The Truth About Truth

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

The foundational connection point of society and culture is a shared set of values based on objective truth. The idea of objective truth is that some things are always right, and some things are always wrong. Our moral code is a reflection of these ideas. For thousands of years, these truths came from the Bible. The Ten Commandments, rules given by God for living and relating to each other and to Himself, make up a code of conduct that is repeated in our various legal and government documents and our laws. It is wrong to steal, murder, and lie.

A common idea in today’s world is that truth is relative. What is right for you may not be right for me, therefore, objective truths are subject to interpretation. Are lying, stealing, and killing always wrong, or do circumstances dictate what is right and what is wrong? And who determines this? From this mindset come terms like “politically correct,” the idea that a consensus of thinking among the masses influences what is considered right and wrong, and those who choose to disagree with the consensus become wrong in their views.

But the Bible paints a clear and very different picture. The Word of God is objective truth. It was inspired by God alone and is therefore inerrant, infallible, and unchanging. How do we know? Because God Himself, the Author, does not change. He is always consistent, right, just, and true. What He defines as right is always right. What He says is wrong is always wrong.

In light of God’s objective truth, how do we live in a society that not only questions His truth but also often defines truth as the polar opposite of what God says? The answer is that we must have a measure by which we determine truth, and the clearest and most readily available measure is the Bible. When we hear or see something that is presented as true, we can hold it up next to the Word of God and determine whether or not that is the case. God’s Word is how we identify truth. Not relative truth, but God-centered, objective truth.

Dear God, thank You for giving us the truth in Your Word. Help me to know and understand the Bible and to live it out as I “rightly divide the word of truth.” Give me opportunities to stand for Your truth, as my actions are consistent with Your ways and Your teachings. In Jesus’ name, amen.