1	“What is truth?”
2	“What is truth?” -Pontius Pilate, Roman governor. (As recorded in John 18:38 within the pages of the New Testament)
3	What is the Truth? Is it out there?
4	Our Agenda Today is: Our Lord Jesus What He mentioned concerning the Truth. His discussion on how long the Truth lasts. His promise for future generations on learning and knowing the Truth . His assurance on how the Truth is safeguarded.
5	God is the Source of all Truth “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4 “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5 “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 “The truth of the LORD endures forever.” Psalm 117:2
6	Prophets of God Reveal the Truth After Elijah restored the life of the widow's son, she declared: “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.” 1 Kings 17:24 “For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth.” Psalm 33:4 “The entirety of Your word is truth.” Psalm 119:160
7	God's Truth is fully revealed by Christ. “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” Hebrews 1:1,2 Concerning Jesus, St. John wrote: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14); “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).
8	God's Truth is fully revealed in Jesus. When God the Father sent His only Son to the world, He did not send a temporary spokesperson whose message would die with him. On the contrary, the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that Christ “shall be king over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:33 Jesus declared, “This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.” John 18:37
9	God's Truth is fully revealed by Christ. God “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” 1Timothy 4:2 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, So that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.” John 3:16ff
10	God's Truth is fully revealed in Christ. Jesus solemnly declared, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) As our true Master, Jesus is the One who gives the deepest meaning to our lives, and we are His inasmuch as we were loved into being through Him, He died to save us, and He constantly reveals His loving care for us. We should focus on the heart of Saint Paul’s teaching to delve more deeply into the meaning of the term "Jesus Master": “It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me!” (Galatians 2:20), and “For me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).
11	Apostles to share the truth of Jesus Jesus personally chose the people to teach his message. Mark 1:16-20 “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:16
12	Apostles to spread the truth of Jesus Jesus personally established his own assembly. “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18 “The household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.” Ephesians 2:20; confer also Revelation 21:14
13	Apostles to teach the truth of Jesus The church of Jesus speaks with authority. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a publican.” Matthew 18:17 Jesus declared, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Luke 10:16
14	Truth Lasts Forever This church of Christ is to last forever –“from the beginning” of Apostolic times to the end of time. John 15:27 Jesus promised to preserve His Church from error. “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 Just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus declared, “Behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world.” Matthew 28:20
15	Truth Lasts Forever Christ’s church is to teach all truth concerning faith and morals. “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations . . . Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:20 Jesus’ church is to be a universal church: The Truth of Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be available to all people throughout all time. Acts of the Apostles 1:8; Matthew 28:19; Revelation 7:9; 14:6.
16	Truth Lasts Forever Jesus’ church since its founding is to be a universal church: Always available for all people at all times. “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Christ said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19 The “everlasting good news to announce to those who dwell on earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” Revelation 14:6
17	Jesus to Send the Spirit of Truth “Many things yet I have to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, he will teach you all the truth.” John 16:12f “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26f
18	The Spirit Guides the Church The Holy Spirit –the Spirit of Truth- is still guiding the Church so “we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery.” Ephesians 4:14ff St. Paul wrote, that “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” 1Timothy 3:15
19	Jesus Prepares His Church’s Leader Jesus changes Simon’s name. John 1:42 Jesus specifically built His church on Peter. Matthew 16:18, cf. Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 21:14 Although Jesus gave the all the Apostles legitimate authority (Matthew 18:18); earlier, Jesus specifically gave only Peter “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 16:19 Keys symbolizes primacy. Isaiah 22:22; Rev3:7 Before His death, Jesus specifically prayed that Simon Peter will strengthen the rest of the Apostles (Lk 22:31-34) and after His Resurrection, Jesus tasked Peter to feed and tend His whole flock: The Church. John 21:15ff
20	The Spirit Guides Peter as The Leader Proposes Judas’ replacement. Acts 1:21ff. Preached on Pentecost. Acts 2:14ff. First converts from Judaism. Acts 2:38,41. First converts from paganism. Acts 10:5ff. Worked the first miracle. Acts 3:6ff. Meted first punishment. Acts 5:1-6. Condemned simony. Acts 8:19f. First visitation of the churches. Acts 9:31f. Council of Jerusalem. Acts 15:7-12. St. Paul presents himself to St. Peter. Gal. 1:8
21	The Spirit Guides the Church Christ’s church is infallible because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you as orphans.” John 14:18 The Spirit still guides the Church and still distributes His gifts as He wills. 1 Cor12:11 The Spirit continues to guide the Church through ecumenical Councils and the Bishop of Rome if and only if he addresses & defines matters of faith and morals for the whole Church. Acts of the Apostles 15; John 21:15-17 The Pope still has a free-will and can sin like any man; he is not impeccable. e.g.,Galatians 2:11-14
22	A Review of the Truth “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Ps.100:5; 117:2 Jesus solemnly declared, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” John 14:6 Jesus said, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised that “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name -He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:26f The Church is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” 1Timothy 3:15
23	So It May Be Said That . . . Jesus is the Way, the Truth, & the Life. John 14:6 Jesus built His Church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20; cf. Revelation 21:14) for us and future generations. We should “be not afraid” of being “carried about . . . . to the machination of error.” John 14:27 ; Ephesians 4:14 We should “hear the Church” because it is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” Matthew 18:17 ; 1Timothy 3:15
24	Remember: Jesus assures us & future generations that the Truth is preserved and safeguarded in His Church because of : 1) the love the Father (1Timothy 4:2;John 316), 2) presence of the Son (Matthew 28:20), and 3) the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26, 16:12f)
25	The Truth is not “out there.” The Truth is within your midst. see Luke 17:20-25. Learn, Know, & Follow Jesus: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” -John 14:2.
26	Any Questions? Learn, Know, & Follow Jesus: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” -John 14:2.
27	For Further Discernment: Holy Bible. Douay-Rheims Version. New York, New York: P. J. Kenedy and Sons, 1914. The Holy Bible: A Translation From the Latin Vulgate in the Light of the Hebrew and Greek. Ronald Knox (trans). Kansas City, Missouri: Sheed & Ward, 1954. The New Testament. James A. Kleist and Joseph L. Lilly (trans). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1954. Holy Bible. Saint Joseph edition. Confraternity Version. New York, New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1963. The Way. The Catholic Living Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Incorporated, 1974. Good News Bible. Today’s English Version With Deuterocanonicals / Apocrypha. New York, New York: American Bible Society, 2001. New American Bible. Catholic Study Bible. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. New Jerusalem Bible. New York, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1985. Revised Standard Version. The Ignatius Bible. Catholic Edition. Fort Collins, Colorado: Ignatius Press, 1994. Christian Community Bible. Catholic Pastoral Edition. Fifth edition. Manila, Philippines: Divine Word Publications, 1990.
28	For More Further Discernment: Catechism of the Catholic Church. CEPAC edition. Episcopal Conference of the Pacific. Suva, Fiji: CEPAC/Liberiria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Leo Donald Davis. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787). Their History and Theology. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1983. Raymond Edward Brown. Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1990. John R. Kohlenberger III (editor). Precise Parallel New Testament. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Louis Morrow. My Catholic Faith. Kenosha, Wisconsin: My Mission House, 1954. Alfred Marshall (translator). Interlinear NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Catechism of the Council of Trent. Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books & Pub., 1983. Aidan Nichols. Rome and the Eastern Churches. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1992. Peter E. Gillquist, et al. Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,1993. Thomas J. Reese. Inside the Vatican. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ. Press, 1996. Eamon Duffy. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. Second Edition. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2005. Raymond Edward Brown. Introduction to New Testament Christology. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1994. Holy Bible. Douay-Rheims Version. Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books & Pub., 1989. Visit the Catholic Biblical Association of America at http://cba.cua.edu/
29	Catechism of the Catholic Church Authentic teaching from the historically ancient New Testament Church
30	The gift of the Holy Spirit “Infallibility - The gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church whereby the pastors of the Church, the pope and bishops in union with him, can definitively proclaim a doctrine of faith or morals for the belief of the faithful (891). This gift is related to the inability of the whole body of the faithful to err in matters of faith and morals (92)”
31	The teaching office “Bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task ‘to preach the Gospel of God to all men,’ in keeping with the Lord's command.⁴¹⁵ They are ‘heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to Christ; they are authentic teachers ’ of the apostolic faith ‘endowed with the authority of Christ.’ ⁴¹⁶” “In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in his own infallibility. By a ‘supernatural sense of faith’ the People of God, under the guidance of the Church's living Magisterium, "unfailingly adheres to this faith.’⁴¹⁷ ”
32	The teaching office “The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations & defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism takes several forms:”
33	The teaching office “ ‘The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful—who confirms his brethren in the faith—he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium,’ above all in an Ecumenical Council.⁴¹⁸ When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine ‘for belief as being divinely revealed,’⁴¹⁹ and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions ‘must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.’⁴²⁰ This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.⁴²¹”
34	The teaching office “Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a ‘definitive manner,’ they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this ordinary teaching the faithful ‘are to adhere to it with religious assent’⁴²² which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is nonetheless an extension of it.”