What Is Truth Series

What is truth

John 18:38-40

In the court of law before a person testifies they place their hand into the air and swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. And it is assumed that fallen man by saying that oath will tell the truth when they stand before the judge. But day in and day out judges throughout the world hear testimony from plaintiffs and defendants that contradicts one another.

A boy of the age of twelve was an important witness in a lawsuit. One lawyer, who was cross-examining him, said, "Your father has been telling you how to testify, hasn’t he?" "Yes," said the boy. "Now just tell us how your father told you to testify," the lawyer remarked. "Well," replied the boy, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony; but if I would just be careful and tell the truth, I could tell the same thing every time."

In this passage today Pilate asked the question that has the power to not only change the world but change you life

He ask, “What is truth?”

no doubt truth is under attack today. In the religious world there are many people who are saying that no one is wrong in what they believe and everyone is right as long as they are sincere. The trouble with such thinking is that it would mean that the Bible and Koran would both have to be truth along with the book of Mormon and any other religious book you throw into the mix and yet they contradict one another.

In a magazine from a university in Ohio, a professor is quoted as saying, “We want to prepare students on how to think, not tell them what to think.” On the surface that may sound good, but the philosophy behind it is: “Truth is something you discover in your own mind. There are no facts, no absolute truths, no rights or wrongs, it is up to you to come up with your own truth.

That's why it is so important for us today to answer the question “What is truth?” because the answer to this question is one of eternal importance. If the Bible is truth than there is life after the grave. If the Bible is true than there is only one way to get to heaven.” If the Bible is true than those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity regretting their decision.

When we last looked at this passage Jesus was arrested and taken to Pilate

he is going through his trials in a rush because the religious leaders are done with him and want him put to death.

The Jews had no legal rights to kill a person because they were under Roman law and Rome had taken over the execution of criminals.

Johns purpose in writing was to show us the deity of Jesus, that he was God in flesh

throughout this trial Jesus was innocent of all charges

Even when Pilate asked the Jews what accusation they had against Christ they just responded and said, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”

We know that God was the one in charge of the events that took place this night because it was Gods will to bring salvation to the entire world. And his death would have to be through crucification in order to fulfill the Old testament prophets and Psalms.

The gospel of Matthew tells us that the night before this trial that Pilates wife had a dream

Mat 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

This morning I want to focus on the question that Pilate ask in verse 38, “What is truth?”

Pilate at this point was guiniely seeking the truth as any good judge would. Yet he failed to acknowledge that he was standing in front of truth

The Bible proclaims that there is only one truth in the world. That truth is Jesus Christ, revealed to us in scripture

Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jhn 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Notice that these two verses do not say that Jesus points the way to truth or that the Bible references truth but simply says thy word is truth and Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Yet just because Jesus claimed to be truth and the Bible claims to be true, the claim alone does not make them truth.