We live in a world that keeps telling us: “Speak your truth” & "live your truth." It’s on TikTok captions, Instagram reels, and TED Talks. It sounds empowering, doesn’t it? Be bold. Be authentic. Don’t let anyone silence your truth.
But here’s the question I can’t shake: what happens when your truth collides with mine?
If “truth” is something we all get to define individually, then it’s not really truth at all—it’s just preference dressed up as authority. Scripture doesn’t give us that wiggle room. Truth isn’t flexible. Truth isn’t created inside me. Truth is revealed by God.
Let’s start there.
The Bible on Truth
Jesus said it as plainly as possible:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NASB)
Truth isn’t abstract. It isn’t relative. Truth is embodied in a Person—Jesus Christ.
The Bible doesn’t once invite us to “find our truth.” Instead, it tells us to submit to the truth that already exists.
- “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
- “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting.” (Psalm 119:160)
Truth is not subjective; it’s objective. God defines it, not us.
Why “Your Truth” Sounds Good (But Isn’t)
I get why people are drawn to the phrase. It feels safe. It gives you dignity. It gives you a sense of power in a world that often tries to take your voice away.
But if we zoom out, “your truth” is really the cultural child of postmodernism. In the 20th century, philosophers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida began dismantling the idea of objective truth, arguing that truth was tied to power structures. Fast forward to now, and that trickled down into slogans like “live your truth” or “speak your truth.”
At the sociological level, this shift makes sense. When institutions (governments, churches, schools) break trust, people stop looking outward for truth and start looking inward. We elevate personal experience above any outside authority.
But here’s the problem: if truth is self-defined, it can never correct me. It can never call me to repentance. It can never save me.
The Early Church and Truth
This isn’t a new battle.
The early church fathers fought hard against relativism, even if they didn’t call it that.
- Ignatius of Antioch (early 2nd century) warned the church against false teachers who distorted truth for their own gain. He wrote, “Do not be deceived by strange doctrines nor by antiquated fables, which are worthless.”
- Irenaeus, in his work Against Heresies (around 180 AD), argued that truth is consistent and rooted in apostolic teaching passed down from Christ and His disciples. He wasn’t interested in “my truth” or “your truth.” He was interested in the truth once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).
- Augustine later made the famous point: “If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”
The church fathers understood something we’re in danger of forgetting: if truth is flexible, then the gospel collapses.
The Physiology of “Your Truth”
Here’s where it gets fascinating. Even at the biological level, “your truth” doesn’t hold.
The human brain is a meaning-making machine. Neurologically, when we experience something, we don’t store it as raw fact—we store it as memory shaped by emotion, context, and bias. That’s why two siblings can grow up in the same house and remember the same event totally differently.
In psychology, this is called subjective perception. It means our personal experience is real but it isn’t the same thing as reality.
When culture says “speak your truth,” it’s really just saying: “Tell us your perspective.” But perspective and truth are not the same thing.
Truth must exist outside of me, or else I’m trapped in my own bias forever.
History’s Warning
Every time a society abandons objective truth, chaos follows.
- In the Book of Judges, Israel fell into moral and spiritual anarchy because “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Sound familiar?
- In the Roman Empire, truth became increasingly fluid. Paganism allowed for multiple “truths,” but the result wasn’t freedom—it was moral decay. Eventually, the empire collapsed under the weight of its own relativism and corruption.
- Even in modern history, ideologies like fascism and communism rose on the claim of being “truth,” but they were truth severed from God. And when truth is ripped away from God, it leads to oppression, not liberation.
Why This Matters for Us
This isn’t just theory. This is personal.
If I get to define “my truth,” then my anger is justified, my lust is excused, my bitterness is validated, my pride is celebrated. Nobody can challenge me—because I’m living my truth.
But the gospel doesn’t give me that option. The gospel says:
- “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
- “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
- “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
Truth isn’t about expressing myself—it’s about submitting myself to Christ.
Living Out The Truth
So what do we do with this?
- Check yourself against Scripture. When you hear “live your truth,” stop and ask: Does this align with God’s Word, or just my feelings?
- Engage culture with grace and clarity. Don’t mock people who say “your truth.” Instead, ask them: What do you mean by truth? Questions open doors that arguments can’t.
- Root your life in Jesus. Not just intellectually, but practically. Let His truth shape your identity, your relationships, your ethics, your purpose.
Jesus doesn’t just tell the truth. He is the truth. And if He is the truth, then freedom is found not in discovering “my truth,” but in surrendering to His.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)
Final Thoughts
The phrase “your truth” might sound harmless, even encouraging. But if we chase it far enough, it becomes a dead end.
There is no “your truth” and “my truth.” There is only the truth—and His name is Jesus.
The invitation of Christianity isn’t “find what works for you.” It’s “repent, believe, and follow Him.” That’s not popular. It’s not trendy. But it’s the only thing that leads to life.
So the next time you hear someone say, “I’m just living my truth,” remember: truth isn’t found inside of you—it’s found in the One who made you.
