Part 3 in the “What Is Truth?” Series
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32 (TLV)
Introduction: Truth on Trial
We live in a time when “speaking your truth” is celebrated, while standing for the truth is condemned. Feelings have been exalted as facts, and self-expression is elevated above evidence. But what happens when someone else’s “truth” clashes with your own reality? What happens when so-called truths threaten justice, dignity, or even life itself?
Imagine this: You are on trial for a crime you did not commit. Would you want the witnesses, the jury, and the judge to rely on their personal feelings, subjective impressions, and emotional experiences—or would you want the court to deal in facts, evidence, and objective reality?
The answer is clear.
Despite society’s obsession with self-defined narratives, no human being can live consistently or coherently without absolute truth. When truth becomes subjective, justice collapses. When truth is redefined, morality is deconstructed. When truth is ignored, God is replaced with self.
1. What Is “Your Truth”?
The popular phrase “Speak your truth” is rooted in the postmodern view that truth is individually constructed. It stems from the belief that lived experience and emotion are the ultimate authorities, even over objective reality.
While it’s true that personal experiences and traumas matter, truth is not created by experience—it is revealed through reality. To confuse perception with reality is a psychological error, a moral risk, and a spiritual danger.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” — Proverbs 14:12 (TLV)
Theologically, truth is not found in the mirror—it is found in the face of God (2 Corinthians 4:6). Biblically speaking, truth is not subjective—it is divine, unchanging, and authoritative.
2. Why Absolute Truth Still Matters
Absolute truth is not a construct—it is a constant. It exists independent of our opinions or feelings. Whether in science, medicine, law, or ethics, absolute truths are necessary for society to function:
- In Medicine: Your diagnosis must reflect the actual condition of your body, not the doctor’s personal opinion.
- In Law: Justice is based on factual evidence, not on emotional impressions or biases.
- In Mathematics: Two plus two equals four—not because it feels right, but because it is right.
If we cannot operate without truth in medicine, law, or arithmetic, why do we assume we can live without it in morality, theology, or identity?
“For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King—He will save us!” — Isaiah 33:22 (TLV)
3. The Consequences of “Speaking Your Truth”
When “your truth” becomes a substitute for the truth, the results are not empowering—they are devastating.
A. Psychological Instability
Modern psychology acknowledges that while subjective perception is important, living in denial of reality leads to cognitive dissonance, anxiety, and moral confusion. For instance:
- A person may feel worthless, but the truth is that they are inherently valuable.
- A person may feel they are in the wrong body, but biological reality remains unchanged.
Truth must correct and ground our perception—or else perception will distort truth and lead to mental and emotional chaos.
B. Social Injustice
When “your truth” becomes the standard, justice becomes a moving target. Truth must be impartial, or else we get tyranny masked as freedom.
As Messianic believers, we affirm that Torah is the expression of God’s righteous standard, not man’s subjective mood:
“You must not pervert justice—you are not to show partiality or take a bribe… Justice, only justice, you must pursue.” — Deuteronomy 16:19–20 (TLV)
Truth must govern not only what we feel—but what we do.
4. Yeshua and the Death of Truth
Pontius Pilate’s haunting question to Yeshua—“What is truth?” (John 18:38)—was not philosophical; it was dismissive. It was the voice of power devoid of principle, politics without morality, and compromise cloaked as neutrality.
Yeshua stood as the embodiment of absolute truth, but the world put Him to death. Why? Because truth exposes darkness, and darkness hates the light (John 3:19–21).
Even today, the world may tolerate religion, spirituality, and moral language—but it crucifies absolute truth. And yet, ironically, we still run back to truth when the lies fall apart.
As Ravi Zacharias once said:
“Truth is what is most desired but least appreciated.”
And Winston Churchill observed:
“The most valuable thing in the world is the truth—so valuable that it is often protected by a bodyguard of lies.”
Truth is often resisted until it is needed.
5. The Messianic Response: Speak The Truth in Love
As followers of Yeshua the Messiah, we are not called to speak our truth. We are called to speak His truth—with boldness and love.
“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all ways into Messiah.” — Ephesians 4:15 (TLV)
We don’t have the authority to redefine truth; we have the responsibility to submit to it, proclaim it, and live by it, even when it is uncomfortable. This means rejecting cultural lies, even at personal cost, and standing for the gospel of truth and grace.
Conclusion: The Verdict Is In
Truth is not a personal preference. It is not self-authored or emotionally defined. It is not a tool to be used when convenient and discarded when uncomfortable. Truth is a person—and His name is Yeshua.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” — John 14:6 (TLV)
The next time someone urges you to “speak your truth,” ask this question: Is it true for everyone—or just for you?Because in the end, it is not your truth that will save you—but God’s truth, revealed in the Messiah, that sets you free.
Suggested Reading (Turabian Style)
- Zacharias, Ravi. Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Countercultural Claims of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017.
- Keller, Timothy. Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical. New York: Penguin Books, 2016.
- Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. New York: HarperOne, 2001.
- Trueman, Carl R. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.