What is Truth?

Versions of Truth

If you’ve been following the news, you’ll be aware that there seem to be many versions of the truth, at least in politics. I’m not going even to try there–let’s stick with religion! So, what is truth?

There are various philosophical theories about truth. Correspondence theory states that truth occurs when a statement is in accord with the actual state of affairs. Coherence theory defines truth as the consistency of an assertion with a specified set of propositions. Then there is the pragmatic view of truth—what is true for me is whatever works for me, and it may be different from what is true for you. Doubtless, these definitions are over-simplified to the point of being false, so I’ll move on before I get myself in deep water.

Let’s start with the assumption that the Bible is true. We will review this later, but we have to start somewhere.

What does the Bible say about Truth? 

Truth is Important

First, it says that the pursuit of truth is vital. Truth is regarded as incredibly valuable. “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.” Pr 23:23. Truth is worth more than your wealth, your pleasure, and your time. It will affect your thinking and actions. Hmm, could it be that God values truth so much that He doesn’t want us to force ourselves to have faith despite the evidence? Might He expect us to use the capacity He gave us for reason, and then trust because of the evidence? As I was told many years ago, “If it is true, you can think about it and it will still be true.”

God is Truth

In fact, not only does God value truth, but He is the Truth. For example, Isaiah twice calls the Father the “God of truth” in Is 65:16. In Jn 14:6, Jesus claims to be “the way, the truth, and the life.” In Jn 15:26, Jesus promises that the “Spirit of truth” will come to the disciples. These are only a few of the relevant verses; the overwhelming evidence from Scripture is that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is the ultimate Truth. Unchanging Truth.

Throughout the Bible, also known as the book of truth (Da 10:21), we are repeatedly assured that God is the unchanging One, the same yesterday, today, and forever. In fact, the Hebrew word for truth, emet, means constancy, firmness, and duration. It would appear that “Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God,” www.gty.org, and that it, therefore, does not change.

Today’s View of Truth

Secular Culture

In today’s culture, truth is often considered relative, impossible, or sometimes even offensive. We say this is post-modern, but it is nothing new. Throughout the ages, men have rejected (Ro 2:8), distorted (Ac 20:30), opposed (2Ti 3:8), and ignored the Truth. They were even lying in the Garden of Eden!

Jeremiah 7:8 laments that the truth has perished and vanished from the Earth. Isaiah 59:15 says the truth is nowhere to be found. Since truth can be defined as what is consistent with God’s character, it can be incredibly inconvenient. Especially to those who would prefer to live according to “whatever feels good as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.” The response? Banish it!

Christian Culture

Jesus’ followers would disagree with what is put forth by the world. Truth is rock solid; it does not change over time, does not accommodate for each person, and should not be ignored. In fact, God built our world so that our actions have consequences. One can claim that the brick wall does not exist for me, but running into it will still produce injury.

Jesus Considered Truth to be Vital.

The phrase, “I tell you the truth,” appears 78 times in the Gospels. There we are told that the Truth came through Jesus (Jn 1:17) and that, through Him, we can know the Truth and the Truth will set us free (Jn 8:32). That makes sense if Jesus is who He claims to be: the Truth, the Bread of life, the Messiah, the One who can forgive sin, the One who can control the weather, the One who can give eternal life, the One who existed before Abraham.

If He isn’t all He claims, then He is not the Truth, but a liar. And, even worse, the truth is not what Scripture claims it is, since Scripture itself is not true. Get your head around that! Therefore, assessing the reliability of the Scripture is essential—did Jesus really say all that? If so, did He prove it? We need to know the Truth! Stay tuned.