Prayer Blog 2/7/2008

Relative Truth

What is the nature of truth? Is it subjective, where what is true for me is not true for you, or is it objective, where the statements of the world are just as true for you as they are for me, regardless?

If I were to say that I was your typical relativist and did not believe in absolute truth, or objective truth, and that your acceptance of Jesus was great and true for you but simply not true for me, what would I actually be saying? If all things are untrue for someone, somehow, at some point in time, then there simply is no absolute truth. Seems logical right? Sure. It allows you to believe exactly what you want and me to believe exactly what I want. It’s the ultimate idea of tolerance amongst religion, people, and mindsets.

So as Christians, can we be relativists? Of course not. We are told that we should go out and preach the gospels, but how is that to be done if the person that we are preaching to says that while it’s great for us, the Bible simply is not true for them? What can you say? They have effectively turned you away and done so eloquently and effectively. Yet, there is always a rebuttal; finding it though is the hard part. Earlier I said the line, “there is no absolute truth.” Can you find out, simply using this statement alone, why relativism fails?

That statement must be ABSOLUTELY TRUE for a relativist, or else it fails. Say you point this out to the relativist, and he/she says, yes, that there is no absolute truth. He/she has just affirmed an absolute truth; thus, undermining their entire position. If they say no, there is NOT absolute truth; then by grammatical rule of a double negative, they are saying there is absolute truth. So in short, relativism fails as a worldview, and to have a discussion with a relativist should not be daunting in any way.

Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” NIV.

Andrew Hayslip