Is There a Real, Absolute Truth??
Have you ever wondered exactly what is real truth? Is there no absolute truth after all? Certain sub-cultures in today’s world try to tell us that truth is a relative thing. That there is no real right or wrong, no absolute truth. I’ve heard some seminaries are teaching that truth is subjective. Young pastors are coming into church settings teaching this, their churches are disintegrating and people can’t figure out why.
Now the cynic in me would ask, “You are destroying your church! Just how much more proof do you need to disprove this false theory?” Yet for some, this is not enough. So today I am going to offer some biblical proof that there is such a thing as absolute truth and His name is Jesus!
The fiction of “relative truth” tells us that there is no real right or wrong. It is up to the individual to decided what is right or wrong, truth if you will, for themselves and that this may not necessarily be what is true for someone else. Now let’s just take an example here. Let’s say that I decide that your car is just a little too upscale for you and that, in fact, it really should be mine. Now I conclude that it is proper for me to simply take your car for my own. You see in my eyes, this would be perfectly permissible. Perhaps not in your eyes, but I think this is fine. My “truth” allows me to do whatever I deem to be in my own interest regardless of the consequences to you or anyone else.
Imagine a world filled with this kind of anarchy. Actually, it kind of sounds like the world as we know it today. A world filled with people that only care about their immediate wants and desires. A world that rejects what is good. A world that rejects God Himself. The bible speaks of this. In Romans 1:29-32, Paul writes, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
As you think about that passage, consider this next one. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul tells the church in Corinth, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes no homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
And finally, read what Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
Consider all three passages together. Does this sound familiar to you? It sounds like certain elements of our society today, doesn’t it?! And I’m sure we have all met people like those described in the previous scripture. When you follow a relative truth, these are the avenues you travel.
Study those three sections of scripture carefully. Notice that what you are being told here is what is bad. It is not saying, “If you really think it’s okay to be lovers of money, proud, abusive and unforgiving, then that’s just fine.” These scriptures are telling you what is wrong with what people are doing!
Now you may be wondering if this may just be the author’s personal thoughts on the subject and that it is still really up to you to decided what is right and wrong with no input from anyone else. Let’s see what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 has to say about the matter: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Notice that this verse starts out saying ALL Scripture, not just bits and pieces, not just those parts that we may happen to like while rejecting others that don’t happen to fit with what we want, no it says ALL Scripture. We don’t have the option to treat the bible, God’s Word, as though it is a buffet that we get to pick and choose our favorites while leaving the stuff we don’t care to think about. You see the bible is inclusive not a cafeteria! All that we need has been included for us by God in this collection of books. Not most of what we need or more than we need. Everything we need for our spiritual life, everything we need to bring us to Christ and to learn how to live to please God rather than ourselves is there.
Self righteous attitudes are not of God. They are destructive! God is warning us not to reject him. Rejection of God and His absolute Truth lead us down a sinful path. Let’s take a look at the fruit of a sinful nature. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul writes: “The acts of a sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
That’s quite a list! These are all examples of today’s world. How often do we see these things going on around us?! We are constantly bombarded by images on television - the so called ‘reality programs’ that purport to show us the real lives of people. What about all the court programs and talk shows that drag out the seediest things they can find to put in the front window for the whole world to see?? These programs are filled with “…hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy…”. Purity doesn’t seem to exist. Sexual morality? For many, a quaint notion from the past, unworthy of their time or attention. Don’t think you’ve ever seen anyone guilty of idolatry? How about the worship of money, power or possessions above all else. THAT is idolatry! Who practices witchcraft you wonder? People that follow Wicca or Satan just to name two.
Now you may be thinking that some of these things don’t really hurt anyone else. So what if you live together and aren’t married. Who does that hurt? How about every person that sees your example of disobedience towards God? How about you?! How does it hurt you? It’s call sexual immorality. (The King James Version of the bible translates sexual immorality as fornication.) Re-read that last sentence in Galatians 5:21: “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” That’s right, it hurts you most of all. And if you think God is kidding and doesn’t really mean it, think again.
God is not wasting his time here. We have a God that loves us to extremes! He loves us so much He chose to die rather than lose even one of us to death. He died so that WE would not have to! Can you understand? Do you understand? THIS IS TRUTH! Not the watered down pabulum that society wants to pass off to you as truth. That being that there really is nobody to answer to and that it doesn’t really matter what you do because it’s all relative. This is deception; a lie pure and simple.
God puts His money where His mouth is. And what’s more, by following Christ, accepting Him and inviting the Holy Spirit to live within us, we receive the blessings of God, the Fruit of the Spirit. Let’s see what we are talking about. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul writes: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such as things there is no law.”
Think about this scripture. We’re talking about the transforming power of Jesus Christ in your life. Perhaps someone is wishing they could have some joy in their life and maybe some patience. You would love to be self-controlled and gentle. How you long to be loved. What you wouldn’t give for some true, honest, heartfelt peace in your life.
This fruit comes from the transformation that takes place once we surrender ourselves to Christ. You probably are wondering what you have to do to change yourself to create this fruit. Well, I’m going to tell you - get out of the way and let God do His work in you! That’s right, you don’t bring about the transformation, God does. And the longer you are in His way, the longer it will take to Jesus to complete His work within you.
It is not possible for us to change our sinful ways by our own strength. Jesus Christ conquers sin, not man. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul talks about “a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan” to keep him from becoming conceited. He prayed three times for this thorn to be taken away. In 1 Corinthians 12:9, God answers: “…my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
It seems to me that when I stop meddling in God’s affairs is when things begin to turn out right. God is the one that is all knowing, He is the one that is all powerful and He is the one that is present everywhere, not me. I have to conclude that if I admit my weakness, if I admit my lack of power and recognize my limits, I can finally admit that God can, will and does do a better job than I could every hope to do. And as such, if I just get out of the way and let Him work through me and within me, transforming me into the man He wants me to be, I and this world will be much better off.
That transformation starts with admitting that there really is absolute truth and His name is Jesus Christ! It continues with the recognition that you are tired of traveling alone and that there is something better waiting for you.
So the choice is yours. Do you want to continue with those things that God says deserve death, or do you want better? Are you tired of hating? Sick of the jealousy? Fed up with factions and constant fighting? Do you long to have just a little peace in your life? Maybe some joy? Just one individual to love you unconditionally? Jesus is the real, absolute truth. God will grant you peace and joy and He loves you no matter what!
Turn to Christ and accept REAL truth. It will satisfy your longings and deepest desires, unlike the world’s attempts to gratify, which is so temporary. Accept Christ and I have no doubt that you will experience the truth of Phillipians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
In His name…
© 2004 Church of Hope, Inc.
Have you ever wondered exactly what is real truth? Is there no absolute truth after all? Certain sub-cultures in today’s world try to tell us that truth is a relative thing. That there is no real right or wrong, no absolute truth. I’ve heard some seminaries are teaching that truth is subjective. Young pastors are coming into church settings teaching this, their churches are disintegrating and people can’t figure out why.
Now the cynic in me would ask, “You are destroying your church! Just how much more proof do you need to disprove this false theory?” Yet for some, this is not enough. So today I am going to offer some biblical proof that there is such a thing as absolute truth and His name is Jesus!
The fiction of “relative truth” tells us that there is no real right or wrong. It is up to the individual to decided what is right or wrong, truth if you will, for themselves and that this may not necessarily be what is true for someone else. Now let’s just take an example here. Let’s say that I decide that your car is just a little too upscale for you and that, in fact, it really should be mine. Now I conclude that it is proper for me to simply take your car for my own. You see in my eyes, this would be perfectly permissible. Perhaps not in your eyes, but I think this is fine. My “truth” allows me to do whatever I deem to be in my own interest regardless of the consequences to you or anyone else.
Imagine a world filled with this kind of anarchy. Actually, it kind of sounds like the world as we know it today. A world filled with people that only care about their immediate wants and desires. A world that rejects what is good. A world that rejects God Himself. The bible speaks of this. In Romans 1:29-32, Paul writes, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
As you think about that passage, consider this next one. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul tells the church in Corinth, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes no homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
And finally, read what Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
Consider all three passages together. Does this sound familiar to you? It sounds like certain elements of our society today, doesn’t it?! And I’m sure we have all met people like those described in the previous scripture. When you follow a relative truth, these are the avenues you travel.
Study those three sections of scripture carefully. Notice that what you are being told here is what is bad. It is not saying, “If you really think it’s okay to be lovers of money, proud, abusive and unforgiving, then that’s just fine.” These scriptures are telling you what is wrong with what people are doing!
Now you may be wondering if this may just be the author’s personal thoughts on the subject and that it is still really up to you to decided what is right and wrong with no input from anyone else. Let’s see what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 has to say about the matter: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Notice that this verse starts out saying ALL Scripture, not just bits and pieces, not just those parts that we may happen to like while rejecting others that don’t happen to fit with what we want, no it says ALL Scripture. We don’t have the option to treat the bible, God’s Word, as though it is a buffet that we get to pick and choose our favorites while leaving the stuff we don’t care to think about. You see the bible is inclusive not a cafeteria! All that we need has been included for us by God in this collection of books. Not most of what we need or more than we need. Everything we need for our spiritual life, everything we need to bring us to Christ and to learn how to live to please God rather than ourselves is there.
Self righteous attitudes are not of God. They are destructive! God is warning us not to reject him. Rejection of God and His absolute Truth lead us down a sinful path. Let’s take a look at the fruit of a sinful nature. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul writes: “The acts of a sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
That’s quite a list! These are all examples of today’s world. How often do we see these things going on around us?! We are constantly bombarded by images on television - the so called ‘reality programs’ that purport to show us the real lives of people. What about all the court programs and talk shows that drag out the seediest things they can find to put in the front window for the whole world to see?? These programs are filled with “…hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy…”. Purity doesn’t seem to exist. Sexual morality? For many, a quaint notion from the past, unworthy of their time or attention. Don’t think you’ve ever seen anyone guilty of idolatry? How about the worship of money, power or possessions above all else. THAT is idolatry! Who practices witchcraft you wonder? People that follow Wicca or Satan just to name two.
Now you may be thinking that some of these things don’t really hurt anyone else. So what if you live together and aren’t married. Who does that hurt? How about every person that sees your example of disobedience towards God? How about you?! How does it hurt you? It’s call sexual immorality. (The King James Version of the bible translates sexual immorality as fornication.) Re-read that last sentence in Galatians 5:21: “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” That’s right, it hurts you most of all. And if you think God is kidding and doesn’t really mean it, think again.
God is not wasting his time here. We have a God that loves us to extremes! He loves us so much He chose to die rather than lose even one of us to death. He died so that WE would not have to! Can you understand? Do you understand? THIS IS TRUTH! Not the watered down pabulum that society wants to pass off to you as truth. That being that there really is nobody to answer to and that it doesn’t really matter what you do because it’s all relative. This is deception; a lie pure and simple.
God puts His money where His mouth is. And what’s more, by following Christ, accepting Him and inviting the Holy Spirit to live within us, we receive the blessings of God, the Fruit of the Spirit. Let’s see what we are talking about. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul writes: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such as things there is no law.”
Think about this scripture. We’re talking about the transforming power of Jesus Christ in your life. Perhaps someone is wishing they could have some joy in their life and maybe some patience. You would love to be self-controlled and gentle. How you long to be loved. What you wouldn’t give for some true, honest, heartfelt peace in your life.
This fruit comes from the transformation that takes place once we surrender ourselves to Christ. You probably are wondering what you have to do to change yourself to create this fruit. Well, I’m going to tell you - get out of the way and let God do His work in you! That’s right, you don’t bring about the transformation, God does. And the longer you are in His way, the longer it will take to Jesus to complete His work within you.
It is not possible for us to change our sinful ways by our own strength. Jesus Christ conquers sin, not man. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul talks about “a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan” to keep him from becoming conceited. He prayed three times for this thorn to be taken away. In 1 Corinthians 12:9, God answers: “…my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
It seems to me that when I stop meddling in God’s affairs is when things begin to turn out right. God is the one that is all knowing, He is the one that is all powerful and He is the one that is present everywhere, not me. I have to conclude that if I admit my weakness, if I admit my lack of power and recognize my limits, I can finally admit that God can, will and does do a better job than I could every hope to do. And as such, if I just get out of the way and let Him work through me and within me, transforming me into the man He wants me to be, I and this world will be much better off.
That transformation starts with admitting that there really is absolute truth and His name is Jesus Christ! It continues with the recognition that you are tired of traveling alone and that there is something better waiting for you.
So the choice is yours. Do you want to continue with those things that God says deserve death, or do you want better? Are you tired of hating? Sick of the jealousy? Fed up with factions and constant fighting? Do you long to have just a little peace in your life? Maybe some joy? Just one individual to love you unconditionally? Jesus is the real, absolute truth. God will grant you peace and joy and He loves you no matter what!
Turn to Christ and accept REAL truth. It will satisfy your longings and deepest desires, unlike the world’s attempts to gratify, which is so temporary. Accept Christ and I have no doubt that you will experience the truth of Phillipians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
In His name…
© 2004 Church of Hope, Inc.