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Truth Is Absolutely True
Truth Is Absolutely True
In the book, “The Abolition of Man,” C.S. Lewis makes some rather prophetic statements of a dystopian future. The whole premise of his writing here is that a society that relies on “relativism” (the belief that there are no absolute truths) will slide into a state of moral decay and lack of virtue. This idea is prevalent in our modern society — one of its many names is “situational ethics.” We live in a time where the very concept of true and false is argued in every aspect of life. What is good or bad? What is right or wrong? Who can make those decisions?
Although it is impressive that a man from 70 years ago could see the direction the world was headed, his insight pales in comparison to the Bible truths that long preceded his words. The departure from the notion of absolute truth towards relativism began thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden. Later, in the times of the divided kingdom, King Jeroboam was responsible for numerous departures from the Law of God. In essence, he invented his own new and improved religion for Israel. Why did he do this? It is because he saw truth as relative instead of absolute. He was a heinous leader, accused at least twenty-one times of causing Israel to sin.
Still, we recall the familiar words found in Isaiah 5:20, where the prophet pronounces a woe on those “who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” In modern society, we see people who make attempts to rationalize sinful behavior based on the situation. For instance, lying becomes a “good” if it is done in a situation which would preclude someone being offended. The absolute nature of God’s truth, which forever stands, is that sin is always sin.
It is beneficial and good for us to train and educate our minds. More importantly, God expects and demands for us to train our hearts and our souls to see all things through the lens of His holy truth. Paul explains it this way to Timothy: “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). We must always allow the word of God to guide our thoughts and our actions!
