Truth - Is it Relative?

Truth.

John 8:31-32 … So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Who can determine truth? Is there one truth? How do we know for sure? What is truth?


Questions like these are really prominent today. While people have always questioned truth, it has not been so widespread in acceptance to only think that truth can be found academically. Is academia able find truth? Is truth beyond what is academic? Is truth equal to morality? Is truth conditional or relative?


I read something today that caused me to ponder the opposite of truth.


It is not a matter of Truth vs False... as much as it is Truth vs. Error. Many people begin to think of themselves as always being right, and rub others as self-righteous because they aim to do and be right. Christian followers understand that none are righteous but it is God who is righteous alone and we can only be seen as righteous through Jesus' righteousness not our own.


For some people that might sound like doubt-talk, but language is the main problem in understanding another and finding a place of common peaceful agreement.


False indicates that there is one right answer and every thing else is false. Kinda like a true/false question on a test. But there can be more than one truthful statement. Everything is not a matter of true or false, somethings just don't matter nor really effect truth.


The color you paint a wall in a room is trivial in many ways - it can make an impact in your life - the way you feel when you are in that room, but what color you pick is not true or untrue.


What is important in life is for us to learn to remove the errors of our way, not to always try to be right.

One of the most famous verse about truth in the Bible is what Jesus said “… I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Psalm 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 43:3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. (Jesus speaking)

Error.

In what I was reading, error opposed truth. We must recognize that we all have errors in the way we live and that God is continually molding and purifying us. We don't so much need to be focusing on figuring out what we are doing wrong and feel proud of what we are doing right - that is to think of life based on our own works.

 God showing us Error allows Him to correct imperfections along the way. Reproof or correction doesn't come with a punitive sense of being wrong. We should be continually improving, refining, and transforming -- to become more like Christ. It is not a mindset that I am living wrong today and one day I am going to be living right.

If God is our source of reference, if He is Truth, then should not a person seeking truth start with God? How else am I going to know the errors of my ways and to know what needs to be transformed? And if someone claims to be speaking truth and wanting truth does not start with God, how serious can they be about finding it?