A popular notion about the matter of truth going around in our day is that truth is what I decide truth should be for me. But what about for everyone else, especially if someone else’s notion of “truth” conflicts with your notion. The fact is that ideas and propositions have ramifications for more than just myself, and bad ideas, as John Stonestreet is fond of saying, have bad consequences.
I try to emphasize with the young boys and men with whom I have the privilege of studying God’s Word that truth is not determined by what is popular, and consequently popular opinion does not suddenly make truth false. Truth matters because truth is unchangeable.
If, in fact, there were no absolute truths, then the individual becomes the source of truth. And even more devastating is the reality that if no absolute truth exists then those who have power determine what is absolute for the rest of us. How then, do we determine what is absolutely true?
Let’s be honest with one another. If you don’t believe there is a God who created all that exists and that He has revealed Himself to us as humans, then you have no basis for defining truth other than yourself. But for those of us who do believe God has revealed Himself, then the Word of God (Bible) is our North Star point of reference for all truth. Without a fixed reference point, truth has no meaning, and there are no consequences beyond what those in power decide are relevant consequences.
There are also many people who do believe God exists, but choose to redefine or “reform” their faith to align with cultural trends without weighing those changes against a standard–the standard of Scripture. They, in essence, have done the same thing as those who don’t believe in God or the Word of God. They have abandoned the only true fixed point of reference–the Bible.
The first step in determining what is true for those of us who believe God is the only and ultimate source of truth is to ask what God says in His Word. What does He have to say about not conforming to the pattern of this world and having renewed minds that are transformed by that which is God’s good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
It matters what I believe to be true because what I believe shapes everything I do and how I think and evaluate the actions and commentaries of others. And what I believe is measured against the standard of God’s unchangeable Word found in the Scriptures. What is the standard against which your truth is measured?
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