light but that light can be obscured by the elements–rain, snow, fog. Again in speaking of truth, those elements that obscure the truth include human prejudice, passion, and ignorance. [1]
Using either analogy, it is obvious that determining the truth requires work. Sometimes truth stumbles in the public square (Isaiah 59:14) and unrighteousness suppresses the truth (Romans 1:18). However, God has promised to provide us with assistance. Jesus, in talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth (John14:17) and promises us the Holy Spirit will guide us into all the truth (John 16:13). So let us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and not be like those Paul describes as: “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7 ESV).
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[1] Harry Blamires. The Christian Mind. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Books, 1978, pp. 112-114.
