“Truth is relative.” In our world today, many people hold tightly to this notion that all of us have our own truth. We’re allowed to believe what we want and declare it as our truth. While that certainly sounds nice enough, it’s not a very practical way of looking at things. For instance, what happens when your truth doesn’t line up with the truth of someone else involved in the same situation? Even more importantly, what happens when your truth contradicts God’s Word?
Ultimately, there is a truth in every situation. While we may all have different versions of what we believe and what we would like to be true, there is a single truth. In every case, it is important that we embrace God’s Word as our ultimate source of truth. Fortunately, God’s Word provides powerful truth that we can rely on in every area of our lives.
God’s Truth Points Us to Salvation
Romans 3:23 (TPT)
For we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment and power of sin.
When you were born, you had an inherently sinful nature. No, that doesn’t mean that you were going to be separated from God as a child, but it does mean that no one had to teach you to do wrong. Did you ever do something you knew was wrong when you were a toddler? Perhaps you were doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing and you broke something. Did anyone have to teach you to try to lie your way out of trouble? No. Instead, we are all born with a sinful nature that teaches us to protect ourselves at all costs.
As we grow up and get older, the behaviors associated with that natural sinful nature can become even more dangerous. The truth of God’s Word is obvious: our sin puts us in a position to spend eternity separated from God. The truth is, all of us are naturally sinners who are in desperate need of a Savior.
If the truth laid out in Romans 3:23 stopped at the fact that we have all sinned, we would be a helpless, hopeless group of people. However, Paul didn’t stop after telling the Roman church that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. He went on with the truth that God has offered His righteousness to all of us through the Anointed One, Jesus Christ.
God’s Truth Says Sin Has Consequences
Romans 6:23 (TPT)
For sin’s meager wages is death, but God’s lavish gift is life eternal, found in your union with our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.
If we quickly revert to the reference we made about doing something wrong as a child, you may remember the consequences associated with your action. Perhaps your parents had told you that if you broke your curfew, you wouldn’t be allowed to drive for a certain period of time. There were consequences associated with violating one of the rules.
In the same vein, there are consequences for our sins. That’s certainly not a popular concept in a world that tells us to embrace whatever makes us feel good, but it is reality. When we act in disobedience to God’s Word, we open ourselves up to the consequences of our sinful behaviors. In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul said that the wages that sin earns is death. Literally translated, Paul said that sin puts us in a place of eternal separation from God.
Once again, if the verse ended after Paul’s declaration that “sin’s meager wages is death,” it would be a very bleak outlook for all of us! When you compare this verse to the first verse we looked at that says we’ve all sinned, this means that we’re all in a position to experience eternal separation from God.
In Romans 6:23, Paul uses the contrast between wages and gifts. If you have a job, you understand the concept of wages. No matter how much you love your job, you probably wouldn’t volunteer to go to it every day if you didn’t get paid. Conversely, you also understand gifts. Birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions often come with gifts. You didn’t do anything to earn them, but someone gives you a gift because they love and care for you.
The truth of God’s Word says that we’ve earned separation from God but His gift outweighs our wages.
God’s Truth Says We Can All Be Saved
Romans 10:8-10 (ESV)
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim)’ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
That gift of God that is made available in Romans 6:23 is made available to every single human being who has ever or will ever live in Romans 10:8-10. The truth of God’s Word promises us that salvation is not for the select few. God’s grace is not designated for the people who can live up to some standard before they can ask for it. Instead, God’s salvation is available to all humanity. John 3:16, the most quoted Bible verse ever teaches us that God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son so that whosoever would believe in Him could be saved.
Do you know who “whosoever” is? It’s you, it’s me and it’s everyone around us. Those people who we are tempted to give up on, wash our hands of and walk away from are all potential whosoevers. The most beautiful part about the truth of God’s salvation is that it is close to everyone. In Romans 10:8, Paul says that the word is near us. How is the word near the unbeliever? Because God’s Word is in you!
If we’re being honest, most of us probably have some things in our past that we would like to forget. Additionally, we’ve got some memories that we hope no one else remembers. However, God doesn’t offer His salvation based on the premise of the good or bad we’ve done in the past. Instead, His salvation is available to anyone who would believe and confess.
Are you ready for a powerful truth? There is nothing you can possibly do to make God love you more than He does right now. In this moment, while you’re reading this, God loves you as much as any one entity can love another. You can’t do anything to make Him love you more, and you can’t do anything to make Him love you less. His love is steadfast, consistent and unconditional.
Because of that undying, unconditional love, His salvation is available to everyone. Regardless of your past or present, God’s plan for your future involves an eternal home with Him. The truth of God’s salvation is that it is available to everyone, regardless of what society says about their worthiness.
The very premise of these three truths from the Book of Romans contradict what society would have us to believe. However, God’s truth supersedes the truth of modern culture. In a world that teaches us to seek our own pleasures, to ignore consequences and that love is conditional, God’s truth indicates the exact opposite of those statements is true.
Truth is not relative. In fact, Jesus referred to Himself as the Truth in John 14:6. In a time where millions of people are seeking truth, let us rest in the fact that the truth is found in Jesus Christ and His Word.
A Closing Prayer:
God, thank You for truth. The Truth of Your Word ensures that I have a firm foundation to view every aspect of my life from. Thank You for providing me with undeniable truths that can give me the strength to face anything that comes my way. I know that I am Yours and You are mine. Thank You for letting me know that and for the fact that nothing can shake that truth. In Christ’s name, Amen!