A simple illustration from Winfried Corduan's book, No Doubt About It, clarifies this point. Think of a person who chronically mismanages his money and is very unsuccessful. A few hundred dollars are stolen from him without his knowledge. After this, he becomes successful through hard work and diligence. Yet his belief that he lost the money, however beneficial, is not true because it does not conform to reality.
Truth is what corresponds to reality.
When this is established, we can move on to considering which particular statements are true and reasonable and which are not. Unlike Pilate, we can stay and listen to what Jesus has to say to us. Groothuis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary. All rights reserved. This site is part of the Telling the Truth Project .