58% of adults agreed: “There can be multiple, conflicting moral truth views in any given situation without anyone being wrong.”
Truth comes from God.
John 14:5-6
John 15:26; 16:13
Truth is not something the apostles were making up.
John 17:17-19
Colossians 1:1-6
If you want absolute truth, go to God’s word!
Truth is an objective reality that is external to human emotions, religious trends, social fads, and political movements.
Genesis 37:31-34 – Sincerity does not equal truth.
Genesis 39:7-10 – Joseph did the right thing because he recognized objective external truth.
I Corinthians 13:4-6 – Love rejoices with the truth.
33% of adults agreed: “Truth is a social creation; it is not an absolute, consistent reality unaffected by cultural differences.”
44% of adults agreed: “Different religions/philosophies having conflicting ideas about moral truth proves there are no moral absolutes.”
45% of adults agreed: “Perceptions of moral truth change over time and across cultures, proving there is no absolute moral truth.”
Dr. David Zuccolotto: “Find your truth is no longer about honesty – it’s about authority. It doesn’t just encourage self-expression; it commands you to build a worldview from the inside out, as if your private sense of self could bear the weight of defining reality.”
Brett McCracken: “the philosophy of ‘your truth’ destroys families when a dad suddenly decides ‘his truth’ is calling him to a new lover, a new family, or maybe even a new gender. It’s a philosophy that can destroy entire societies, because invariably one person’s truth will go to battle with another person’s truth, and, devoid of reason, only power decides the victor.”
Philemon 1:8-9 – Paul could have ordered Philemon (he had authority as an apostle) but instead appealed to him in love.
See II Corinthians 8:8
See also Philemon 1:14
What precisely was Paul asking Philemon to do here? Possibly, he was asking Onesimus to be allowed to stay and minister to Paul. Or he may be asking Philemon to simply receive Onesimus (Philemon 1:17).
Philemon 1:10-11 – The name “Onesimus” means “useful.” This is apparently a play on words. Paul seems to indicate here that he converted Onesimus while he was in prison.
See Colossians 4:7-9.
Philemon 1:14 – Paul did not want to be presumptuous with his handling of Onesimus. He wanted to operate out of love rather than authority.
Philemon 1:15-16 – Despite the previous relationship between Philemon and Onesimus, Paul is reminding them that they are now brothers in Christ.
Philemon 1:17-19 – The literary device in verse 19 is called a paralipsis, in which something is mentioned by saying you are not mentioning it. See other uses of this device in I Thessalonians 4:9; 5:1.
The meaning of verse 19 is not entirely clear. Paul could mean that he converted Philemon.
Philemon 1:21 – Paul continues to appeal out of love.
Philemon 1:22-25 – Paul was hoping to be released from prison. Colossians was written after Philemon and Paul was still in prison at that time. Paul was thriving and being productive, even in prison.
Jude – quick overview
Observations
Error is a serious problem, and not unique to Jude.
Compare II Peter 2. Some of the same examples as Jude are used.
The Holy Spirit inspires Jude to use a lot of triads and triplets.
Jude 1:1, 2, 5-7, 8, 11, 19, 22-23
There are several things mentioned here that are not mentioned elsewhere (at least, not in any great detail).
Don’t run wild with curiosity and speculation. John 21:20-23; Deuteronomy 29:29
