"What is Truth"? The famous words of Pontius Pilate as Jesus stood before him on trial. These same resounding words echo into today's culture. Many people today want to just live their life and don't want to ask questions like "What is Truth"? They think this is just a theoretical question that has no bearing on their life. However, this understanding of truth is incorrect. Truth affects every aspect of our lives, more than we realize, and if we are not living our lives based on what is real we are living a lie. In order to answer this we must define Truth. Truth is as J.P Moreland states what "corresponds to reality." Meaning it is what lines up with the way things really are. For example, if someone believed that if they stepped off a cliff they would walk on air, they would soon be hit with reality (truth) the moment they step off the cliff. It doesn't matter how earnestly you believe something, if it does not correspond with reality, it is not Truth. Now we are concerned here with Objective Truth. Meaning, truth that is truth even if we don't believe (like stepping off a cliff the truth of gravity will hit you). Objective Truth does not change depending on how you feel about it, your emotional state or even if you hate it. Truth will remain truth and is not affected by our opinion.
J. Warner Wallace gives the example of owning a car. The example goes like this: I own a Kia Sorento (a beautiful car). Now that is an Objective Truth, meaning it doesn't matter how you feel about it, the reality is I own a Kia Sorento. Now if I say that my Kia is the best car ever to be made, that is more of an opinion or Subjective Truth rather than Objective Truth.
What has happened today is that our culture has made people's opinions the definition of what is truth. "Your Truth is your truth, my truth is my truth". That however is an opinion (Subjective) like stating my Kia is the best car ever. If all truth is a matter of opinion then there is no place to ever state something is wrong. However, when we look at things like the Holocaust, murder, rape etc we know that they are wrong objectively (meaning not based on your opinion). If truth is opinion there is not truth for it is all up to how someone feels, but we know this doesn't line up with reality. Therefore, knowing Objective Truth and living our lives according to it is important.
Say for example you are on death row for a crime you are innocent of, how important is Objective Truth to you then? You don't care about someone's opinion you want what is truth to be shown, that you are innocent. Or say you boss calls you into his office and states that you stole thousands of dollars from the company (when you didn't), how important is Objective Truth to you then? The same question goes for who is God? This is not Subjective Truth but rather Objective Truth. Who or what God is, is not affected by your opinion. Therefore if Objective Truth is found outside of our opinion where do we find it? That is why it is important to hear the words of Jesus as He claims to be the Truth (objective). Jesus wasn't stating an opinion He was stating that He is Truth and we can know Truth by knowing Him. He states in the Gospel of John 8:32:
You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.
--Jesus
If what Jesus said and did was not just an opinion but Objectively True I need to line my life up with that. As a Christian I am called to seek Truth. Truth is not a matter of opinion. Who is God? Who is Jesus? These are all Objective Truth questions in which we should all be willing to engage. It is not "your truth is your truth" but rather let us seek what is Truth and live our lives based upon that. We should engage and wrestle with Truth for it is not just theoretical but effects every aspect of our lives here and in the afterlife. Therefore we must ask, are we living our lives based on what is Truth (that which lines up with reality) or are we living our lives based on how we feel. I believe many people state they want to know "Truth" but don't want to change their life if it does not line up with it. For example, the truth is pornography is destructive to one's mind, heart, relationships and overall life. Why is that? Because God created us in His Image and all people have value and dignity. People can know that it is destructive but would rather not change their life to line up with Truth because they like how they are living. Let us be willing to seek Truth and align our lives with it. Truth is not a matter of opinion but that which lines up with reality.