The words absolute and relative are very important to each of us, for at various times in our lives, we must all deal with issues that involve both of them. Let us define the terms and then discuss them.
The word absolute can have many different shades of meaning in the English language, but for our purposes it means free from imperfection; that which is unquestionable and is not dependent on or affected by circumstances or anything outside of itself; something that is independent of human perception, valuation and cognition. It refers to the truth concerning everything.
On the other hand, the word relative signifies something that has a connection with or a necessary dependence upon another thing; existing in connection with something else, and thus not independent, because its nature, value and other qualities are determined by reference to something else.
In divine things, the words become very important, for there are things which are absolute and others which are relative. That which is absolute can emanate only from God, for only God is absolute. All that He is, says and ultimately does are free from the variability and error natural to human knowledge, perception and ways of thinking. That which is relative takes into consideration the limitations of the human mind and thus adjusts itself to admit subjective thinking and varying perceptions of the human mind.
God Is Absolute
In considering the subject in divine things, we must recognize first of all that only God is absolute, while man as a creature is essentially relative. Nothing is absolute in the creature; the only right thing for him is dependence and obedience. If man fails in these, he gets out of his relationship with God, who is absolute. Since man cannot be absolute, if he is without a relationship with God, he finds himself adrift in his thoughts and actions. God’s knowledge is absolute; man’s knowledge, of necessity, must be relative. God’s power is absolute, because of who He is; man’s power is relative and derived. God’s view of all things is absolute; man’s view is relative, first of all because he is a creature, but also because of culture, experience and differences in perception, as well as the effect of sin.
Man must recognize the need for absolutes, for having been created as a moral being, he must live and move in relationship with God and in obedience and dependence. This was all spoiled when sin entered this world, for it took man out of the path of obedience and dependence. Seduced by Satan, he disobeyed the one command God had given him and acted with an independent will. Since then his history as a natural man has been one of estrangement from God.
Absolutes Abandoned
The effect of all this has been that man has tried to abandon the absolutes that God has given and to make things relative to himself, for he is essentially a relative being. Refusing God and His absolutes has two effects. First, it denies man’s ultimate accountability to God, and second, it gives him an excuse to sin. (It is for this reason that Pilate raised the question, in John 18:3838Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. (John 18:38), “What is truth?” when the Lord Jesus told him, “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.”) However, he finds that he must come to terms with his moral nature and his conscience, which he acquired at the time of his fall. He finds that he cannot live or be governed without some kind of absolutes, yet he seeks, in his sinful state, to make things relative to his condition. The result has been the chaos in which we find the world today.
What are some examples of absolutes that man has made relative? Among the things that are an abomination to the Lord, God lists “a lying tongue” (Prov. 6:1717A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (Proverbs 6:17)). Yet man has created a so-called “white lie,” justifying the telling of such a lie because of extreme circumstances. God says, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen. 9:66Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:6)), while man presumes to make exceptions for crimes of passion and other types of murder. In many nations the death penalty for murder has been abolished. God’s Word says, “Thou shalt not steal” (Ex. 20:1515Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)), yet some, while hesitating to steal from an individual, would feel justified in stealing from a large corporation. God’s Word says, “Render to all their dues” (Rom. 13:77Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:7)), yet man excuses his non-payment of taxes by alleging that his taxes are too high and that the government often wastes the money.
Man an Absolute?
However, these failures involve man’s relationship to his fellow man. Far worse is the denial of God’s supreme power and authority and man’s daring to set himself up as being absolute. For many centuries man has tried to make himself the absolute, and the New Age movement of the past few years is the latest example of this.
Absolutes can be known only by revelation, and for this, man must recognize and honor the existence of God. More than this, man must recognize his accountability to God and also the fact that God has chosen to reveal Himself. At every point in the world’s history, “He left not Himself without witness” (Acts 14:1717Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:17)), for He wanted the relationship with His creature man. God has now given us a revelation of Himself in Christ and in His Word.
Even without acknowledging God, man as a moral being has a conscience, which gives him some sense of right and wrong. However, the conscience, like the eye, depends on light. The eye cannot function well in natural darkness; so the conscience does not function well in moral darkness. Man’s conscience functions well in the light of God’s absolutes, but it can be defiled by sin and moral darkness so that it fails to guide according to God’s absolutes.
The Absolutes of God
This brings us to the absolutes of God, of which there are really only two — light and love. All of the practical things God brings before us flow from these two entities. As another has aptly remarked, “God is light, and we make Him a judge by our sins. But God is also love, and none have made Him so.” While His absolutes cannot be compromised, the love of God found a way to reveal Himself in that character, while not compromising His holiness. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross has made it possible for God to say, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psa. 85:1010Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalm 85:10)). The light of God reveals our sin and makes God a judge, but what the light reveals, the blood covers, so that God can say, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)). Now, with a new life in Christ, God works in the heart of the believer to receive the light and to walk in it, for he has been brought into the light.
Relative
We have seen how the absolutes of God are most important, but what about that which is relative? Does that which is relative have a right place in man and, more importantly, in the believer? As we have seen earlier in this article, man as a creature must recognize that all that he is in his essential being is relative. He cannot be absolute, but rather he must recognize the One who is absolute. However, that which is relative still has a place.
First of all, man must recognize that, being a creature, he cannot talk in absolutes unless he has it as a revelation from God. Man’s reasoning powers are given of God and stand him in good stead in practical life. However, man is always a discoverer, never a creator. His reasoning may lead him to say what must be — a good thing in everyday life; however, in moral and spiritual matters, he can never say what is, except by divine revelation. Again quoting another, “Truth is the declaration of what is. ... It is not a conclusion of what must be [which is only a result in my mind], but it is the declaration of what is.” Thus, while there is nothing in divine revelation contrary to reason, there is much that is beyond reason. As a finite creature, man’s reasoning can go only so far; then he is shut up to revelation. For example, man cannot reason about what lies beyond death; he must have a revelation from God.
Second, when man deals with his fellow man, he will find that many things in this world, that are not of a moral or spiritual nature, fall into the realm of relativity. A man may consider himself rich if he is among those poorer than he, but then he will have to adjust his thinking if he finds himself among those with more than he. A man may seem clever if he is among inferiors but will realize his weakness if he comes up against those of superior intelligence. So it is with many things in our lives; one entity becomes relative to another.
Third, in the matter of the practical application of that which is absolute, some relativity may be possible, and God Himself allows for this. For example, King David’s sin with Bathsheba demanded the death penalty according to the law, yet the Lord could say to him, through the mouth of the prophet, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (2 Sam. 12:13). The law as given of God was absolute; it could not be altered without compromising God Himself. Yet that same God could show mercy to David under the circumstances. Likewise, God allowed man, in certain cases, the same relativity. Ruth was readily taken into the congregation of Israel and became the wife of Boaz, when the law stated clearly that a Moabite was not to come into the congregation of Israel, even after ten generations (Deut. 23:33An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: (Deuteronomy 23:3)). Yet we do not read of a single objection in Ruth’s case, although the matter was brought before the elders of the city. However, in such cases, there is one important point. God never allowed man to set aside the absolute, nor was man permitted to pretend that he himself was the Absolute. Occasional variation in application might be allowed, in fellowship with God and as a result of His grace. But that which was absolute must remain so.
Here is where man fails today, for in exalting himself, he seeks to throw off God’s authority and to act in his own supposed right. This God cannot condone, for man as a creature does not have this right, nor can he live and move without his Creator.
We can thank God that the day is coming when, in the words of the hymn:
All taint of sin shall be removed,
All evil done away:
And we shall dwell with God’s
Beloved
Through God’s eternal day.
When God shall be “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28), all that God is will permeate everything, everywhere, and all will be according to His mind. Our present responsibility is well stated in the words Peter gives us by inspiration: “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).
W. J. Prost