Truth in an Age of Relativism

Key Verse: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, ESV)

 

The Weight of “Your Truth”

We live in a world where one of the most celebrated phrases is: “live your truth.” It sounds harmless, even noble. Who could argue with letting someone express who they are or how they see the world? Yet beneath this well-polished slogan lies a dangerous lie: that truth is subjective, fluid, and ultimately defined by the individual.

But what happens when “my truth” collides with “your truth”? When personal truths contradict each other, who decides what is real? This is the fragile ground our culture now stands on, a ground built on shifting sand.

And in the middle of this confusion, Jesus’ words pierce through the fog:
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, ESV)

Truth Is Not an Idea; It Is a Person

Truth is not a concept we bend to fit our lives. Truth is a Person. Jesus Himself declared:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6, ESV)

When Pilate, cynical and weary, asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38, ESV), Truth itself stood before him, bound and bloodied. Pilate couldn’t see it because he was blinded by the politics of the moment. Isn’t that our world today? Truth stands before us in Christ, yet society chooses opinion polls, trending hashtags, and “personal truths” instead.

Relativism Breeds Confusion and Despair

When everything is “true,” nothing is true. When every opinion holds equal weight, no anchor can hold. This is why we see a rise in despair, anxiety, and hopelessness. If truth is just a matter of preference, then morality, justice, and even love become negotiable.

The prophet Isaiah warned of this confusion:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, ESV)

Isn’t that what we see? Evil called good. Good called evil. Children growing up unsure of what is real. Adults stumbling in darkness, clutching at philosophies that collapse under pressure.

But God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). He is the rock, the unchanging One, whose word endures forever.

The Word of God Anchors Us in Reality

When Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17, ESV), He was praying for us, for His disciples then and for His Church now. He was asking the Father to set us apart in truth, to protect us from the lies of the enemy.

Notice: He didn’t pray, “Sanctify them in their truth.” He prayed, “in the truth.” There is only one truth, and it is revealed in the Word of God.

That means:

• We don’t shape the Word to fit our feelings—the Word shapes our hearts.
• We don’t twist Scripture to match the culture—we let Scripture transform the culture.
• We don’t compromise truth to be accepted—we stand in truth to honor Christ.

Living Truth with Grace

Standing in truth doesn’t mean becoming arrogant or combative. It means holding fast to Christ while extending His grace to others.

Paul wrote:
“…speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)

Truth without love becomes cruelty. Love without truth becomes compromise. But truth in love—that is the heart of Christ. That is the call of His Church.

So how do we live this out?

• In our families: teaching our children that God’s Word, not culture, defines right and wrong.
• In our workplaces: refusing to compromise integrity, even if it costs us advancement.
• In our communities: being willing to stand for biblical truth with humility and courage, even when it makes us unpopular.

Anchored in Christ—Final Thoughts

Brothers and sisters, we are not adrift in this storm of relativism. We are anchored to the Rock that cannot move. Jesus prayed for us to be sanctified in the truth, and that prayer is still being answered today.

The question is, will we stand? When culture tells us, “live your truth,” will we answer, “No, I will live in His truth”? When the world shouts, “there is no absolute,” will we quietly but firmly declare, “Your word is truth”?

Let us be people of the Word. Let us be sanctified in truth. And let us point a confused world not to “our truth,” but to the Truth: Jesus Christ, who alone saves, redeems, and restores.

Closing Prayer

Father, we confess that we are often tempted to bend to the culture around us. Forgive us for when we have compromised truth for acceptance. Anchor us in Your Word, sanctify us in Your truth, and help us to walk in both grace and courage. May our lives point others not to ourselves, but to Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen.