TRUTH MATTERS!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6 ESV)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth … (John 16:13 ESV)

The sum of your word is truth … (Psalm 119:160 ESV)

Lead me in your truth and teach me … (Psalm 25:5 ESV)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32 ESV)

If you have ever taken a “True/False” test in school, you understand that your grade was based on your knowledge of which statements (etc.) were true and which statements were false. In life, we often have to make decisions based on our understanding of what is true and what is not. Knowing truth is important to us, because truth corresponds exactly with reality.

In the world today, many do not believe in absolute truth. They believe in a kind of personal and circumstantial relativism that rejects the idea of absolute truth. Although their opinion is illogical, many who call themselves Christians also believe that truth is a matter of personal opinion. Bishop J. C. Ryle writes: 

“Myriads of professing Christians nowadays seem utterly unable to distinguish things that differ. Like people afflicted with color-blindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is reliable and what is unsound. If a preacher of religion is clever, eloquent and earnest, they think he is all right, however eccentric and dissimilar his sermons may be. They are destitute of spiritual sense, apparently, and cannot detect error. … Carried away by a fancied liberality and charity, they seem to think everybody is right and nobody is wrong, every clergyman is sound and none are unsound, everybody is going to be saved and nobody is going to be lost. Their religion is made of negatives; and the only positive thing about them is that they dislike distinctness and think all extreme and decided and positive views are very naughty and very wrong!” (J.C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots)

Those who believe in no absolutes actually believe in an absolute. They are absolutely sure that there is nothing absolute. Such a philosophy is self-contradictory. The statement of this belief is actually evidence against it.

Christians must protect themselves from “relative truth” and words with no meaning. Watch carefully for those ideas which are brought into the church in the name of broad-mindedness. These notions are often misleading. The Bible provides an absolute standard of morality which is not dependent on its popularity with others. Morality is not a human invention. Moral truth flows from the very nature of God, who is everlasting and unwavering. Human beings are incapable of determining what is right and wrong without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture makes definitive statements about the difference between good and evil; and truth and lies. It is becoming more difficult, however, for Christians to recognize false doctrine and false teaching. This is because modern Christians spend less and less time reading the Bible.

Rejecting absolute truth leads to the belief that each person may define his own ethical code and may do so as he sees fit. Right and wrong are reduced to matters of personal taste. In the absence of an objective standard of morality, such as the Bible, one may choose to label any behavior he personally enjoys as “good.”

Jesus states in John 8:31-32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Only absolute truth will guide you to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) This excludes personal choice as the final arbiter of truth.