Aug 11
21
What Is Truth?
“What is truth?” That was Roman governor Pontius Pilate’s response to Jesus’ bold claim: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37-38). Pilate’s cynical response was nothing new… and it is still the prevailing attitude today.
People think they are being kind when they say one viewpoint is as valid as another. They view life as if it were a piece of abstract art. As their thinking goes, each passerby can offer his or her opinion about what all the squiggles and blotches mean. And each one is equally valid. After all, no one can claim perfect objectivity, so they call each interpretation as good as every other. Their desire is to be kind.
But when people start to look at the big things of life as if they were mere abstractions, the results are anything but kind. When people start offering whatever interpretation they want for the human soul, religion and morality, family and sexuality, and little unborn people, then true chaos ensues.
If you don’t believe me, I understand. But consider this: When a man molests a little girl and utters a pathetic “Whatever” – that distinctive modern version of “What is truth?” – then you start to understand the chaos I speak of, especially if the little girl is your daughter. When someone’s own version of truth leads them to cheat on their spouse, chaos erupts in that family life. When a greedy person’s view of truth allows him to rob your home and steal half your money because you have plenty and he doesn’t, then you start to see the type of chaos I’m hinting at.
The loving and kind thing to do is to warn you not to play this kind of game with God. God says to all of us who should know better that we are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). You see, the real problem is not lack of evidence for the truth, it’s that people don’t want to find it. They think if they ignore the plain truth and pretend to be confused like Pilate, then they won’t have to be accountable to anyone, especially God.
Jesus is the truth. His truth is like a bright shining light that exposes our sin. Here’s how Jesus once put it: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:20).
If the old absolutes are allowed to stand (right and wrong), people have to be accountable to God. Unwilling to do so, people willingly close their minds to the dazzling design of creation, to the persistent nagging of their conscience, to the integrity of Biblical revelation, and most of all to Jesus.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
