Live the Truth

theSHIFT is in the middle of a series about man's search for TRUTH. We've spent the last few weeks dispelling myths about truth and discovering how we can search for it more effectively.

Today I read a quote from Mark Batterson's book Primal, that made made me think about how we actually define "truth." He says, "the truth must be reincarnated in every culture in every generation." Now, we just talked about how the truth cannot be relative this past week. So how can we find truth in this statement if truth is indeed absolute?

Here's an analogy. Think about the "truth" about dating. Throughout most of human history, arranged marriages were the norm, and it wasn't until the 1800's that the concept of two people going on dates with each other became popular. Today, if you asked 10 people what dating means, you would get 10 different answers. Why? It would depend on what country they are from, what part of the country, what ethnicity they are, what their socioeconomic background is, etc, etc. The truth about dating requires CONTEXT.

In the same way, our search for spiritual, moral, and intellectual truth requires CONTEXT. Does the truth change? NO! Is it based on my happiness, my sincerity, my feelings? NO! Does it look different in different cultures, different generations, different CONTEXT? Definitely!

When we read the Bible, I think it's important to recognize the CONTEXT in which it was written. Who wrote it? What audience was it written to? What time period was it written in? Why was it written? All of these are very important questions as we seek for truth in God's Word.

In the same way, let us search for truth within the context of our lives so that we may LIVE THE TRUTH and not just know about it.