Spiritual Psychology/Lecture 2. Truth: Definition, Theories, Discernment

2.1 The truth in philosophy

What was the reason for our address to this lecture’s subject - to what the truth is and how to distinguish it from false hypotheses and assertions?

The fact is that God has assigned us to accumulate information that could confirm His new revelations, whether predictions of His prophets or scientific forecasts. The predictions of the American prophet Edgar Cayce, known as the “sleeping prophet” are among such proofs. He predicted that it’s “out of Russia” that the hope of the world would come again. This “hope of the world” would be the result of Russia’s “religious development.” As the prophet said, “this may be sure – an evolution, or revolution in the ideas of religious thought.” However, after a careful study of Cayce’s heritage, we found out that there were many who believed his prophecies to be about them. Cayce’s predictions are referred to politicians, various mystics, and even to widespread mystical and religious movements, such as the New Age Movement.

How can the uninitiated people understand who of us is right? Who speaks the truth?

To answer this question, we decided first to understand how science defines the truth. However, our study was a deep disappointment. If you open any philosophical encyclopedia, you will find at least a dozen definitions and theories of truth. As for the professional philosophers, a survey among 3,226 respondents (including 1,803 philosophy faculty members and/or PhDs and 829 philosophy graduate students), which was conducted in November 2009, helped determine their preferences:

• 44.9% of respondents accept correspondence theories of truth. These theories claim that the truth or the falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world (or to “things”) and whether it accurately describes that world (those “things”). An example of correspondence theory is the statements of St. Thomas Aquinas: Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus (“Truth is the equation of thing and intellect”) or Aristotle: “To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true.”

• 20.8% of participants accept or lean towards deflationary theories of truth. In brief, deflationary theories argue that the words “truth,” “true” and “truly” are quite unnecessary. To assert “‘2+2=4’ is true” is logically equivalent to asserting that “2+2=4.” The phrase “is true” is completely dispensable here. From this point of view, asserting that a statement is true is the same as asserting the statement itself. And asserting that a statement is not true is the same as denying it. To say “it’s true that p” is to say nothing more than to simply assert p. “It’s true that p” just means p, “It’s false that p” just means not p. The concept of truth itself is redundant.

• 13.9% of respondents adhered to epistemic theories of truth, which attempt to analyze the notion of truth in terms of epistemic notions such as knowledge, belief, acceptance, verification, justification, and perspective. A variety of these conceptions can be classified into the following main groups or doctrines: verificationism, relativism or perspectivism, and pragmatism…

How can science develop true knowledge if it doesn’t even have the consensus of what the truth is? And what can an ordinary man - not an expert in this field - do with this abundance of hypotheses and abstruse terms? What can one say? It’s trial and error method in action – so many men, so many subjective hypotheses. Meanwhile, most of them have nothing to do with the truth as it is. Not to be unfounded, I would like to illustrate this by an example from my practice.

One day God assigned me to get acquainted with the philosophical work Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil by G. W. Leibniz. He added that one day would be enough. I was somewhat puzzled. Anyone who is familiar with the works of this scientist - generalist, knows that this book is considered to be difficult even for professionals. I must say that the philosophical works with their syllogisms, induction, deduction, Hegelian triads, etc. – aren’t my strong suit. When I read this kind of literature, every cell in my body is suffering acutely from discomfort. But I always aspired to understand this wisdom, created for centuries…

As first I tried to read thoughtfully. But as time was inexorably racing and logical chains grew longer, I had to change my tactics. I started to mark the ideas that seemed noteworthy. Only on the 3rd day of reading, I reached the long-expected item at number 300. What I could find is described in detail in the book The New Revelation. Here, I would like only to remind you: a single wrong initial assertion that “each substance is the sole cause of all its actions,” and that “it is free of all physical influence from every other substance, save the customary co-operation of God” depreciates virtually the rest of Leibniz’s work. This is an illustrative example of what trial and error method actually is.

Nevertheless, I read the entire book, but superficially so as not to miss something important. In the end, God said, “I warned you: don’t waste your time”. There are many theories or authors I would like to learn more about. And God often enough tells me, waiving His hand, “Don’t waste your time…”

Meanwhile, the New Philosophical Encyclopedia indicates that in contrast to the mythological and religious outlooks which are founded on the imaginary world view and faith, philosophy is based on theoretical methods of comprehension of reality, using specific logical and epistemic criteria to justify its positions. But do its “theoretical methods”, “logical” and “epistemic” criteria always enable science to find the truth? That is the question. And the following one, the more important. What is knowledge for? I expect knowledge is obtained so that everyone can use it. But the trial and error method gave birth to so many hypotheses, theories and terms that even scientists can not always keep track of what their colleagues are doing in related fields, not alone in areas that are not closely connected with them.

Some hope is given us by Friedrich Nietzsche who suggests, although not without doubt, that an ancient, metaphysical belief that truth is divine has served as the foundation for the entire subsequent Western intellectual tradition:

But you will have gathered what I am getting at, namely, that it is still a metaphysical faith upon which our faith in science rests - that even we knowers of today, we godless anti-metaphysicians still take our fire, too, from the flame lit by the thousand-year old faith, the Christian faith which was also Plato’s faith, that God is truth; that truth is divine…

Now we may look at what God says about the truth.

2.2 The truth according to God

God says that although there are grains of truth in every religion, the Bible is the most reliable source of information. Therefore, throughout our course, we will often refer to the Bible as a major source.

So, what does the Bible say about truth? It confirms that the sole source of truth is the Triune God - God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In particular, the Bible says:

about God:

• “But the Lord is the true God” (Jer 10:10);
• “Your word is truth” (Jn 17:17);
• “Your law is truth” (Ps 119:142);
• “All Your commandments are faithful” (Ps 119:86);
• “Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth” (Is 25:1);
• “…he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth” (Is 65:16);
• “I, the Lord, … I declare things that are right” (Is 45:19).

about Jesus Christ:

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6);
• “the truth is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21);

about the Holy Spirit:

• “the Spirit is truth” (1 Jn 5:6);
• “the Spirit of truth … will guide you into all truth” (Jn 16:13).

2.3 Key God’s truths regarding the universe and humanity

First, the universe including a man as its part was created by God: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible” (Col 1:16).

Second, God created the universe for Himself, that is, in order for it to serve Him - His will, His purposes: “…whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16).

Third, God has provided His code of laws according to which the universe and man must develop: “The Lord is our Lawgiver” (Is 33:22); “There is one Lawgiver” (Jas 4:12). When the universe is evolving in accordance with the laws of God, it serves Him, His purposes. These laws can be classified into 3 groups, which form the Creator’s unified science:

• the laws of spirituality;
• the laws of social sciences or the laws of development of society;
• the laws of natural sciences or the laws of development of nature.

Fourth, as determined in section 2.2, it’s the Triune God Who is the source of truth, in other words, His law, His word, and His commandments, which form the unified science. The laws of unified science are therefore the only true knowledge. All other subjective hypotheses, theories and opinions that are not consistent with God’s ideas have no value. They must be excluded from educational and research programs if we, of course, are striving for a harmonious and prosperous world order.

2.4 How can God Who is Spirit (Jn 4:24) reveal His truths to men?

The Bible has a straightforward and definite answer to this question. The Creator is able to reveal His truths only to the faithful who have reached the highest spiritual level, that is, to His prophets:

“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7)

Moreover, as follows from this revelation, God can do nothing in our world without the participation of the prophets - His only capable and proficient workers.

How do the prophets differ from the other believers? What makes them capable of proclaiming the truth?

First, God gives the Holy Spirit “not by measure” to His prophets. And as the Bible testifies, only that who is given the Holy Spirit “not by measure” speaks the truth:

“He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for it is not by measure that He gives the Spirit” (Jn 3:34)

Compare such a believer, for example, with those who have got only the “firstfruits of the Spirit”: “… we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, … groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption” (Rom 8:23). This difference in concentration of the Holy Spirit that is given to the faithful is obvious to anyone who possesses well-developed spiritual gifts (see below). The prophets depict the Holy Spirit as a flow of energy descending from heaven on a person. It looks like a transparent silvery mist with the face of Holy Spirit in its center. Those faces are of different ages depending on the spiritual level a believer has reached, whether spiritual infancy, childhood, youth, or maturity.

Second, God gives His prophets the “greater” spiritual gifts so that they may, among other things, observe the events taking place in the spiritual world, see and hear God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and receive information from Them (1 Cor 12:31). The Bible confirms that only those of Jesus’ disciples who have reached the same spiritual level as, for example, John the Apostle, can communicate with God and Jesus (1 Jn 1:3). Meanwhile all others have contacts either with the Holy Spirit or with the prophets who see and hear all Three “that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor 13:14; 1 Jn 5:7):

• “truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn 1:3 – note: this refers to the first Jesus’ disciples who met the highest standard of an Apostle);
• “the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor 13:14);
• “…that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 Jn 1:3).

Thanks to these exceptional gifts granted to the prophets, God has an opportunity to reveal His secrets to them like He did to Jesus Christ:

“the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does” (Jn 5:19-20)

Third, the prophets are endowed with great ability for discerning spirits in order to distinguish truth from falsehood: “solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (1 Cor 12:10; Heb 5:14). And this third specific characteristic, which differs prophets from other believers and other people with supernatural gifts (so-called psychics or mediums), is of great importance. It must be kept in mind that there are different powers and different sources of information in the spiritual world. We would like to warn of the serious consequences that await everyone who has dealings with unclean spirits: “…sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev 21:8). And at the same time we could offer some useful advices to enable them to better interpret the vast amount of information.

2.5 How to distinguish truth from falsehood? Practical advises to inexperienced people

First, Jesus warned us that in the last days, the true prophets of God would not show any “signs and wonders” (Mt 24:24). Do not trust any kind of psychics - whether they protect “against the evil eye”, eliminate (“remove”) a curse, call up spirits, cast out demons, or predict the future. All these things are not from God.

Second, Jesus indicated that true information doesn’t contradict the Bible. Jesus advised everyone who was in some doubt about what He said to analyze the Scriptures more thoroughly: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (Jn 5:39). Following Jesus, we would like to emphasize that the true information must be consistent with what Jesus, His first disciples and other advanced holy ascetics said and did.

Third, Jesus explained that the works of God which a person does are also a sigh of truth: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (Jn 10:37-38). As evidenced by many of God’s prophets, the saints of “the last times” will not perform signs and wonders as it was in the past. It’s the spiritual fight against Satan and acquiring one of the most important qualities – humility that will be the spiritual works they should concentrate their efforts on (see also Lecture 3, section 3.3).

Forth, the Apostle Paul emphasized that prophets should collaborate to protect themselves from false information: what a prophet says should be checked up by other prophets: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1 Cor 14:29). We therefore invite all the prophets to check what is stated in this course.

Fifth, everyone who has supernatural gifts, whether clairvoyance, clairaudience, automatic writing (psychography), or channeling, we can advise to begin “testing the spirits” as Saint John the Apostle practiced that: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist” (1 Jn 4:1-3). How does this spiritual technique work? Ask those who you see and hear, who lead you hand or put thoughts in your head, whether they confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. If it is an unclean spirit, then under the guise of the “angel of light”, a creature with horns and hoofs will appear (2 Cor 11:14). Our experience has shown that this method works perfectly if a Christian has reached the prophet’s level. However, we asked God to help all people with extraordinary abilities, if they decide to use this spiritual technique. God has promised to consider our request.

Thus, the Triune God - God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit - is the source of truth, and the God’s prophets are the only representatives of the human race whom the Triune God can reveal His truth to. Therefore, only the prophets have the ability to form a true knowledge in spirituality and social sciences, and sometimes even in natural sciences – when there are no technical or technological capabilities to carry out a direct experiment.

While mankind has significant gaps in its knowledge of the universe and man, the true knowledge determines the scenario of further evolution of the human race. As the Bible shows, the “lack of knowledge” is the cause of the destruction of many civilizations (Hos 4:6). And we are on the verge of another global transformations and shocks. And “the knowledge of the truth” is the only one that can deliver a man from destruction and ensure his salvation, make him free and able to participate in the further evolution (Hos 4:6; 1 Tim 2:3-4; Jn 8:32):

• “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6);
• “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3-4);
• “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:32).

What kind of salvation are we talking about? Whom or what does a man need to free himself from? And what new abilities and skills should he acquire to achieve that? We are going to answer these questions in our next lecture.