What is truth?

"Truth" in our modern world often seems to depend on the viewpoint of the speaker and the hearer. A premise you accept as obviously true may seem terribly wrong to your neighbor. The Cambridge Dictionary Online defines truth as, "the real facts about a situation, event or person." But who is to say what the real facts are?

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pontius Pilate asked Jesus Christ whether He was a king. Christ answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37). How did Pilate respond? "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?'" (v. 38).

Judea's Roman governor lacked the foundation to discern spiritual truth from error. But are you and I any better off? Upon what foundation do we base our decisions about what is right and what is wrong?

God has given us a book that makes a bold statement – that we can rely on it for truth. "Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. The entirety of Your word is truth and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:159-160). Only the Creator can establish truth. Only He has all the facts, understands every situation and knows all the thoughts of those He has created. Anyone who contradicts His word is in error.

The Apostle John wrote, "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:5-10).

Do you understand the significance of John's words? If someone claims to represent Christ, but makes a statement that is only half-true, that statement is half a lie. But a statement that is half a lie is not God's truth! In the light of God's way, there is no darkness – no untruth! Any statement that goes against Scripture must be rejected as untrue – as evil fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Remember, God told Adam that the mixture of truth and error would ultimately kill him! Just as one drop of poison can turn a glass of pure water deadly, so too can a small untruth poison those who accept it.

This statement applies not only to politicians, journalists and teachers, but also to those who call themselves religious. The Bible is the gold standard for determining truth and distinguishing it from error. Compare what you hear to the words of your Bible. "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).

If you would like help in proving for yourself that the Bible can be trusted as the source of all truth, please read our booklet, The Bible: Fact or Fiction? Then, test the Bible to see for yourself whether it truly is God's word. If it is, shouldn't you obey the Truth, once you have found it?