Is there such a thing as absolute truth? Is truth whatever you believe?
First, it is a fundamental and elementary rule of logic that if you have two contradictory statements, they cannot be equally true. “I can be as good as I possibly can and that will get me to heaven” cannot be true at the same time that “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It may be that BOTH statements are false, but they cannot both be true and valid.
Second, people who argue that there are no absolutes in values or truths seem to be confusing opinions with demonstrable truth. While it is true that everyone is entitled to an opinion, opinions cannot be used as a proper foundation for argument. When we are discussing spiritual truths or “transcendentals”, we are not discussing mere opinon like “I think ice cream is delicious.” To equate the statement “there is a God” with the statement “I think ice cream is delicious” in importance or relevance is the height of idiocy. The appropriate Scripture for a person with that kind of thought pattern is found in Proverbs:
Third, saying that all values are equally true and valid according to the perspective of the subject leads to incredible evils. This view would argue that we had no more business fighting the Nazias for killing 6,000,000 Jews than we should have hated them for liking toast rather than crumpets. A person who argues that any view is all right will quit arguing that point as soon as you punch him in the nose. You may argue that in your view (as the aggressor) that it felt good and did no harm to society as a whole, therefore you should be allowed your simple pleasures. However he will likely quickly respond with a call for justice and possibly even retribution, claiming “You have no right to punch my nose!” But if all truths are equally valid, then his argument is worthless as far as you are concerned. Feel free to continue tweaking his broken nose!
Therefore, there is an absolute in truth, though not necessarily in knowledge. There is an absolutely real universe out there, but no scientist would claim that he or she knows and understands it all. Similarly, there is an absolutely real and true moral law, a spiritual truth. But no theologian worth his or her salt would claim to have a monopoly on truth.
It is a mark of a small mind to say that there is no real truth or moral absolute. That’s a cop out. It is an intellectual excuse for moral mediocrity. However, it is equally small to say that I have all the answers. I may be closer to the truth than you or someone else, but I am still probably wrong to a certain extent for the simple fact that I am human. I am intellectually and experientially limited.