Last week we looked at the difference between relative and absolute truth (Click here to see last week’s article). I argued against relativism, the belief that there is no absolute truth. We discussed how there must be absolute truth to hold the world together (examples include Laws of Nature, Moral Laws, and more). Reason, logic, discernment, and wisdom could not exist without absolute truth. But where does this absolute truth come from?
There has to be something or someone outside of this world, with no beginning and no end. Absolute truth cannot come from nothing. It can’t start from a big bang or evolve from nothing. It has to exist for all eternity. Absolute truth has to stand alone and have no equal. It has to be holy, pure, untainted, unblemished, perfect, and good. The world and all the universe have a beginning, but truth has to be everlasting, or there is no truth.
God is Good
That brings us to this week’s topic. I want to explain why Christianity says there is absolute truth and how Jesus is absolute truth. To answer the first question, Christianity says there is absolute truth simply because God is good. (Check out my article on Good vs Evil.) And there is only one true God. He is truth and speaks all truth.
In the beginning, God created all things in truth to sustain life through truth. He called all His creation very good. But mankind turned away from truth. So, being a good God, He gave His only Son (His Word incarnate) to speak truth, live it out, and die for truth. God then raised His Son to life again and, later, sent His Spirit to guide us in the truth. He preserved the Bible, His Living Word and Truth, for His people through thousands of years. And He built His Church for believers to encourage and challenge each other in the truth under the leadership of Jesus Christ.
There is No World without Jesus
God is absolute truth and absolute good. And He reveals it perfectly in His Son, Jesus Christ.Jesus is the truth. He tells us Himself in John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” And Jesus is the one who holds the world together. Look at Colossians 1:15-20:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Jesus is the truth that created all things and holds all things together. Without Him, nothing could exist. Speaking about Jesus, John 1:1-5 explains: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
The one and only infinite, eternal, and immutable God makes absolute truth and absolute good possible, which makes the world possible. The world and all the universe cannot exist without absolutes. Without absolutes, there would be no meaning and no foundation.
Jesus Leaves No Room for Gray
Following the order of last week’s post, I’d like to discuss the issue of clarity in relation to Jesus. We’ve already covered how Jesus is absolute truth. Now we’ll examine what that looks like. Last week we said relativism only creates gray areas, but absolute truth leaves no room for gray. Therefore, Jesus leaves no room for gray. We see this displayed in the gospels where Jesus spoke truth and lived it out on earth. The world is generally focused on the outward actions and expressions that occur from feelings, but Jesus touches on the inward emotions, motivations and desires that lead to those feelings, which lead to actions and expressions. Stated more plainly, Jesus is more concerned about the heart issues.
When Jesus addresses the heart, He leaves no room to question what is right or wrong. The heart is what directs the right or wrong actions and expressions. Essentially, it’s the steering wheel of the body. When the outward actions and expressions are the only focus, then the real issue never gets addressed. Jesus is the truth and desires all people to be in the truth. He wants all of who we are. He doesn’t want to leave any part of us in the gray or in the dark. For this to happen, Jesus’ first target has to be the heart.
There are two examples I want to center on here from the Book of Matthew, where Jesus’ focus is the heart. The first is Matthew 5:21-22 where Jesus said: “’You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.’” Now, Jesus is not saying that anger is wrong. He is saying that left unchecked and unresolved, anger can turn into hate and bitterness, possibly leading to murder as the final act. We see that Jesus is not attacking the action or expression, but the emotion, motivation, and desire that lies within the heart.
The second is Matthew 5:27-28: “’You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’” Again, Jesus is targeting the real issue, that being a lustful heart. Adultery doesn’t just happen; it starts with lust. By stating this, Jesus takes away the gray area where a man may justify looking lustfully at a beautiful woman because he never actually touched her. Jesus clarifies that this is still wrong.
Both of these examples illustrate absolute truths that fit into every culture and are relevant to every generation. Anger and lust are heart issues that are present throughout history. Murder and adultery are common throughout every generation. To address murder and adultery appropriately, anger and lust in the heart need to be the target focus. Jesus, being absolute truth, is the only one with the ability to see this issue and help people out of it. He is able because He is outside of this world and sinless, untainted by lust and anger.
What Now?
So, we’ve answered why Christianity says there is absolute truth and how Jesus is absolute truth. We also briefly looked at how Jesus spoke truth and lived it out, eliminating gray areas, while on earth. But what does this mean for you now? Why does this matter? It means that you have a solid foundation to place your faith, trust, and hope in. It matters because your life needs absolutes to have any meaning—identity, purpose, and hope. To be a follower of Christ is to believe, with your whole being, that Jesus is the truth. That means you believe He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.
The purpose of this post, and the last two, is to help you understand that there are absolute truths. We can’t say everyone’s beliefs and “truths” are true simply to make everyone feel better. That is agreeing with relativism and believing there are no absolute truths. There is only one truth. There is only one true God. And His name is Jesus. He alone created all things, holds all things together, and redeemed all things by dying on the cross. He is absolute truth and absolute good.
Recommended reading:
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The God Who is There by Francis A. Schaeffer
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