Absolute Truth vs. Personal Opinion

BibleI felt overwhelmed and called upon a fellow Christian for prayer. She prayed, “Lord, give Lillie discernment to know what You are calling her to do right now—this minute, this hour, this day.” I fell asleep praying this prayer, and I woke with this post in my mind.

The United States was founded on the principle that absolute truth exists. The Declaration of Independence says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” Truths, not opinions.

Yet the Constitution also gives us freedom of religion and freedom of speech,which means we can choose to believe and express personal opinion that not only isn’t absolute truth, but may even be the opposite of absolute truth.

Most people believe as an absolute truth that murder is wrong. A man who kills a store clerk in a robbery, a husband who beats his wife to death because she smiled at another man, a woman who murders the mother of her daughter’s cheerleading competitor—these are all considered murderers who have committed crimes—and sins.

However, most people also believe that not all killing is murder. Soldiers can kill enemies fighting against them on the battlefield. Individuals being attacked by assailants with guns or knives are justified in killing the attackers if that is the only way to protect themselves and others.

Then there are the examples that aren’t quite so universally accepted. I have consistently called abortion murder, but there are many in this country and around the world who call it simply a woman’s choice.

Scripture clearly tells us God creates and knows each individual from the moment of conception. The Bible also tells us what God expects of us.

  • So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ~ Genesis 1:27
  • Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. ~ Isaiah 49:1b
  • Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. ~ Jeremiah 1:5a
  • Your hands have made and fashioned me. ~ Psalm 119:73a
  • You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be. ~ Psalm 139:13-16
  • You shall not murder. ~ Exodus 20:13
  • For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11
  • I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. ~ Deuteronomy 30:19b-20

At its core, the question of abortion is this: Do we  believe the absolute truth—the Word of Almighty God, or do we believe the opposite of truth?

Do we believe that the All-Powerful, Omniscient, Omnipresent Creator and Ruler of the Universe knows best or do we believe that we, in our human frailty and sinfulness, know best?

This question applies to all areas of our lives. We are called to make the Lord the center of our lives and to do His will as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

When I felt overwhelmed, I didn’t know what to do next. Too many demands pulled in too many directions. I had to call on God to show me the way. The result is this post—something not even on my long to-do list!

“Choose this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~ Joshua 24:15

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Lord, give me discernment to know what You are calling me to do now right now—this minute, this hour, this day. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Robert Brook

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