What is Truth?

Men from all ages of history have desired and searched for ‘the truth.’ Even Pilate inquired about it cynically when interviewing Jesus.

“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus 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.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’
John 18:37-38

In the New Testament, ‘truth’ is translated from the Greek Aletheia which also translates to the related nouns verity, surety, and certainty and the accompanying adverbs verily, surely, and certainly. These terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

Truth can be partially defined as ‘the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance; the manifested, the veritable essence of matter.’ In line with this definition, the Bible reveals that Jesus is in fact God in the flesh. Jesus stated that He came into the world to ‘bear witness to the truth,’ i.e. to reveal God.

“He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Colossians 1:15

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”
John 1:14

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:17

“Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
John 14:6

If then God is revealed in Jesus and Jesus is the truth; anyone or any power that suggests otherwise is a lie and is in fact the spirit of antichrist. This timeless conflict between truth and lies is the essence of the battle between good and evil.

“…He (the devil) …does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
John 8:44

“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
I John 2:22-23

The reason that Christianity is constantly under attack is that Satan knows the truth is embedded in the ‘church’ of which Christ is the Head.

Satan began his deception in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve who were created in God’s image. And he continues his deceit through the beast, i.e. antichrist and his accompanying false prophet described in the Book of Revelation.

“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
Revelation 19:20

Wherever truth is found, there will also be deception and the deceiver. The deceiver by nature will pretend to be something or someone that he is not. Deceit by definition requires a lie. Jesus warned that such attempted deception will be present throughout the present age.

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
Matthew 24:11

Any teaching that denies the deity of Christ and the plurality of the Godhead revealed by Jesus, i.e. God the Son, is not truth and should be rejected.

The ‘truth’ also includes the written word of the Bible inasmuch as the Bible is the biography of Jesus. Note that Jesus is ‘the truth,’ not merely ‘a’ truth.

“Then Jesus said… ‘If you abide in My word…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”
John 8:31-32

And lastly, the sum of the truth is the basis for eternal life.

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
I John 5:20

The above begs several questions, i.e. if Jesus is the embodiment of ‘the truth,’ why is there a continuing effort to marginalize Him and anything pertaining to Him in the daily lives of Americans? Why would the greatest military, economic, and political power on earth want to suppress the truth? Is America living a lie relative to her Christian heritage? And if so, why do we allow it?

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