What does it mean to claim an objective truth? It sounds complicated, but really, it isn’t. If I make a statement like, “There is a table in the middle of my living room.”, I am making a claim to an objective truth. My statement is either true for everyone, or it is false for everyone. If my statement was subjective, then it could be true for some people and false for other people. This leads to a situation where the one person could be standing on the table while someone else walks through the middle of the room as if there was no table. So the idea that a claim to truth is not objective leads to all sorts of silly situations.
Objective truths form the core of what we believe as Christians. We don’t believe that Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way for SOME people. We believe that sin and the need for salvation is universal to everyone, and that Jesus is the only hope of salvation for all people. Our beliefs are not just a set of comforting thoughts that help us cope with the harsh reality of life, they are a set of objective claims to be tested.
This is not just my way of thinking, the apostles and their early disciples went around making all sorts of objective claims. They claimed to follow the Messiah, the only son of God. They claimed the tomb was empty. They claimed that though he was executed in a public display, they saw him alive. More importantly, they made all of these claims in front of the very people who could disprove them if they were false, and they persisted in these claims even in the face of certain death. These men were willing to stake their very lives on objective claims about what they had witnessed.
It is important to understand what the disciples were willing to die for, because we have let uncertainty and doubt erode our beliefs. We live in an age that wants to believe that truth is subjective, and that religion is nothing more than a set of personal beliefs. People want comforting words and thoughts that let them feel good about themselves without having to repent and change. Anyone who claims that something is wrong or proclaims the beliefs of others to be false is being intolerant.
Christ did not die so that we could have happy thoughts and lukewarm beliefs. He came that we might have life in abundance and that we would be ambassadors of his truth. We are called to be salt and light to a dark and tasteless world. We do this by showing love to those in need. If a man is trapped in the darkness of his own lies, we show him love by giving him the light of truth. Always seek to deliver that truth with gentleness and respect, but never compromise it.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31-32
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