Why You Need to Know the Absolute Truth
Absolute truth is defined as … truth that lasts. It was true in the past and it will be true in the future. It is not influenced by the opinions of people or by fluctuating circumstances. It is not invented by culture or religion and it will always BE truth whether people believe it or not. Absolute truth is the same for all people, everywhere … always.
Then there’s…
Relative Truth is defined as … truth that is true at this time and place. It’s true for some people and not for others. It’s true now but may not have been true in the past and may not be true again in the future. Relative truth is always subject to change being solely based on the perspective of people
The Wizard in Wicked the Musical says…
“The truth isn’t a thing of fact or reason. It’s simply what everyone agrees on.”
According to a study done by the Barna Group, three out of four American adults agree with the Wizard. And if you spend much time on social media or watch the nightly news … you might agree with him too.
The problem with building our lives on relative truth is that it is a very shaky foundation for life. If values, morals, and principles that are true today can be false tomorrow … you and I have nothing solid to believe in.
But Jesus said,
“I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” John 18:37
And…
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24
Jesus not only gave us an absolute truth, He IS the absolute truth.
Truth that applies to all people, everywhere … always!
I believe that is why out of His goodness, God gave us His living breathing absolute truth in Jesus.
Because sinful people always have and always will get it wrong.
If like the Wizard says, “the truth is what everyone agrees on,” we have a problem already. When is the last time EVERYONE AGREED ON ANYTHING?!
Sinful people will never agree on their own.
Oh, we’ll try. The power of persuasion is well … POWERFUL.
Bloggers, journalists, and writers put out convincing posts and articles and marketing persuasion begins. People take sides promoting ideas they agree with … the ones that support their own personal beliefs or lifestyles.
And if it goes viral! Well, it must be true! Because everyone knows, the person who has the most likes, shares, and retweets must be right. They win … right?
The problem is … in our attempt to have our “truth” win . . . we get ugly. Harsh unkind words get spoken and feelings get hurt. And I’m not just talking about our politicians. People in the Christian community are guilty, too.
I sometimes wonder what Jesus thinks when His children preach love and forgiveness but speak criticism and condemnation.
And I’m not finger-pointing here…
I get it.
I’m a pastor’s wife. “Doing it right” was my goal. But in all honesty, I had my opinions of what “doing it right” looked like and I was much better at determining what “right” living was supposed to like in someone else’s life than I was at taking a good hard look at my own.
Yeah, I had some trouble with pride and self-righteousness. God used some serious lessons in humility to help me let go of insecurity and fear so I could enjoy the freedom and joy of humbly receiving His grace and mercy.
We are all sinners in need of His grace and mercy to figure out this thing called life.
And to figure it out we need the Truth!
We need Jesus, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” John 14:6
Jesus gives us a truth that frees us from truth analyzing.
You and I don’t have to decide who’s right. We can be free from debating views, ideas, and opinions.
We can simply trust God’s truth … Jesus, the Word made flesh, whose teachings are true at all times and in all places.
Sure it feels good when everyone agrees with us. After all, if all our friends agree with us we must be right. Right?!
You know, besides the problem of trying to get everyone to agree in the first place, there’s another problem … people change their minds. Today’s consensus is often tomorrow’s chaos because people live with a short-sighted perspective.
Jesus’ truth comes from an eternal perspective.
[Jesus] existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. Colossians 1:17
He is…
The Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13
The Word made Flesh. John 1:14
The same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8
One with the Father. John 10:30
And He said…
“Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” Matthew 24:35
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13
Jesus is God in human flesh … Absolute Truth.
Jesus showed us the truth of who God is and He taught us what God wants…
He poured out grace, mercy, and forgiveness coming from a servant’s heart. He lived with humility and patience, gentleness and self-control. He gave love and self-sacrifice, compassion and kindness.
And the evidence that all Jesus said and did is true…
Is that He told His disciples He would suffer, die, and rise again.
They saw it and proclaimed it. The truth of Jesus’ resurrection changed them from timid followers into bold proclaimers of absolute truth.
It really doesn’t matter if everyone agrees, although…
God our Savior—wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4
The Absolute Truth!
I won’t preach at you or use the power of persuasion to try to convince you.
I’ll just keep telling you my story. The story of a fear-filled “good” girl desperately trying to “do life right.” A girl who relied more heavily on the rules than the grace … until she fell flat on her face and needed the One who is absolute truth and grace to gently lift her up and put the pieces of her life back together through His forgiveness and love.
Jesus’ absolute truth is not a list of rules to follow. His is a freedom to live and a love to share.
Jesus’ absolute truth is a foundation on which you can live your life. A rock solid unchanging truth that is the same for all people, everywhere … and always!
Friend, if you’re struggling to find something you can believe in that lasts … someone you can count on forever, spend some time getting to know Jesus.
He is the Way, the Absolute Truth, and the Life that lasts forever.
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Jesus is the absolute truth, and we can trust Him always.
Blessings, Deb!
I’ve relied too heavily on the rules instead of grace at times too, Deb. I love the way you’ve challenged us to rely on God’s truth in every situation, rather than making people our gauge for what is right and wrong. Great post! Pinned it!
Jesus is my absolute truth. I’m on this same journey, discovering what it truly means to fear God more than the fear of man.
“people change their minds.”
I know I change my mind already when I realized that it wasn’t really the truth I was believing but a set of rules made by people who didn’t know any better and now I, too, operate more with Grace then a set of rules… But that was after learning that lesson the hard way.
Oh, I hear you, Denise! It’s hard to learn that lesson the hard way, isn’t it! BUT the good news is that living under grace is the BEST!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a few minutes to say, “hello.” God bless you!
In the attempt to have our truth we get ugly! That right there is truth my sister! That’s why the Bible tells us to stay away from those types of discussions because it only leads to ungodliness! Pinned to share with our Living Our Priorities community. Stopping by from by his grace bloggers.
Thank you so much, Timberley!! I so appreciate you!!
If truth was what we believe at any given time, we are in trouble. Like you said, we change our minds. We grow as our lives change and opinions change. We learn more and have new experiences that shape our thoughts and beliefs. Throw in emotions and we can be all over the place. I’m so thankful that God does not change. His Truth is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.