What is Truth?

In John 18:38, Pilate asks Christ, “What is truth?” Ironically, even as Pilate asks the question, truth incarnate was in his presence. Pilate recognized enough of the truth to know that Jesus was innocent—three times stating, “I find no guilt in this man.” Sadly enough, then and now, truth is quickly sacrificed in the pursuit of power, greed, scoring points against an opponent, or any number of other vices. In the case of Jesus, it was just more expedient for Pilate to condemn Jesus to keep the peace and not risk losing his power and position.

What is the value of truth? Regarding Christ, obviously the truth is priceless, nothing else compares. Regarding daily living, Christ by His own words came to testify to the truth, so should we. Unfortunately, truth is under assault, it always has been since the fall, but it seems really acute in today’s world where a lie can travel at the speed of light and be amplified by hitting “share.” Is that picture or audio clip real, or was it AI-generated? Is that news story factual or is that social media post true or a half-truth at best? When you can’t trust what you see or hear, the value of truth quickly becomes apparent. The lack of knowing what is true can be paralyzing, driving home the value of “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).

Everyone who is of the truth hears Jesus’ voice (John 8:37). The voice of Jesus has plenty of competition for your hearing—TV, podcasts, YouTube, and social media channels too numerous to name. Many of these media sources are good, even educational, but many, especially of the political variety, traffic in half-truths or outright lies. We need to be discerning, as to what is edifying and what is destructive, and knowing what is true. If you don’t know if something is true, or if it seems intended to inflame passions or cause fear, then avoid it, and don’t share it. To uphold the truth with great passion and fervency is to honor what John writes in 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

Ron Duvall, Elder