The Truth About Your ‘Relatives’
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37–38, ESV)
In these postmodern days we have seen the acceptance of a belief system known as ‘relativism’. This system of thought is prevalent in popular culture, educational institutions and workplaces. We often hear people say things like, “your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth.” In other words, they are saying that even though you have a different belief than me, it is ok because both beliefs can exist even if they contradict or impact on each other. The Wretched Radio host Todd Friel interviews college students and asks them “Do we even exist?” Often, he gets the response of “no, only in your perception’’, or “maybe we do, maybe we don’t. It just depends on what is true for you.” He gets these ludicrous responses because the students don’t want to affirm that universal truth exists. Truth is a reality outside of one’s own thoughts or feelings about truth.
It is staggering how common it is to hear relativism come out of the mouths of people who are otherwise smart, logical, and well-educated. Why do they switch their brains off when it comes to affirming that some things are absolute for all people? What is true of relativism is it proves that it is easier to believe in lies than deal with reality. This way of thinking about life is a form of idolatry because it makes the individual the determining factor in what is true. When truth is subjective, does truth mean anything, or could it mean everything? Pilate asks, “What is truth?” I’m not sure people know anymore.
The problem with the belief that ‘all truth is relative’ is that you can’t constantly apply that belief to all aspects of life. If you did, you would have to live in a chaotic state of not believing that anything exists and cease to function because nothing can be trusted. This is why you will never meet a relativist who is 100% committed to believing that all truth is relative. The same people who say your truth is whatever you make it, will still be the people who eat food, drive cars and use money. They happily believe in the existence of these realities when it serves their desires. Deep down they don’t really believe that all truth is relative! Gravity is the classic example. If they didn’t believe in gravity, they should test it out by jumping off a cliff, but this won’t happen because logic sinks in and ‘common sense’ prevails. People are only relativists when it’s convenient to suppress a truth!
So why be relative about some things and not everything? It is when the matters revolve around the doctrines of God, and the doctrines of man that people believe lies from the devil (the Father of all lies) to avoid the truth and its implications. The old movie quote is fitting, “you can’t handle the truth.” If they were to come to terms with the reality that a Holy God exists, then they would have to deal with what implications that has for them, and deep down there is an innate awareness of His existence.
The Ostrich in the desert put its head in the sand and says, “if I can’t see it then it doesn’t exist.” The book of Romans describes people like this when Paul says,
…they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man … they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (Romans 1:21-25).
If people believe that all truth is relative, they have exchanged the truth about God for a lie. Humans do not determine what is true, only God does. This is why we have and need the Bible. Jesus says:
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:17-18)
God sent Jesus to be truth and to declare truth for us. Let us help the world confront the truth about their ‘relatives.’
In His Tread,
Pastor Andrew
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