What is Truth?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

- John 14:6

When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 

- John 16:13

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 

- John 17:17

Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.” 

- John 18:37-38

What is Truth? - Condensed Video

In this setting, Pilate served as judge. He spoke with Jesus, the Christ, Son of God, the Truth, the holy, pure, divine One who is the judge of all, but in this setting, in his palace, surrounded by soldiers obeying his commands, Pilate served as judge. Jesus explained to Pilate that He came into the world to testify to the truth and “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  

From Jesus’s prior statements we know that the truth is the source of sanctification, God’s word is truth, the Holy Spirit guides us to truth, and Jesus is the truth. Truth is something fixed. It is a certainty. It is something that Jesus testifies to and it is something people are capable of belonging to. The truth is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ and God’s holy word, and the Holy Spirit guides us to it, or perhaps more appropriately, to Him.

Jesus explained these things. Pilate heard the words but not the message. He focused on his own problems and his primary task at hand – maintaining order as Jerusalem swelled with millions of visitors for the Passover. If he lost control of Jerusalem he might very well lose his position and fall from power, and he was not about to let that happen. To Pilate, Jesus was not necessarily a person, He was certainly not God incarnate, He was potentially the catalyst for a massive uprising that could cost Pilate his position. Jesus was a chess piece on the board waiting for Pilate’s next move. As Pilate pondered his choices, he heard Jesus speak and he muttered a rhetorical reply, “What is truth?”  

Had he really desired to know the answer to his question, he would have discovered truth because the source of truth was standing in his presence, but he did not have eyes to see and he was more concerned with his personal list of priorities.

I think about Pilate and I try to assess how often I am guilty of doing the same thing. How often am I preoccupied with my agenda for the day, with my set of priorities, with my personal to-do list and fail to see Jesus Christ standing before me? How often do I fail to hear the message being communicated by the Truth when He is speaking clearly to me?

I recently read an article about amazing technology that is becoming increasingly available – computer programs that allow people to create incredibly realistic videos of people doing and saying things they never did or said. After loading photos and voice recordings of an individual, the program allows the user to create a virtual version of that individual. The user is then capable of manipulating the virtual individual to do and say all sorts of things. Known as “deep fake,” the resulting videos are realistic and believable, and the events portrayed are entirely fictional.  

As a result, fictional events may look and sound like reality. I read an interview of one popular actress who said her image, without her consent or prior knowledge, has been used in countless scenes doing things she would never do. She said years ago she fought each one that came to her attention, but as she fought one, dozens more were generated and she quickly realized that she had lost control of her image. We can no longer believe what we hear or see on any of the myriad of screens surrounding us. If we see or hear images of people doing things that we cannot imagine they would ever do, the images may be fake. And if we see video of people committing horrific acts and the video is real, they are suddenly able to claim that the video is merely deep fake and they never did what the video shows them doing. In a world in which false things look real, our confidence in everything erodes and we begin to wonder whether truth exists.

Does truth still exist or is it like the buggy whip – something that was once commonly available but now extinct? If we accept the possibility that truth does exist, we may be like Pilate asking, “What is truth?”  

Jesus explains that Satan, the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The truth is undoubtedly under attack. This is nothing new. The tactics may be new, but the battle is timeless.  

Jesus also says, “Whoever is from God hears the words of God” (John 8:47). Truth does indeed exist. It is fixed. It does not change. It is the standard. God’s holy word is truth. Jesus Christ is truth. The Holy Spirit guides us to truth. And we are sanctified, made holy, made righteous, made whole in truth.  

I pray that we each avoid the distractions surrounding us in this chaotic world and maintain our connection with truth. May we each stay in God’s holy word, pray all the time, and seek His guidance as we set our priorities each day. May the Spirit of discernment fill you and guide you and allow you to hear the words of God and to know the Truth.