RELATIVE OR ABSOLUTE
"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
1 Thessalonians 2:13
One of the things that concern me most, especially within our growing need to understand truth and all it dimensions is that there are those who have taken the use of what we have termed "revelation knowledge" and have tried using it as a tool to redefine truth instead of measuring it by the validity and infallibility of the truth we have in God's Word. As important as revelation knowledge is, it was never intended to stand alone. What is revealed must be tied to and founded upon the testimony of God, which we know to be the teachings of Jesus Christ. The value that revelation knowledge holds is it rests solely on the foundation from which is it built-the reality of Christ and the purpose and identity we have in him. The moment we assume our "revelation" to hold a greater place than what is already founded as truth, then we have stepped over into a path that carries no certainty of security, but rather the endangerment of instability. I say this with a deep sense of resolve; anyone who tries to tailor truth to fit their own views or ideas has lost the sense of truth as it is in Christ. It is a violation, and in some cases, an abandonment to a standard that governs reality in its absolute sense.
Paul makes a point concerning this, which everyone who believes the truth of God should hold dear to their heart: "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (2 Cor. 13:8). In other words, Paul is simply saying, "I will not try to create a new twist on truth for my own purpose or gain. I will only seek to build upon what is absolute and unchanging."
The moment we assume our "revelation" to hold a greater place than what is already founded as truth, then we have stepped over into a path that carries no certainty of security, but rather the endangerment of instability.
The principles in God's Word are founded upon time-honored values, and they are intended to establish a formidable standard that is unerring, unalterable, and invaluable. And what is most essential is that no "supposed" truth should ever be elevated to the place where it is qualified without the support of absolute truth. I can come up with all kinds of counter ideas that presuppose the truth of God, but in the end nothing will ever reverse, supersede, or override what has already been established. The truth itself will always and forever stand alone! All other thought cannot and will never have that capability. That is what we must keep in mind when we are trying to explain its vast multiplicity.
Two terms that characterize where a lot of folk find themselves when it comes to interpreting truth: That is, relativism and absolutism. Relative truth is something that applies to a given situation. It may vary. It may influence one different than it does another. It is subjective. It is interpretive. It is subject to change. Absolute truth is constant. What is truth at any given time is always truth. Interpretive thought may find ways to skew truth, but nothing has the power to change truth. Absolute truth affects everyone, everywhere, in every way with the same certainty. We may believe it, accept it, refuse it, or deny it. But no matter what measure we take in our response to it, it will always remain invincible and incontestable. The moment we fall into the disguise that truth evolves with our interpretation of it instead of us being the ones who are changed as a result of it that is when we have forsaken any sense of boundary and scope of realism. We cannot and will never be capable of becoming definers of what is right, and just, and pure, and honorable without the truth of God. Christ alone holds that sacred position, and it is in him that we are securely grounded both now and for all eternity.
Paul made a very strong statement concerning these last days. He said, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3, 4). It is so obvious and apparent that we have certainly arrived at a day for the fulfillment of these very words. Therefore, it is imperative that we develop a keen ear to listen for truth, to allow it to hold us and carry us as we embrace it, and determine in our heart that we will never seek to redefine it, reinvent it, or reinterpret it. It is the truth of God that we have set our hearts to follow after, not what is convenient or what fits our fancy. Solomon once wisely spoke these instructive words, and it would do us well to observe them: Let us "Buy the truth and sell it not!" (Pro. 23:23). *
