Truth is defined as a statement that agrees with reality.
You are reading this article. That statement is true because it agrees with reality. If it doesn’t agree with your reality, then it isn’t true. Connecting truth to reality makes identifying truth, and agreeing on it, easy, right? Well, maybe not. Good luck with getting people to agree on reality.
Is someone reading this article to you? If that’s your reality, then you’re not reading; you are listening. Which one is it? The truth will be the answer that agrees with your reality. Since we all experience different realities, some truth is relative and subjective — and that can make truth more difficult to identify.
With that being understood, there is truth that is true for everyone regardless of their individual realities. It is universal truth. Universal truth is true at all times and in all places. It is absolute, unchanging, and applicable to everyone everywhere.
In science, a universal truth is called a law. A law is universally observable and constant. The statement of a law does not concern itself with how something came to be or why it exists; it simply makes observations and then concisely states what is universally true.
The law of gravity doesn’t explain the how or why of attraction; it simply states what is observed universally throughout the universe: there is a force of attraction between objects with mass. On Earth, the law of gravity is often summed up this way: what goes up must come down.
The law of entropy states that systems tend toward disorder. We know this law is true because it is universally observable and constant. For example, my closet needs to be organized again — and so does yours. How do I know that’s true without seeing your closet? The answer is the law of entropy. Your closet, over time, will always get more disorganized. Even if you close and lock the door, over time, the items in it, and even the structure of the closet itself, will become more disorderly. It may take a hundred years, or even several thousand years, but sooner or later, the items in the closet, the closet itself, and even the house the closet is in will break down into the basic elements of the Earth. We know this is true because of the law of entropy.
The effort of organization is required to overcome the law of entropy. Any creature that exerts effort to organize something is working against the law of entropy. When that creature stops exerting organizational effort, the law of entropy takes over. When a robin abandons a nest, the nest begins to deteriorate. When a gardener abandons a beautifully ordered garden, the garden will immediately begin reverting to a disordered, natural state. Without regular maintenance and protection from rust and corrosion, a car will deteriorate until every element used in making the car has returned to its natural disordered state. There’s no getting around the law of entropy. Everything in the universe is slowly breaking down into the ninety-four naturally occurring elements on the periodic table.
The law of entropy is the reason why Jesus warned us about storing up treasures on Earth (See Matthew 6:19-24). The more you own, the more time, money, effort, and sweat you will need to invest in organizing, maintaining, and protecting it. The law of entropy is a cruel master.
In that same passage, Jesus declares this amazing truth: the law of entropy does not exist in heaven! “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20). In Matthew 16:26, he also said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” The whole world is in bondage to the law of entropy. The soul and the kingdom of heaven are not. Why would any man exchange his soul and the freedom of eternity for the bondage of this temporary and rotting world?
Universal laws can be trusted because they are reliable. If you trust a law and cooperate with it, you will reap blessings. If you deny a truth and defy its law, you will suffer consequences. We know that defying the law of gravity is dangerous. That’s why skydivers wear parachutes, mountain climbers use ropes, and tree stand hunters wear safety harnesses.
The law of physics tells us that two objects cannot occupy the same space. If you deny or defy that law, you will experience pain. Hikers wear protective boots because toes and rocks cannot occupy the same space. If your toes attempt to defy the law of physics, the rocks will always win.
The more mankind learns about and cooperates with the universal laws of science, the more freedom mankind enjoys. Defying the law of gravity is dangerous, but through observation and experimentation, we can learn about gravity and discover ways to harness its force — and even overcome it. Through the marvel of flight, mankind has gained the ability to overcome gravity and even escape its earthly force. Now that’s a high level of freedom!
There is a direction called true north. The Earth spins on an axis that runs north and south through its center. That axis establishes the direction we call true north. Where that line meets the Earth’s surface is the geographic north pole. It is the location where every line of longitude on a globe converges. Maps and globes are oriented to true north. It doesn’t matter where you live on Earth, true north is always true north. It is a universal truth. Knowing the direction of true north allows us to map the Earth and to freely explore its marvelous wonders.
The point is this: the more we know about universal truth, and the more we yield to and cooperate with it, the more knowledge we gain and the more freedom we experience. Denying and defying universal truth always leads to danger, pain, and bondage.
Jesus identified the connection between truth and freedom. He declared in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In our next article, we’ll talk about universal spiritual truth.
