Soup and Truth
Introduction
We are on the brink of autumn. Like it or not, soon the mornings will have a slight chill. The leaves will lose their vitality and die beautifully. Boy deer will take a special interest in girl deer. Perhaps more characteristic of the next season than any of these mentioned is the primacy of soup. Soup warms a home and a soul in ways that are gloriously indescribable. While I believe you should strive to make your own soup, the illustrations in this short blog require that we abandon our standards and travel to the grocery store.
The Soup Aisle
You’re in the soup aisle at your local grocery store. You’ve never had soup before (bear with me), and you determine that you need some help. There are three other customers in the same aisle, so you ask each one of them which is the best soup. The first recommends tomato soup without hesitation. The second urges you to try broccoli cheddar, and the third swears by lobster bisque. You are now more confused than at the start.
To go straight to my punchline, in this case, soup is an allegory for truth. Had those customers been a Muslim, a Buddhist, and an Atheist, you would have received three different answers to the question, “What is right and true?” The Muslim would appeal to whichever soup helps your good deeds outweigh your naughtiness. The Buddhist would urge you to pick the worst-tasting soup since, in his mind, we have to learn to reject pleasure. The Atheist would tell you to eat whatever makes you happy and fulfilled since we’re all just spacedust anyhow.
I hope you see the problem presented by this imaginary scene. The point is to demonstrate that, when it comes to morality, there are not and cannot exist multiple standards of absolute truth. Every differing conception of what is good will take its adherents in very different directions.
To go straight to my punchline, in this case, soup is an allegory for truth. Had those customers been a Muslim, a Buddhist, and an Atheist, you would have received three different answers to the question, “What is right and true?” The Muslim would appeal to whichever soup helps your good deeds outweigh your naughtiness. The Buddhist would urge you to pick the worst-tasting soup since, in his mind, we have to learn to reject pleasure. The Atheist would tell you to eat whatever makes you happy and fulfilled since we’re all just spacedust anyhow.
I hope you see the problem presented by this imaginary scene. The point is to demonstrate that, when it comes to morality, there are not and cannot exist multiple standards of absolute truth. Every differing conception of what is good will take its adherents in very different directions.
We All Get Trophies
Postmodern thought is the notion that everybody gets to be right. This is philosophy’s version of participation trophies. Somehow, in this fantasy, everybody is able to believe and live however they’d like, embracing their own convictions without stepping on the toes of others. This ideal is far from possible. Take, for instance, fundamentalist Muslims and LGBTQ activists fighting for rights in the same place. The two cannot exist in the same space at the same time since they are fundamentally opposed to each other. You can’t mix French onion soup with clam chowder.
The problem, of course, is that every thinking human being has standards of truth and morality, and they will inevitably live according to them. More than that, when these human beings organize and get together, they form things like societies, governments, and institutions, and they carry their standards into those larger spheres. Let me put it this way: the United States Senate has standards of truth. Wells Fargo has standards of truth. Your county sheriff has standards of truth. Any time there are people, there is a push to see moral ideals made the norm in a society. This is unavoidable since we are thinking, moral creatures.
The problem, of course, is that every thinking human being has standards of truth and morality, and they will inevitably live according to them. More than that, when these human beings organize and get together, they form things like societies, governments, and institutions, and they carry their standards into those larger spheres. Let me put it this way: the United States Senate has standards of truth. Wells Fargo has standards of truth. Your county sheriff has standards of truth. Any time there are people, there is a push to see moral ideals made the norm in a society. This is unavoidable since we are thinking, moral creatures.
Two Options
Let me wrap up this thought by going back to the soup aisle. Looking up and down the aisle, seeing every shelf riddled with multiple options, we exclaim, “There are so many! Which one is best?”
Let me simplify things a bit for us. All people have the Law of God written on their hearts (Rom. 2:15-16). This means that everybody on the planet (past, present, and future) does one of two things: they either call Jesus “Lord” and submit to him (Phil. 2:10), or they actively suppress God’s truth without any excuse and invite his judgment upon themselves (Rom. 1:18-23). There is no “in-between.” When it comes to truth and morality, all people either adopt God’s standards or they reject them. Once we see clearly, it turns out there are really only two options in that soup aisle.
The only standard of truth and righteousness is God’s revelation in his written word, the Bible (Ps. 119), and chiefly in his Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1). Christians do not need to guess when it comes to morality; indeed, we cannot guess, because God has graciously revealed his truth to us. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). When a question of right or wrong arises, the Christian asks, “What has God said?” We go straight for the only good and true soup.
Let me simplify things a bit for us. All people have the Law of God written on their hearts (Rom. 2:15-16). This means that everybody on the planet (past, present, and future) does one of two things: they either call Jesus “Lord” and submit to him (Phil. 2:10), or they actively suppress God’s truth without any excuse and invite his judgment upon themselves (Rom. 1:18-23). There is no “in-between.” When it comes to truth and morality, all people either adopt God’s standards or they reject them. Once we see clearly, it turns out there are really only two options in that soup aisle.
The only standard of truth and righteousness is God’s revelation in his written word, the Bible (Ps. 119), and chiefly in his Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1). Christians do not need to guess when it comes to morality; indeed, we cannot guess, because God has graciously revealed his truth to us. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). When a question of right or wrong arises, the Christian asks, “What has God said?” We go straight for the only good and true soup.
Why This Matters
The point of this thought exercise is not to help Christians utter “Amen” from their couches with no further action. The point is to help us embrace the filter God has given us for viewing the world, including the people and ideas in it. We must fight against the notion of “multiple truths” if we are going to live in this world in a meaningful way. As Christians, we have been given minds and hearts to embrace God’s truth (Rom. 12:2), and we are now obligated to think, live, decide, and speak according to what we know to be true. This means that everything (seriously, EVERYthing) must be viewed through our Christian lenses.
Any time there is new legislation in a state, or an author’s latest book goes to print, or your neighbor makes a snide comment at the coffee counter, there is some conception of truth and morality behind it. Nothing is neutral. As people who have been the recipients of God’s grace, we can apply the truth we have in several ways.
Any time there is new legislation in a state, or an author’s latest book goes to print, or your neighbor makes a snide comment at the coffee counter, there is some conception of truth and morality behind it. Nothing is neutral. As people who have been the recipients of God’s grace, we can apply the truth we have in several ways.
- We can understand the world around us as we watch individuals and institutions grasp at truth and morality in vain. We shouldn’t be shocked when people who reject God act like it.
- We can pray for them and witness to them in response, giving them the same glorious truth that set us free. We can share the soup!
- We can use the inadequate moral standards of those around us to teach our children and our fellow believers how to view the world as God sees it; a world populated by many who oppose him and need to submit to him.
- We are reminded of our burden to promote the fame of Jesus and are motivated to work for the increase of biblical influence in our time and place.
Conclusion
Stepping away from the allegory, I want to assure you that you can, in good conscience, enjoy many different kinds of soup. Use this autumn to do just that! When it comes to standards of truth and morality, however, the opposite is true. God has said that the only true standard is his standard, and it is his standard we must hold to and dine upon regularly. Let the sweet aroma drift out your kitchen window, into your neighborhood, and to the furthest reaches of the earth.