John 18: 37, 38 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. 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. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him".
Pilate cynically asked one of the most important questions but failed to stand and listen to the answer. However, we are not without a clue. Let us search from God's words, what He means by truth.
Truth is God's revelation and not inventions of human imaginations:
In the Old Testament, we read that God's law is true, that the entirety of His words is truth (Psalm 119:142, 160). We know that God revealed His law through Moses, and it was not of any human origin. In the gospels, when Peter answers Jesus and acknowledges Him to be the Messiah, Jesus replies that Peter knew it not because of flesh and blood, but as a revelation from God the Father. In the prayer of Jesus given in John 17, we read Jesus saying, 'Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth' (v17).
But the truth is more than the written law and words of God. In John 8: 31,32,34-36 we read, To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Interesting right! He initially says - the truth will set you free, and later says - the Son sets you free. By saying that He equates the truth and the Son.
Truth is a person and not just the written words:
In the Old Testament, we have several references to God abounding in truth and loving truth (Ex 34:6). We also read about Jesus referring to the Holy Spirit as the guide to knowing the truth. John 16: 13,14 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. And in John 14:6, we read of Jesus referring to Himself as the way and the truth and the life.
It is not just that Jesus' words are true, that He loves truth, but that JESUS IS THE TRUTH. We saw earlier that we find the truth in the word of God. Jesus is the Word of God embodied! Truth became a person in Christ Jesus. (It is important for us to recognize that the written word and the incarnate word - Christ supports and will never contradict each other.)
Let's see if examples can help us understand this. An impersonal calculator using abstract mathematics can give out true outputs (4 as an output for 2+2) that fit with the laws of mathematics. A student (a person) can learn abstract mathematics and understand that 2+2=4. The truth that Jesus mentions to set us free, is not something like that mentioned above. They are not merely intellectual sentences that we need to understand, agree and profess. The word 'knowing' in the Bible is much deeper and can be understood to be like a husband knowing the wife intimately. Jesus is the truth. Knowing the truth translates to knowing Jesus on a personal level. It is not just intellectual, it is relational, and significantly so. Truth is what is present, known, and displayed in a pulsating, growing, and loving relationship between the persons of the Trinity, graciously revealed and offered to humanity.
Truth is expressed in His truthfulness:
The Hebrew word for truth is emet, and is often translated as faithfulness. It has several meanings, including permanence (stability, durability, unchangeableness, constancy), faithfulness (dependableness, dependability, reliableness, reliability, trustworthiness, fidelity), certainty, security, truth, and verity. The truth of God is unchangeable, as it is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God which are all unchangeable. The truth of God is also knowable, as God reveals Himself and wills to have a loving relationship with His creation. The truth of God is expressed in His faithfulness. The relationship between God and man, especially in terms of His covenantal love is described by His faithfulness, and the assurance we can have in Him being true to His promises and words.
God's revealed and written word points to and draws people to Christ. It is Jesus Christ who is the fullness of truth (John 1:14). He proclaimed to be the truth (John 14:6), He came to testify to the truth (John 18:37), set people free by the truth (John 8:32), and send the Spirit of truth for guiding (John 16:13) and building a people who worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
Link to the previous article: Why do You talk in parables? Link to the next article: What should I do to be saved?
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