Schaeffer's True Truth: Objective vs Subjective

When Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:37–38), the exchange framed a foundational question: Jesus claimed to bear witness to truth, and “everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” ([04:14] to [06:23]). That moment invites a clear distinction between truth as correspondence to reality and truth as personal opinion.

Truth is the way things are — what corresponds to reality. This is the philosophical definition: truth describes objective reality rather than merely reflecting individual preference or feeling ([06:58]). From this perspective two categories emerge: subjective truth (personal tastes, emotions, or opinions) and objective truth (claims that correspond to facts or reality).

Contemporary culture often treats subjective truth as if it were equivalent to all truth, allowing “truth” to be claimed on the basis of personal preference alone. This shift effectively weaponizes subjectivity, enabling assertions such as “truth fits me” in areas that concern objective moral and factual claims — for example, debates over abortion, sexual ethics, and gender identity ([07:34] to [08:11]). When every claim is reduced to preference, important distinctions between how things feel and how things actually are are lost.

Francis Schaeffer identified this cultural trajectory and urged a corrective: Christians should speak of “true truth” to mark a clear category of truth that does not depend on personal preference or opinion ([09:06] to [09:36]). “True truth” names the objective realities that remain true regardless of individual belief or cultural trend. That distinction is not an abstract linguistic exercise; it is a practical tool for maintaining coherence in theology, ethics, and reasoning.

The two categories can be stated succinctly: there is subjective truth — the realm of taste, preference, and private feeling — and there is true truth — objective reality that does not depend on anybody’s opinion ([09:36] to [09:54]). Examples of true truth include empirical and logical facts such as gravity and mathematics, and theological claims about God’s design and will, including the identity and work of Jesus Christ ([09:54] to [10:28]).

Jesus is presented in Scripture as the personal embodiment of truth: the life who makes truth known and accessible to humanity ([10:43] to [10:58]). The declaration “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) situates truth not merely as an abstract correspondence but as a relational, incarnate reality grounded in the person of Christ ([13:02] to [13:16]).

Affirming true truth matters because beliefs and actions hinge on whether claims correspond to reality or merely reflect preference. Asserting objective truth provides the necessary foundation for moral reasoning, coherent theology, and honest engagement with cultural challenges ([09:54] to [10:28]).

This article was written by an AI tool for churches.