Today, many of us think that truth is relative. The emphasis is on the human being and his experiences, through which the truth is to be found – it is argued. Often, the general truth and personal truth, such as general faith and personal faith, are mixed. A personal, existential, experience is always individualistic, but it does not define the general truth. The general truth has to be common and public. One can either define it by human reason or by an external source. In order for the truth to be unbiased – in other words, objective – it has to come from an outer source, not by human reason. Otherwise, anyone could argue that he or she has the truth and authority to define what is truth and what is not. This is why Protestantism is founded on the Bible, the infallible source, which is accessible to everyone.
The Bible gives three definitions of truth. The Holy Writings tell that God’s Word is the truth (John 17:17), God’s commandments are the truth (Ps. 119: 151 KJV), and Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). The Bible, as a whole, is the plan of salvation and the revelation of Jesus himself. It has the authority of God because the Spirit of God has been the inspirer of the Bible’s writers. This is why both Jesus and his Word are truth.
John describes Jesus and the truth as light (1 John 1:5-7). ”In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ” (John. 1:4) ”And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ” (verse 14) As Pilate interrogated Jesus, Jesus said, ”Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. ” (John. 18:37) Pilate answered, ”What is truth?” (verse 38). ”And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. ” (38). Pilate did not stay and wait for the answer, even though the one who was standing before him was the Truth himself: the Truth about God’s character, caring and motives towards the human race and the whole universe. ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ” (1 John 3:16)
In the Son of God dwells, therefore, both love and truth. Moreover, Jesus said, ”Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. ” (John 17:17). We can see the principles of love and truth in Jesus and the Word of God (the Bible). To Paul and the other Apostles the truth, in addition to love, was important (2 Tess. 2:10; 2 Tim. 2:16-19; Tit. 2:1; James 5:19; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Peter 1:12). Paul wrote, ”Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: ” (Eph. 4:13,15).
As the apostasy and darkness of the Middle Ages quenched the light, God lifted up the Reformation to set the lamp back to its candlestick. The meaning of the Reformation is to find the original faith of the Apostles. The process can be said to have begun in the Middle Ages, but it has continued until the modern times. This is why the brightness of the truth is relational according to the times one is living, even though, it has been always available in the Bible. There exists a ”present truth”. Reformation has always been founded on this principle.
Today, relativism, pluralism and existentialism have become general. When thinking about today’s world, chaos could be one word and reality which comes to one’s mind. Before God created the world, there was chaos. After the human race fell into sin, there has been chaos. This is why everything that comes out of human being itself is not bound to eternity and truth, but chaos. Creativity, and one’s existential experiences and thoughts, which are often mixed with truth, are not infinite. That which is done on earth, has been done before in a different form but in the same essence (Eccles 1:9). In other words, creativity and understanding has its boundaries, and the true essence of things is not in human being himself. This is why a Christian has to learn to love the law of God, as well. When there is no boundaries, chaos from the deep appears. It is interesting that according to the Bible, love is similar to the Law of God (John 14:15). The Law expresses the right way of relating to everything.
God’s law and truth are absolute. For the sinners in this world, the truth means, mainly, the truth of salvation, because there is only one way to the Father, which is Jesus; and the Bible is Jesus’ book, the way, to salvation. It declares his authority. Only through the Creator and Redeemer, one can find the true essence of truth, which is declared also via Seventh-day Sabbath, the rest in God’s righteousness, authority and truth.
Absolute truth does not mean that human beings can understand it completely, or claim to understand or hold it completely, as the common misunderstanding is today, but that the truth exists. The truth is eternal as God and his character; but to human race has been revealed a certain amount of truth, which is the Bible. ”The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. ” (Deut 29:29) One should not fear the truth, or the true knowledge, but love it, because it is a gift from God. First of all, He gave himself as a gift to salvation (John 3:16). “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32) Jesus gave himself to death “that he might reconcile” everyone with God (Eph 2:16). Christ opened the way to growth in truth, knowledge and wisdom (Col 2:2-3; 3:10). He is the foundation to grow on (Eph 3:16-17). He is the foundation to all Christian teaching and lifestyle. And, as was mentioned, His Law is also the truth, which gives the solid rock on which to build thinking, teaching and practice. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa 8:20)
Jesus said, “It is written…” (John 4:4), when He battled with the devil in the wilderness. Jesus “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. ” (2 John 1:9). Even Jesus, the true Light, counted on the Scriptures, because they are His word, and give the objective truth. ”For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty… We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. ” (2 Peter 1:16, 19, 20, 21).
This is, partly, why Jesus said that “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The truth sets free from all the chaos, all the fallible ways of human thinking. It gives freedom from deception and self deception. It is the way to honesty about reality. Only when you are honest, you can find the truth, and when you are truthful (honest) you can see that human being is sinful, and needs atonement, and that human being is like vapor that vanishes, and needs the eternal life as a gift from God.
Even through eternities, there will be new things to learn from God. God’s love and truth holds the universe together, and will not let it fall into chaos again. There is chaos in the world, but it will stop when Jesus comes from the sky, when His feet will not touch the ground, and the sky will be split in half, and the reality will be revealed as it is (Luke 21:25-28; Matt 24:29-36; Rev 1:7; John 14:1-3; 1 Th 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51-52; 2 Pet 3:10). Now, already, we can have the rest in his truth, which is based on his eternal essence and righteousness (Ex 3:14). Nevertheless, everything will be made perfect when He comes. “[W]hen that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. “ (1 Cor 13:10)