In A.D. 31, Jesus was dragged before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Jesus told Pilate, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate then asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:28-38).

Pilate may have said this sarcastically. He may have been stating a rhetorical question, since he and Jesus were engaged in a somewhat philosophical discussion. Or it may have been a weary comment from a disillusioned man who had become hopeless and cynical. No matter, this question is vital to anyone who wishes to find reason and purpose to life.

What is truth?

The evening before His crucifixion Jesus prayed to His Father, prayed for His disciples, and said: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

“What is truth?” God’s Word is truth. We live in a society in which truth is seen as relative. But it’s not. There are absolute truths that come from God the Father and Jesus Christ. Scripture is where we must go to for absolute truth—to the very inspired words of God.

A common argument is, “What might be ‘true’ for you may not be ‘true’ for me.” But that is a false argument. Truth is truth. It is not relative. The truth of God exists whether we acknowledge it or not.

Absolute truth

True Christianity is based on the belief that there is absolute truth. When we look at the Bible, we discover a number of principles about truth.

God not only reveals Himself as the one true God, but also as the God who determines what is true and false. Expounding on the importance of truth when worshipping God, Christ said to the Samaritan woman at the well: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

The apostle Paul, under inspiration from God, made a bold statement that cannot be misunderstood. He said, “Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved…God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11, emphasis added).

Discover the truth

So, the question is, do you know the truth? Do you really know what Jesus Christ taught and what He commanded His Church to teach?

If we really want to discover truth, we must be willing to believe that it is the Creator who determines truth and falsehood—not our own emotions or intellectual theories.

Truth is revealed by God in the life of Christ and in the word of Scripture. The laws of God we are to follow define the realities of life, as ordained by the Creator of life. They exist whether we acknowledge them or not. The consequences of breaking those laws (sin) are just as inescapable whether committed knowingly or in ignorance.

The foundation of the law is God Himself. By trusting in Him and acting according to what He has commanded, we don’t have to experience the painful effects of sin.

The foundational teachings of Jesus Christ form the basis of all truth. There is a choice between simply going on in the ways of this world, or turning towards God. You have to make a move from the “relative truth” of this age which is filled with falsehood and error to fully follow Jesus Christ and the Word of God.