In today’s world, the idea of truth can feel a bit slippery. But according to Jesus, truth is something solid, something real. In John 8:32, He tells us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Truth isn’t just about personal opinions or perspectives—it’s about what lines up with reality. Think of it like this: Saying a cake is delicious is subjective; saying it has 250 calories per slice is objective. It’s a fact, no matter how we feel about it. While subjective truth is shaped by personal feelings and perspectives, objective truth remains constant, unaffected by individual beliefs.

For Christians, the Bible is the ultimate source of objective truth. It’s not just advice or suggestions—it’s God’s will, laid out for us to follow. In John 17:17, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” He was asking God to help us live by the truth. Just as we rely on oxygen for life, we need truth to navigate a world filled with lies and misinformation. We don’t have to stumble through life second-guessing everything. We can trust God’s Word to guide us.

There’s a lot of noise out there, though. Society has moved away from seeing truth as fixed and often treats it like something we can invent or decide on collectively. Take Harvard University as an example. Believe it or not, it is a school that started out with a mission to train Christian ministers. Their motto was “Christ and the Church,” alongside “truth.” However, as society moved away from religious foundations, the motto was reduced to simply “Veritas” (truth). This change illustrates a broader societal trend where truth is treated as subjective or as something decided collectively rather than grounded in the reality of God’s word. But the fact is, you can’t have real truth without starting with God. Unfortunately, Harvard today has strayed far from its original commitment to the Christian worldview.

As believers, we need to be on guard. The Bible tells us to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) because not everything we hear is true, even if it sounds convincing. We live in a world full of echo chambers where ideas get repeated so often we start to believe them just because they’re familiar. But we need to ask ourselves: Does this line up with what God says?

At the end of the day, Scripture is our compass. It’s the standard to measure everything else. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that “all Scripture is breathed out by God… for training in righteousness.” Our source for truth is not fleeting or fashionable, but grounded in the eternal Word of God. In a world of confusion, God’s truth stands firm. And in a world full of opinions, God’s Word is the steady source of truth we can rely on.

If you’re in the area, we invite you to come and worship with us at the Northside CHURCH of CHRIST in Temple, Texas. northsidetemple.org