Truly, Truly

Scripture writers didn’t have nice printers that produce printouts with italics or bold print, so they had to come up with other methods of emphasis. For instance, we read that God is “Holy, holy, holy” … twice (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). Biblical scholars suggest that’s like “holy, holier, holiest.” Repetition for emphasis. When Isaiah wrote, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You” (Isa 26:3), he actually used “shalom” twice—”peace, peace”—to emphasize the depth of that peace. Repetition for emphasis. When the four kings fought the five kings in Genesis (Gen 14:5-11), the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, it says, fell into some pits (Gen 14:10). The translation is hazy. Some say “slimepits” and some say “bitumen pits” and some say “tar pits” and one says “great pits.” What's wrong with these translators? Is it that hard? Actually, yes. The author used the word for “pit” (בְּאֵר-beer) twice. The idea was “These were some really pitty pits.” Repetition for emphasis. One other famous repetition was Jesus’s repeated “Truly, truly” (John 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11; 5:19, 24, 25; etc.) He says the phrase 25 times in John’s Gospel. Jesus was making the point that what He was speaking was absolutely true.

One of the defining characteristics of our age is the tendency to place the subject above the object. In other words, we increasingly view truth through the lens of the observer rather than through the thing being observed. That shift may seem subtle, but it has enormous consequences for how we think about reality, morality, and even God.

The distinction between objective and subjective truth can be understood by considering the relationship between the subject and the object. The subject is the person who perceives, thinks, feels, or believes. The object is the thing being considered. When discussing truth, the question becomes this: Does truth arise from the object itself, or does it arise from the subject's perception of the object?

Objective truth is truth that is determined by the object. It exists independent of what any particular subject thinks, feels, or wishes to be true. If a statement corresponds to reality, it is true whether anyone believes it or not. The earth either orbits the sun or it does not. Gravity either exists or it does not. These things are not made true by popular opinion, personal preference, or sincere conviction. The responsibility of the subject is not to create truth but to discover it and conform to it.

Subjective truth, by contrast, is dependent upon the subject. It concerns personal perspectives, experiences, preferences, and feelings. One person may enjoy chocolate ice cream more than vanilla while another prefers vanilla. Both statements can be true because they are descriptions of personal experience rather than descriptions of objective reality. The truth claim is rooted in the subject rather than the object.

Confusion arises when subjective categories are extended into areas where objective truth is required. Preferences, tastes, and personal experiences are properly subjective. Mathematics, history, science, and theology are not. If two people disagree about their favorite color, both can be right. If two people disagree about whether Jesus rose from the dead, both cannot be right. The resurrection is either an objective event that occurred in history or it is not. Its truthfulness is determined by the reality of the event itself, not by the opinions of those considering it.

The biblical worldview consistently treats truth as objective. Scripture presents truth as something external to us, not something generated by us. We are not the source of truth; we are accountable to it. Jesus did not say that He had discovered a truth that worked for Him. He declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Likewise, in His prayer to the Father, He said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Truth exists because God exists. It is grounded in His character and revealed through His Word.

Ultimately, the debate over objective and subjective truth is really a debate over whether the subject or the object has the final authority. Objective truth says that reality determines what is true and that our task is to align our beliefs with reality. Subjective truth says that the individual's perspective determines what is true. The former requires humility because it acknowledges that we may be wrong. The latter is appealing because it places the individual at the center. Yet if truth changes from one subject to another, truth ceases to have any meaningful authority. Real truth must be objective. It must stand outside of us, confront us, correct us, and remain true whether we accept it or not. From a biblical perspective, that is precisely the kind of truth God has revealed.