“What is Truth?”

Those three words were mockingly uttered by Pontius Pilate to Jesus shortly before he washed his hands and sentenced him to death. He knew that the truth was that Jesus was innocent and did not deserve to die. He gave into the will of the masses and what they wanted the truth to be. This question came just after Jesus told Pilate that he came into the world to bear witness to the truth,¹ part of me wonders if this was Pilate’s way of telling Jesus that he would be the one who decided what the truth was.

Dr Peter Kreeft summed it up this way:

Pilate’s skeptical sneer “what is truth” was addressed to Truth Himself, standing there right in front of his face. The world’s stupidest question was three words; God’s profoundest answer was one Word.²

Pilate questioned what truth was a couple of thousands of years ago and even today we live in a world where people are asking the same question. I am talking about the philosophy of subjective truth and of subjective relativism, people are still trying to create their own truth.

Subjective truth simply states that truth is relative. There are no absolute truths according to this belief. The problem with this statement is that if it is true it falsifies itself. The statement that absolute truth is unknowable is a statement that claims absolute truth.

A person has to accept the truth as it is, not as he sees it or wishes it to be. You must meet the truth where it is and at that point you can either accept it or reject it, but you cannot change it.

Subjective relativism is closely related to subjective truth, I would argue they walk hand in hand. Once you dismiss the idea of absolute truth the next domino to fall is morality. Subjective relativism is the philosophy that states what is right and wrong for one person is up to that person alone to decide. Nobody else can tell that person what is right or wrong, nobody can impose his or her morality on another.

It is not hard to see how dangerous both of these ideas can be on their own, but these ideas combined…well, I’ll go to the obvious example most people use, Hitler’s actions could be justified using these philosophies.

Detractors would argue that this is an extreme example and that everybody knows what he did was wrong. But that would negate their arguments about subjective relativism and absolute truth because they would have just admitted there is a limit to both. They would now be imposing their truth and their morality on another and their whole argument breaks down.

I think the reason these two philosophies are so popular today is because deep down inside people know they are missing something and they are looking to find something that will fit into that void, but nothing seems to satisfy that need.

Blaise Pascal put it like this:

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”³

This is a longing that only God can fill, it has become known as the “God-shaped hole,” and it brings us back to The Truth, Jesus. For He is the only one who can give you rest.

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”⁴

“You will find rest for your souls.” Isn’t that what people are really looking for? But they are looking for it in empty philosophies which are not true and can never bring true happiness, just diversions.

Turn to God, knock on the door and ask, seek⁵ earnestly and you will find the Truth and the Truth will set you free.⁶

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1. John 18:37 ↩︎
2. Peter Kreeft in “Jesus Shock” ↩︎
3. Blaise Pascal in Pensees ↩︎
4. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) ↩︎
5. Paraphrase Matthew 7:7-8 ↩︎
6. John 8:32 ↩︎