What is Truth?
Much like the word love, the word truth is often expressed casually, with little consideration being given to its meaning. The term itself carries multiple meanings to different people. Truth is often interpreted through our culture, background, research, belief systems, world systems, different educational genres of study, and so forth.
Merriam Webster defines truth to mean a few different things:
The body of real things, events, and facts.
a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true
sincerity in action, character, and utterance
Topics such as science, medicine, history, religion, mathematics, and other learning areas carry within them a collection of facts developed out of research, observations, and experiential knowledge; these are all examples of a form of truth. For the sake of our discussion, we are going to look at the meaning of truth from a biblical perspective.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I do not just seek to learn the Bible for knowledge sake alone, but I study to know Christ. John 17:3 tells us that eternal life is found in knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ. Studying does not grant eternal life, but it shapes our understanding of who Christ is. With that said, my quest for truth and explanation of it will begin with the foundation of when Christ first refers to himself as Truth. This is the point by which we are introduced to a new paradigm concerning truth. This new paradigm is that truth is not just a collection of facts but also a person. John 1:17 in the KJV says this:
“For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The law here is the Mosaic Law of the Old Covenant, sometimes referred to as the Torah, which is simply the first five books of the Bible. God used Moses as a vehicle for the law to be written by the Holy Spirit's divine inspiration. The law was recorded by the hand of Moses but came from the heart of God. Galatians 3:19 tells us that the law was given to show people their sin until Jesus Christ manifested in the flesh to whom all the fullness of God was given. Jesus Christ came to fill the law to give us a new covenant with better promises. Through him, grace and truth came.
In the Blue Letter Bible application (2020), the Greek word for truth used here in John 1:17 is "Aletheia" The meaning used in John 1: 17 of Aletheia is this:
"the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians. It also means absolutely."
[interlinear/concordance John 1:17 word: truth sec. (I)(C)]
From this definition, we can say that truth then is the execution of God's purposes through Christ to be expressed or performed by men. The role that men play in this is the initial belief in the son of God, trusting in what was written about him, leading men to repentance or a change of heart, so that truth can be applied to one's life. The goal then of truth, beyond salvation, is transformation.
I think in understanding this, it is important to note that the author, John, of the Book of John, begins his discourse telling us that Jesus is the Logos or the Word of God, who was with God and was God. Jesus's authority as the Word of God is in the divinity that corresponds with it being absolute. The absolute nature of God always makes his word true, in all places, throughout all ages. God will never change, and neither will his word. The unchanging nature of God helps us to know that we can trust what he says. Revelations 19:11 describes Jesus as being both faithful and true.
David H.Stern, the author of the Complete Jewish Bible, writes:
"Yochanan's [John's] Gospel never loses sight of Yeshua's [Jesus's] heavenly origin, portraying him clearly not only as the son of man but as the son of God." (Stern, 2020 p. xxii)
In John 14:6, Jesus makes this proclamation that he is the Truth. The scripture reads:
"Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." KJV
Here it is! Jesus is telling us who he is. He IS the truth. Jesus tells us three things about himself in this passage. He is the way, the truth, and the life. The questions then are: what way? What truth? What life?
What Way?
Well, within that same passage of scripture, Jesus says that "no one comes to the Father except through me." From this, we know that he then is the way to the Father. If Jesus is the way to the Father, then he is the way to be saved.
What Truth?
Jesus is the truth and in him is the gospel summed up and revealed. To know the truth he speaks of is to also know the purpose for which he came. Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). Jesus came to reveal the Father. Jesus said he only does what the father does and says what the Father has commanded him to say.
"The old English word gospel means "the good news" Therefore, in a significant sense there are not four Gospels but one-namely, the good news of who Yeshua [Jesus] is and what he has done" – (Stern, 2020 p. xxii)
Paul tells us in Romans, 1:16 that the gospel is "the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." Jesus's declaration that he is the truth tells us that in him is the power to save men's souls. To all who would hear the gospel and believe, would receive the indwelling presence of Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit for salvation. This is Christ, our redeemer. Christ, the restorer. This truth redeems us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of the son of his love (Col. 1:13). It changes or transforms us into the image and the likeness of Christ, who in him is our identity hidden and revealed.
This truth has the power to give life! This truth is a continually active one that goes beyond static knowledge. It is living, it is breathing, it is saving, restoring, and renewing. Christ is the only one able to perform this within a person. No other form of truth leads men to God nor puts them back in right standing with him.
What Life?
As I stated at the beginning of this post, eternal life lies in knowing Christ. John 3:16 says this:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
all not perish but have eternal life."
What life, then is Jesus? He who died and rose again will never die again; he forever lives. In Christ, we have been given eternal life and life more abundantly!. Jesus came so that we could live no longer in the flesh but born again of the Spirit, which is eternal, so that while on earth we live in the abundance of knowing him and the joy, peace, and righteousness it brings, to experiencing one day continued life after death. Friends, like Christ, we too will die once and never again; we will live forever with God as we are in God. Our goal is to be like him, and this is the reward of our faith.
Hey, there are many "truths" in the world, but only one has the power to truly transform one into a completely new creation! That truth is the person of Jesus Christ. I would like to pray for you. Partner with me in making this declaration before God:
Father, you are so good. We thank you for opening our understanding of what truth is today. We thank you for your love that sent Jesus to the earth to grant us eternal life. That through him, grace and truth came, and through our relationship with him, we can be saved and grow in the knowledge of who he is as we are being transformed. Father, I ask that you transform us by your word, who is Jesus Christ. Take us deeper. Soften our hearts to receive the word of God so that it may bear fruit in our lives. Continue to speak to us concerning who you are that we may be set free. It is this truth that makes us free. Free from sin, death, and free to worship you fully in the beauty of who you are. We embrace this truth and ask that you will perform your work in us until the day of Christ, our Lord, and Savior.
This I pray in the matchless name of Jesus Christ,
Amen
Go Deeper:
I have provided some additional scriptures for continued study and devotion on this topic:
John 1:14; John 16:3; John 17:17; John 18:37-38
Reflection Points
How do the scriptures provided continue to point to Jesus as truth?
What is the gospel?
What makes the gospel truth different than any other truth?
Sources
Blue Letter Bible (v2.77.1 build, 1711). (, 2020). [Mobile app]. App Store. https://bluletterbible.org
Stern, D. H., & Stern, O. R. A. M. H. L. A. R. S. D. (2016). Complete Jewish Bible. Macmillan Publishers.
*Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. All Rights Reserved throughout the world.
