Part One: The Source of Truth
God’s truth comes from His unchanging character and stays the same, even as culture shifts.
A key question we all face is, “Who defines truth?”
Many people let personal feelings, popular opinion, politics, social media, or culture decide what is true. If enough people believe, celebrate, or repeat something, society often treats it as truth. But just because something is popular or widely accepted does not make it true. Culture can approve something and still be wrong. That’s why truth needs to come from a source greater than human opinion.
Truth does not start with us. It starts with God.
Culture Continually Changes
Culture is always changing. One generation might reject something, while the next celebrates it. What was once seen as wrong can become acceptable. Standards, definitions, and opinions keep shifting. This is why culture cannot define truth.
God does not change.
Malachi 3:6 says:
“Because I, the LORD, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”
Since God’s character never changes, His truth stays the same. His standards do not change just because society has new opinions. God does not change His Word to fit cultural trends. Instead, every culture, generation, and person is measured by what God has already said. That’s why His truth stays steady, even when culture shifts. Grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
Culture is temporary. God’s WorCulture is temporary, but God’s Word lasts forever. Culture is temporary; we build on shifting sand. When we build them on God’s Word, we stand on a foundation that will remain long after cultural opinions have changed. Because culture is temporary, God’s Word gives us what lasts.
Truth Is Rooted in God’s Character
Truth is not just a list of religious statements. It comes from who God is.
Numbers 23:19 says:
“God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?”
People can make mistakes. We might misunderstand, spread wrong information, or let our desires cloud our judgment. But God cannot lie. He is never confused or pressured. What God says is true because He is true. That’s why we can trust His truth, even when we cannot trust our own.
Jesus prayed in John 17:17:
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
Jesus did not say God’s Word just contains truth. He said God’s Word is truth. Scripture is not just another opinion. It is the true message from the God who made us and knows everything about life. That’s why we need to accept it as truth.
We do not judge God’s Word. Instead, God’s Word judges us.
Jesus Is the Truth
God did not just show truth through written commands. He fully revealed truth through His Son.
Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus did not say He had just one version of truth. He said He is the truth. So, truth cannot be separated from Christ. We cannot say we follow Jesus if we reject or change what He taught. If we follow Him, we must accept His truth.
Following Jesus means giving Him our opinions, preferences, desires, and assumptions. We do not ask Jesus to agree with what we already think. Instead, we let Him correct us.
Sometimes Christ’s truth comforts us. Sometimes it challenges us. Sometimes it encourages us, and sometimes it shows us what needs to change. But no matter what, it is always the truth.
Feelings Are Real, but They Are Not Always Reliable
Culture often tells us to follow our hearts, but Scripture gives us an important warning.
Jeremiah 17:9 says:
“The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?”
Our feelings are real and should not be ignored. But they are not meant to be our final authority. Feelings can show us what is happening inside, but they do not always show what is true. That’s why we need to test our feelings by God’s Word.
We might feel offended and still be wrong. We can feel justified even when we are doing wrong. Sometimes we think something is right just because we want it.
Proverbs 14:12 warns:
“There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”
Being sincere does not mean we are right. That’s why our feelings need to be guided by God’s Word. We should not just ask, “How do I feel about this?” We also need to ask, “What has God said about this?” This helps us stay in line with the truth.
Truth Is Received, Not Invented
People did not create truth, and we cannot change it. Our job is to find, accept, believe, and obey what God has shown us.
Second Timothy 3:16–17 says:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
God’s Word teaches us when we do not know, corrects us when we are wrong, and helps us live in a way that honors Him. In this way, Scripture leads us from not knowing to obeying.
If we only accept Scripture when it matches our views, we have not made it our authority. We have made ourselves the authority instead.
The Question We Must Answer
The struggle over truth is really about authority. Will God have the final say, or will we? Everyone must answer this question. That’s why believers respond with humility and trust.
Romans 3:4 gives the believer’s response:
“Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar.”
Even if everyone around us disagrees with God, He is still true. Even if biblical truth is unpopular, it is still true. Even when following God is hard, He is still worthy of our trust. So we can stand firm, even when everything else changes.
Culture will keep changing. Feelings and public opinion will keep shifting. But God’s character, His Word, and His truth will always remain. That’s why we need to anchor ourselves in what does not change.
We do not need a truth that changes as we do. We need the truth that changes us.
Personal Reflection
Ask yourself:
- Do I allow Scripture to correct my opinions?
- Have I accepted cultural beliefs that contradict God’s Word?
- Am I following Jesus, or am I asking Him to follow me?
- Is God’s Word truly the final authority in my life?
The safest foundation is not what is popular now, but what God has declared forever.
When culture changes, truth stays the same. The safest thing we can do is anchor our lives in God’s unchanging truth, because it is the truth that changes us.
