History has shown what can happen when people choose to follow their own moral compass instead of adhering to God’s standard. This was true in Nazi Germany when the authorities decided to ignore Christ-centred principles for human ideas, which led to the devastation and destruction of millions.
This phrase has become popular over the past few years, and when I initially heard this phrase, I was confused by it. After all, the truth is an objective standard and not something that changes based on your feelings, thoughts, or perspective. For example, if the sky is blue, it is not blue because you feel it is or you want it to be; it simply is blue.
Therefore, “your truth” is an oxymoron because the objectivity of the truth is not something that you can possess and personalize.
However, upon further reflection, it dawned on me that the term can be viewed as a flawed way of expressing another phrase: “Moral compass”. The term Moral compass is defined by dictionary.com as ‘an internalized set of values and objectives that guide a person concerning ethical behaviour and decision-making.‘ As I thought about this phrase, what struck me most was that it was internal and unique to each individual. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that your moral compass may be different from mine and so on.
This begs the question, how can an individual or a society function optimally if everyone has a different moral compass and does things differently? The answer is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.
This means that God’s standard should be the true north of our moral compasses. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. History has shown what can happen when people choose to follow their own moral compass instead of adhering to God’s standard. This was true in Nazi Germany when the authorities decided to ignore Christ-centred principles for human ideas, which led to the devastation and destruction of millions.
This was also true in biblical times when the Israelites repeatedly chose to ignore God’s standard for their own desires. They fell into the hands of their enemies. It remains true today, as many of us can attest to the consequences of our actions that have deviated from God’s standard.
In society today, many organizations, including the media, the government, and popular opinion, are in competition for our allegiance to make them our true north. This forces Christians to choose between God and society, sometimes an easy choice and many times an unpopular one. The truth of the matter is that most of these bodies generally push God aside in an attempt to glorify themselves and ‘their truths.’
Firstly, looking at the media, although it is supposed to be based on truth, is not always. Therefore, it is easy to see why the media cannot be the true north, because as the famous saying goes, “you can’t trust everything you read”. What about the government? Should they be our true north, after all, the government’s job is to protect the people. If so, they should have the people’s best interest; however, in some cases, this is debatable.
The truth is that all human institutions are flawed, and as such, cannot be the true, unchanging north of our moral compasses. With these institutions vying for our allegiance and attention, it is incumbent upon us to decide to follow God’s standard. God is the only one who doesn’t change and He is the only one who can be the true north of our moral compasses.
Malachi 3:6 (KJV)
“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”.
