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
Pilate was asking a cynical or sarcastic question here by saying “what is truth?”. You can imagine a wry grin breaking across his face as he says it, as if he knows well and good that there is no real answer. As a leader in the ruthless Roman Empire, he had seen too much, done too much, to believe that there was ever one right answer, one solitary view corresponding completely to reality. What he really meant was, “look around at all the chaos and confusion and evil and death. Is there really such a thing as truth?”
Truth: the property of being in accord with fact or reality
For something to be true is has to be real. It has to conform to reality, by definition. Sometimes we think that things are true, but they are not in line with reality, so by definition they are not really true. We call that being deceived. When Eve was deceived by Satan, he tempted her and she believed a lie – in other words, she thought what she heard was the truth – but it was not.
As a magician, I often use the perception of reality to my advantage.[1] Not to get too in-depth (a magician never reveals his secrets), but magicians often use “sleight-of-hand” to make things appear one way, when in reality they are not. For the trick to be successful, it is not important what the reality actually is at any given moment, but what the spectator’s perception of reality is. In the same way, Satan never alters the truth – truth is unchanging. He alters our perception of the truth through lies, doubts, and deception.
There are two very big statements the Bible makes about truth: Jesus is Truth, and the Bible is Truth.
Jesus is Truth
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6
Jesus Himself said that He is the truth – meaning, He embodies truth – everything about Him conforms to reality! I think one of the greatest things about meeting and knowing Jesus is that He defines reality. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you know that you have heard the truth – indeed, you know the One Who is the truth! You know the truth about creation because He is the Creator; you know the truth about yourself because He is your Savior; and you know the truth about eternity because He is the eternal King.
The Bible is Truth
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:17
The Word of God – the Bible – is truth. Everything it teaches, everything it says – conforms to reality. What God’s Word tells us about the universe, about ourselves, about the beginning of time, about the end of time, about relationships, about sin, about love, about sex, about children, about justice, about balance – ALL of this and more conforms to reality. And if you base your life on it, you are basing your life on truth – what is real.
What is truth? Truth is reality, and reality is Jesus Christ and His Word. Or put another way, God in His person and in His Word defines truth and reality.
This post is a part of a series of posts that are excerpts from my book “Finding Your Midpoint: Locating the Balanced Positions for Your Life and Ministry” – available on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
[1] For more information on Honest Deceiver Ministries visit www.honestdeceiver.org