In John 18:38 NIV Pilate asked, "What is truth?”
I. There is Worldly Truth
Some say Truth is contemplated, like Plato
Some say Truth is reasoned, like Aristotle
Some say Truth is variable, says the Contextualists
Illustration: Bill Clinton; “That depends on what the definition of is, is”
Some say Truth is subconscious, like Freud
Some say Truth is your perception, like many.
1. The notion that there are many truths might seem well suited to a diverse society. But when everyone is free to define truth as he or she prefers, as at present, the result is an intellectual and moral shouting match in which the people with the loudest voices are most likely to be heard.
2. To say that something can be ‘true for you, but not for me’ is virtually to reduce truth to a matter of personal opinion.
A. In the western culture truth might get you in trouble
One night a Massachusetts state police officer pulled over a speeding car. The officer said to the driver, “I clocked you at 80 miles per hour.” The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60. Perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating." His wife was in the passenger’s seat, and without looking up from her knitting, she said, “Now don’t be silly dear, you know that this car doesn’t have cruise control."
As the officer proceeded to write out the ticket, the driver looked over at his wife and growled, "Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?" The wife smiled and said, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did." As the officer then proceeded to write out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man angrily stared at his wife and said through clenched teeth, "DARN IT, woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?"
The police officer only frowned and said, "And I notice that you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine." Getting flustered, the driver responded, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket." At which point the wife piped up, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn’t have your seat belt on? You never wear your seat belt when you drive."
And as the police officer begins writing out the third ticket, the driver furiously turns to his wife and shouts, "WHY DON’T YOU JUST SHUT UP??"? At that point, the police officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma’am?" And she says, "No sir, only when he’s been drinking."
The truth will set you free or get you put in jail!
B. Truth basically for a Christian is how we live, worship, and witness.
II. There is Godly Truth, which does not change
Truth does not change from one age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. Men’s ideas may differ, men’s custom’s may change, men’s moral codes may vary, but the great all prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.” What we believe to be true may be relative, but the TRUTH is absolute…
III. Jesus is Truth Personalized
Jesus said: "I am the Way to the Truth and the Life of the Truth."
“The clear implications of Jesus saying he’s the way, the truth, and the life are that,
First, truth is absolute,
Second, truth is knowable.”
IV. So What exactly is truth?
A. In the Old and New Testaments, truth is a fundamental moral and personal quality of God.
For Paul, truth is the message of God that all of humanity has repressed (Rom 1:18) and exchanged (1:25) for lie, in that they have directed their worship not to the Creator, but to the creation.
In addition, Paul also uses truth to speak practically of the believer’s deportment in following the Lord.
Believers are to speak the truth to one another in a loving manner, as we grow up into submission to our head, namely Christ (Eph 4:15).
The importance of speaking the truth to one another is underscored by the fact that we are members of one another (Eph 4:25).
In 2 Thessalonians Paul equates the truth with the believers’ salvation.
Those who perish do so because they are under a wicked deception, and so refuse to love the truth and be saved (2:10).
In the Pastoral Epistles, truth takes on the characteristics of a repository, or official body of beliefs, of which the church is the faithful steward and guardian.
Salvation includes, and is likely synonymous with, knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).
The church of the living God is both the pillar and ground of the truth.
1. Truth is personal, not merely intellectual;
2. Truth is acquired through the revelation of God, not through mental Application.
3. Truth is not abstract, but has been individually revealed in history.
B. God Is Truth.
As the revealer of truth, Jesus only teaches what the Father has given to him (3:33; 8:40; 18:37). The Father is the truth. His eternal reality is ultimate reality.
God the Father is the only standard by which all truth or falsehood, light or darkness are measured in this world (5:33; 8:31-32,42-47).
C. Jesus Is Both the Messenger and the Message of Truth.
No one but Jesus can reveal truth because only he has been personally sent into the world by God.
To know Jesus is to know the Father (Jn 14:9). Consequently, Jesus can say that he, too, is the truth (14:6).
D. The Spirit of Truth.
For the Spirit to be called the Spirit of truth is basically to assert three things.
First, like Jesus, the Spirit is sent from the Father (who is the truth, Jn 15:26) the "Spirit of truth" is the "Spirit of God."
Second, the Spirit continues the mission of Jesus (14:17), revealing to the world both the Father and the Son (who is also the truth).
Third, the Spirit will lead disciples into the truth by further instructing them in the knowledge of the Father and the Son (16:13).
V. We need Truth!
A. “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” Prov. 23:23. It costs something to gain possession of truth, but it is well worth all it costs. It is the most valuable treasure of which man can gain possession. What is truth? It is the way to true happiness, the way to perfect manhood, the way to Christ and heaven. It is the “pearl of great price.”
What does it cost? It costs all that a man has. It costs him the world, all earthly possessions, earthly ties, and his own life. When truth is gained it brings to us all that was given for it. It gives a new world, it gives earthly ties purified and made dearer, it gives earthly possessions sanctified, and life now and forever.
B. The Barna research group did a survey that shows that only 18% of "Born-Again" Christians read the Bible everyday. Even worse, only 23% read it at all
C. We cannot grow as Christians without a daily dose of God’s word.
1. Spending time in the word of God prepares us to be like him.
2. By spending time in God’s word we have what we need for good works.
3. No spiritual discipline is more important than God’s word.
4. A day without the word of God is like going into battle without your weapon.
D. Truth keeps us from being self righteous
E. Truth reveals who we really are
Song: Steven Curtis Chapman
If the truth were known, and a light were shown, On every hidden part of my soul, Most would turn away, shake their heads and say, He’s still got such a long way to go. If the truth were known you would see That the only good in me – is Jesus, O, it’s Jesus.
F. Enables true worship, since we praise God for his mercy and truth.
G. Builds relationships, by Speaking the truth in love means to speak with love and grace.
Conclusion
We have been entrusted with the truth.
H. When truth is silent, false views seem plausible.
I. Nothing but the Truth
A woman stands before judge and jury, places one hand on the Bible and the other in the air, and makes a pledge. For the next few minutes, with God as her helper, she will “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
She is a witness. Her job is not to expand upon nor dilute the truth. Her job is to tell the truth. Leave it to the legal counsel to interpret. Leave it to the jury to resolve. Leave it to the judge to apply. But the witness? The witness speaks the truth. Let her do more or less and she taints the outcome. But let her do that—let her tell the truth—and justice has a chance.
The Christian, too, is a witness. We, too, make a pledge. Like the witness in court, we are called to tell the truth. The bench may be absent and the judge unseen, but the Bible is present, the watching world is the jury, and we are the primary witnesses. We are subpoenaed by no less than Jesus himself: “You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world” (Acts 1:8, italics mine).
We are witnesses. And like witnesses in a court, we are called to testify, to tell what we have seen and heard. And we are to speak truthfully. Our task is not to whitewash nor bloat the truth. Our task is to tell the truth. Period.
There is, however, one difference between the witness in court and the witness for Christ. The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair, but the witness for Christ never does. Since the claims of Christ are always on trial, court is perpetually in session, and we remain under oath. For the Christian, deception is never an option. It wasn’t an option for Jesus
