What is Truth?
What is truth? Can an answer be found to this question, and where can we find it?
Jesus Christ was asked this very question by Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). This was Pilate’s response when Jesus said that He came into the world to testify to the truth (John 18:37). But what was this truth?
Earlier, Jesus had told the ones following Him, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Here, the Greek word for truth is aletheia, which does not mean “doctrine” but rather “reality”. Jesus was telling them that the truth that would set them free is not the so-called truth of doctrine but the truth which is the reality of the divine things.
Jesus went on to say, “If therefore the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). In saying this, Jesus was telling them that this reality, this truth, is actually a person, and this person is the Lord Jesus Himself, the Son of God. As the embodiment and expression of God (Colossians 2:9) He is the truth, the reality.
We can only find reality in Jesus. This means that outside of Him, everything else is a shadow, and everything else is fading and passing away. Persons, careers, hobbies, and all other things dear to us, no matter how good or enjoyable they might be, still leave us empty and searching for reality.
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the reality and the life.” To have reality we need to come to Jesus and believe into Him. When we believe into Him, we receive reality, we receive truth. We can only know truth by receiving and knowing this Person. If you are seeking truth simply pray to receive the One who is reality:
“Lord Jesus, I confess I have been seeking many things,
and yet I am still so empty.
Lord, come into me to be my reality and content.
Lord Jesus, I believe into You and receive You.”
The best way to continue to know Jesus as the reality, as the truth, is by reading the Bible and meeting with other believers. Fill out this simple form to receive a free New Testament study Bible with footnotes and cross references, which helps to unlock the truth in the Bible.
1st July 2011 | 
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Thank you very much for everything, and for the teaching on the radio broadcast. Jesus blessed.
Amen! Truth is Christ Himself, nothing else…. no one else….. any question?
Your answer here has been so encouraging and clear. I had read John 8:32 many times over the years and it’s become new to me now. The truth is not the group of the “correct” doctrines in the Bible but the Lord Himself. May the Lord continue to shine on us for us to have a proper fellowship with Him and one another in the Body and be absolutely one with Him. Amen.
[...] Many people thought that this question silenced the Lord Jesus when Pilate asked him when he was judging him…. but really, what is Truth? Is truth something generally accepted by people and written somewhere? Or is truth something you can define yourself for yourself and can be changed from time to time? Why does the Lord Jesus say, And you shall know the truth – and the truth shall set you free…? Is Truth doctrine, or is truth something else more tangible? All these questions plus a very particular and experiential answer – at, What is Truth? [...]
[...] Many people thought that this question silenced the Lord Jesus when Pilate asked him when he was judging him…. but really, what is Truth? Is truth something generally accepted by people and written somewhere? Or is truth something you can define yourself for yourself and can be changed from time to time? Why does the Lord Jesus say, And you shall know the truth – and the truth shall set you free…? Is Truth doctrine, or is truth something else more tangible? All these questions plus a very particular and experiential answer – at, What is Truth? [...]
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A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 Thanks for the simplicity, making it too complicated only turns people off!