Is truth relative?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Truth is not relative; it is eternal and absolute, as defined by God. The Bible affirms that truth is the self-expression of God, demonstrated through His Word and the person of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God is called the "God of truth," and His Word is described as the embodiment of truth. Jesus, in the New Testament, declares Himself to be the truth and affirms that God's Word is the truth, revealing that He is God, by which truth is defined. We are called to live our lives according to God’s truth. In a world that often questions or distorts truth, we are called to stand firm in the reality that God's truth is absolute and unshakable. By doing so, we reflect the character of Christ and testify to the world of the transformative power of His truth.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Truth is not merely a matter of belief or personal opinion. Truth is the self-expression of God, meaning that it is the way things really are, as declared and made so by God. The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the "God of truth" (Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16).
• Psalm 119:160: "The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever." This passage declares God's Word is the embodiment of truth, emphasizing its eternal nature.
• Proverbs 30:5 declares that, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• In John 14:6 Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus explicitly claims to be truth incarnate, presenting Himself as the absolute standard of truth. He was making a profound claim about His own deity. Jesus is the perfect expression of God and therefore the absolute embodiment of all that is true.
• "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). Here Jesus affirms that God's Word is truth. The written Word of God (Scripture) and the incarnate Word of God (Jesus) are in perfect agreement and both equally true. Truth is the reality God has created and defined, and over which He rules.
• Pilate's question to Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38), highlights the confusion about the nature of truth, but Jesus proclaimed Himself to be truth, which only God can be.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Relativism is the belief that truth, morality, or cultural norms are not absolute but are instead dependent on individual perspectives, experiences, or contexts. While relativism is popular today, rarely does the proponent think through the consequences of their claims. Relativism is a philosophical view that rejects universalism about truth, that is, it asserts that valuations in a particular domain are relative to the perspective of an observer.

However, relativism's central claim—that truth is relative to some particular standpoint—implies that the same statement can be both true and false, which contradicts the basic requirement of truth being consistent and non-contradictory. If relativism is true, then it must also be true that relativism is false from some other standpoint, making it inherently contradictory. In other words, the statement “truth is relative” is, in fact, a self-refuting statement. In saying, “truth is relative,” one asserts a truth. But, if all truth is relative, then that statement itself is relative as well—which means we can’t trust it to be true all the time.

UNDERSTAND

• Truth is not relative; it is absolute and eternal.
• Truth is defined by God, and is not subjective or relative to individual perspectives.
• The Bible teaches that truth is the self-expression of God, revealed through His Word and the person of Jesus Christ.

REFLECT

• How does understanding that truth is absolute and defined by God impact the way you view yourself and your view of reality?
• In what areas of your life are you tempted to believe truth is relative, and how can you allow God's absolute truth to transform your thinking?
• How does understanding that truth is not relative change the way you approach situations where others may have different beliefs or opinions?

ENGAGE

• How do we reconcile the absolute truth of God with the diversity of perspectives and beliefs we encounter in society today?
• What practical challenges do we face when standing firm in God’s truth in a world that often distorts or questions it?
• How can we reflect the character of Christ by living according to God’s truth and sharing it with others?