Response to:
"That's true for you, but not for me."
Here are some other ways this challenge is expressed: "My truth tells me homosexuality is not right for me but a friend of mine says her truth tells her homosexuality is right for her." "Hindus believe their way is true and Buddhists believe their way is true. They are both right." "Truth is whatever is true and right for a particular person or group."
Response: No one really believes and acts out this view.
These examples are just different ways of arguing that truth is relative to a person's or culture's way of thinking. They maintain that there is no universal absolute truth that stands outside and above all people and cultures at all times. Therefore, we must accommodate everyone's views. More personally, we shouldn't impose our Biblical morality on them saying things like, "sex outside of marriage is wrong." This relativism sounds good initially. After all it would avoid a lot of conflicts, local and global but it has insurmountable problems.
The first problem with this is it is self-refuting. If a person says, "Truth is relative," they are implying that this is a truth which is absolutely true for all people at all times. They want you to agree with them and stop judging their behavior as wrong.
We might help them see the contradiction through a conversation like this:
Responder: "Would you say that there are basically two approaches to truth, one being that truth is absolute and applies to all people at all times and in the same way, and the other approach is that truth is relative to the individual, group or culture?"
Challenger: "Yes. That's right."
Responder: "Which view do you think people should follow, the 'truth is absolute view' or the 'truth is relative view'?"
Challenger: "The 'truth is relative view, of course.'"
Responder: "Let me make sure I understand what you are saying. You think that all people, everywhere and at all times should follow the 'truth is relative view' because that is the one true view. You are saying your relative view of truth is true for you and true for me and true for everyone else in the world? Is that right?"
Challenger: "Yes, that's right."
Responder: "Then wouldn't that make your view an absolute truth?"
Challenger: "Uhhhh."
Responder: "You are contradicting yourself by saying your relative view of truth is absolutely true for everyone. So you actually hold to the absolute view of truth but didn't realize it until now."
The second problem with this view is it is impossible to live out. In addition, there are actions they will condemn as being wrong. Would they choose to stand aside and let someone rape their wife or torture their baby saying, "Well, this person has a right to do this because they believe they are right?" Of course not! Finally, this all shows that they want an elite exception to their own rule. They expect and want everyone else to follow the rule but not be expected to follow it when it is not good for them! They, themselves, can't live it out. They want there to be an exception to good logic. They actually convince themselves that "Truth is relative" is not illogical.
Conclusion
The heart of the issue is a lot of people are afraid to follow Jesus because they think He will take away all of their "fun" and they'll have to look and act and talk like some Christian they've seen or known. But they don't want to interfere with your right to follow Jesus so they say, "Well, that's true for you but not for me." But Jesus never intended for us to all look and act and talk a certain way. That is cultural Christianity not true Christianity. Jesus doesn't care about all that as much as He cares about you as a unique person. He and His absolute truth will fulfill you like nothing else on earth can.
References
Copan, Paul. True for You, But Not For Me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless. Minneapolis: Bethany House. 1998. p. 24.
Copyright 2005. Gary C. Burger and New Media Ministries. This article may be reproduced and distributed freely as long as it is done so in its entirety. If quoted it must be properly cited as a reference.
