Does Absolute Truth Exist?
I remember years ago watching an old game show on television called, “To Tell the Truth.” I suppose the name of that show would be distasteful to our culture because many have little appreciation for the term “truth.” In fact, many deny that there is such a thing as absolute truth.
The idea that absolute truth does not exist is associated with the philosophy of relativism. Relativism is defined as “the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.” According to this philosophy, what was true fifty years ago concerning morals, ethics, marriage, rearing children and other things may not be true today. This is because truth is “relative.” It changes with time, culture, and historical context.
This doctrine is dangerous because it leaves the younger generation with no solid foundation for morality and ethics, and when there is no absolute standard to guide our lives, moral chaos is the result. The Bible teaches that in the days of the judges, there was no king in Israel and “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). This is precisely what is happening in our culture: many people have embraced the doctrine of relativism and they are doing what is right “in their own eyes.”
The problem with this situation is that relativism is a false doctrine. Truth does not originate with man, but with God. I do not have the right to develop my own standard of morality and do what is right in my own eyes; no one does. Rather, we are to submit to God’s standards.
Is there really a universal standard to which all are to submit? Does absolute truth really exist? Consider the words of Jesus: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Did you notice that twice in that one verse Jesus affirmed that there is a body of knowledge identified as “truth”? Not only did Jesus teach that truth exist, but He also taught that we can “know” the truth, and that the truth “makes us free.”
The truth of God’s Word is unchanging. By following it, we can have rich, fulfilling lives here and in the hereafter. “For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 117:2).
