Truth defined is:
the true or actual state of a matter: conformity with fact or reality;
verity: the truth of a statement; a verified or indisputable
fact, proposition, principle, or the like:
mathematical truths; the state or character of
being true; actuality or actual existence.
Do these definitions really help us that much? What actually is the true state of matter? What fact or reality are we suppose to conform to?Which statement is true; which fact, proposition or principle is indisputable? So many use this word so emphatically to try and convince us that their fact, proposition, principle or state of being is true when the reality is this: it is no more true than the last one. There is one who has made a very different claim regarding truth. This claim is not tied to a fact or a proposition. It is not a principle needing to be applied. It is a person!
In John 14:6, Jesus made the claim, " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This claim is much different than the rest. It is one that is rooted and embodied by the person of Jesus Christ. He is not merely saying He is a truth; no, he is saying He is "the" truth. All other truths flow out of Him. This is quite a statement and should be easy to refute, even in the book from which it is quoted.
There were 40 authors of 66 books which were written over the span of 1500 years so surely there will be some contradictory seam to contradict and disprove this outlandish claim, right? Well, there not only is not one, but it seems the exact opposite is true. The Greek word for truth used by Jesus in this claim is "aletheia" and used throughout the Bible in other contexts. The word's origin is grounded in this idea of truth and certainty. The word is used 21 times in John, 10 times in the Psalms and 8 times in I John. In no other book is it used more than six times. These three books just happen to be the books that teach us about the person of Jesus Christ, salvation in Jesus Christ and life lived in Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that "aletheia" would be prominent in these books?
Truth, according to scripture, seems to be directly linked to the person and nature of Jesus Christ. In our current culture, all other truth is accepted or given some validity in the arena of ideas... except this idea of Jesus Christ being truth. But, again, scripture predicts this and warns of this, which is quite amazing considering the 40 authors and the 66 books and the 1500 years.
What is truth? The reality of the question according to current culture is this: truth is relative and reflective of your deepest held beliefs. Truth is what is most important to you and what is valued most by you. If you are like most people... truth is rooted in yourself and what is important to you. On Sundays and Wednesday nights truth is Jesus Christ, but in the day-to-day living out of everyday life... not so much. Jesus had an answer for those of us living a life similar to this; we will say Lord, Lord and He will say, I never knew you.
Jesus claimed to be the truth and the life and the way. His claim was absolute with no wiggle room. As C.S. Lewis so famously proclaimed, "He is either our Lord or a lunatic and a liar." If Jesus lays the claim that He is truth, can there be any other? Blessings!
Truth, according to scripture, seems to be directly linked to the person and nature of Jesus Christ. In our current culture, all other truth is accepted or given some validity in the arena of ideas... except this idea of Jesus Christ being truth. But, again, scripture predicts this and warns of this, which is quite amazing considering the 40 authors and the 66 books and the 1500 years.
What is truth? The reality of the question according to current culture is this: truth is relative and reflective of your deepest held beliefs. Truth is what is most important to you and what is valued most by you. If you are like most people... truth is rooted in yourself and what is important to you. On Sundays and Wednesday nights truth is Jesus Christ, but in the day-to-day living out of everyday life... not so much. Jesus had an answer for those of us living a life similar to this; we will say Lord, Lord and He will say, I never knew you.
Jesus claimed to be the truth and the life and the way. His claim was absolute with no wiggle room. As C.S. Lewis so famously proclaimed, "He is either our Lord or a lunatic and a liar." If Jesus lays the claim that He is truth, can there be any other? Blessings!
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