The Law of Liberty (27)

 …the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether… Psalm 19.9

 The latest philosophical fad that has won the hearts and minds of unbelieving speculators and ethicists is that there is no truth. No abiding truth, anyway. Instead, everyone needs to discover whatever “works” for him, to help him get what he wants out of life. Now, to be sure, you can’t just go bullying your way around. Other folks have desires and interests, too, and, somehow you’ve got to keep their concerns in mind, even as you pursue your own. Otherwise you might not be able to get what you want.

Truth is “discovered” at the point of whatever “works” to help you achieve your ends. The only valid and abiding principle, therefore, is that truth is what you discover to help you get what you want. This can be a troublesome concept, however, especially when power – of various kinds – gets thrown into the mix. For those who can muster the most power can usually get what they want without having to consider too much what other folks might want or need.

This is only the latest manifestation of The Lie, the belief that men know better than God how they ought to live. Relativism cannot ensure a just society; nor can it lead to reliable truths that hold for all people in all places and times. But the Law of God is true; its precepts, testimonies, statutes, and rules can be relied on to create order and good harmony. They must be rightly interpreted, of course, and in the light of God’s grace to us through Jesus Christ. But if we want to take our stand on unchanging and unfailing truth, then the Law of God sets us free from The Lie, and from the relativism of our age, and grounds us in the fruitful soil of divine revelation.

Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, and The Ground for Christian Ethics, by T. M.