Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
In John chapter 18, things are beginning to get intense. Jesus is betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, and questioned before Pilate. With all that is going on, it is easy to miss smaller details. But as I was studying this chapter this time, something jumped out at me that never really had before:
Jesus makes the statement that he came into the world to testify to the truth, and Pilate responds with a question: “What is truth?” Wow! Great question, Pilate!
Truth is defined as “the property of being in accord with fact or reality: actuality.” Sounds like a pretty solid statement. And there are definitely some things that we would consider true without question. For example, let’s say I’m holding a rock. If it looks and feels like a rock, and I’ve thoroughly inspected it and found that it has all the known qualities of a rock, then I can safely assume that it is truly a rock.
But isn’t truth in many cases actually quite subjective? Especially in the world today, where people are often encouraged to “find their own truth.” This is seen especially in regards to moral issues. What one person considers to be morally upright may be considered an abomination to another. Our society tells us that what looks good and feels good to us, or what we ourselves feel to be morally “right” is what is considered to be truth.
To help us understand truth, it is important to consider what is untruth, or in other words, what is a lie. The opposite of truth is falsehood or deception. As when Eve was deceived by Satan in the garden:
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” -Genesis 3
Satan uses the same tactics today as he did long ago. Eve had no idea she was being deceived. And many people in the world today are being misguided without having any idea that they are being deceived.
Many people believe that the truth is fluid, that it can change. They arrive at their own “truths” based on personal experiences, preferences, desires, and opinions. We see this every day in our current culture as people struggle with issues such as the sanctity of marriage, gender identity, and many other crises. We saw this in the days of Noah, where prior to the flood, everyone “did what was right in their own eyes.”
John chapter 18 provides for us at least two good examples of the dangers of being deceived. The deception of Judas led to Jesus’ betrayal (verse 3), and the deception of the people led to His crucifixion as they violently called for the release of Barabbas (verse 40).
We are living in similar times. And just like those days long ago, many people are being deceived and denying the most important truth of all, the truth that will set them free, the truth that leads to eternal life.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6
I don’t think any of us like the idea of being deceived, or of believing lies. That’s a very disturbing concept, but one that we have to be very aware of! We all want, we all need, the truth.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. -Psalm 25:5
So how do we discern what is actually the truth?
Truth cannot be defined, explained, or understood without God as the source. We must depend on God as our moral authority. Without Him, man makes his own law unto himself, and man’s law is subjective; it is not reliable.
As Christians, we cannot come to our own conclusions about what is truth and what is not.
We are called to surrender, to give up our own desires, perceptions, and opinions and acknowledge that God is truth and we are not. We must allow the Holy Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. And we must boldly and gently share this life-giving truth with others.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. -John 16:13
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -John 8:31-32
My prayer today is that as believers, we are wholeheartedly seeking the truth through the Word of God and by direction of the Holy Spirit and that we are freely sharing the message that can bring life to those who do not yet know the Truth that can set them free.
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