WHAT IS TRUTH?

Jeremy McLellan - July 17, 2004

Truth (trooth), n., pl. 1. the true or actual state of a matter 2. conformity with fact or reality 3. a verified or indisputable fact.

As Webster’s dictionary defines truth as the actual state of a matter or reality. Reality exists despite what we think or believe. Whether or not we believe that there is oxygen, reality is that there is oxygen, otherwise we would not be able to live. It is important to point out that the word “truth” is singular and not plural. It is not possible to have (many) truths. There can only be one truth. If Joe says I have the truth, and Frank claims to have the truth, and they contradict one another, they cannot both be the truth. One or the other is right or they are both wrong.

So what is truth, or how do we know who or what is the truth? As the definition stated, we must verify the claimed facts; whether they are the truth.

In the Bible, Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 Jesus did not claim to be a truth, but the truth. By this one statement alone, Jesus Christ has set Himself apart from every other man, leader, or religious guru who claimed to have found the truth. Jesus claimed Himself to be the truth. Having claimed to be the truth, are there any verifiable facts that would lend weight to His claim? The answer is Yes. Here are few examples:

1. The prophecies pertaining to His birth. In the Old Testament, many years before Jesus was born, the prophets of old foretold of such details as the exact place (Micah 5:2) and time (Daniel 9:25) that Jesus would be born.

2. The miracles He performed. Throughout the gospels, there are listed many miracles that Jesus performed (Making the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the dead being raised) to verify who He claimed to be.

3. His death and resurrection. Jesus declared, “as the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up, so too must the Son of Man be lifted up, that He might draw all men unto Himself.” John 3:14 and 12:32-33. Jesus predicted by what manner of death He would die. He also predicted that He would rise from the dead. The Bible declares that during the forty days He walked the earth after He rose from the dead, He was seen by the disciples, by some women, and at one point by over 500 people at the same time. Many of these same people would go on to die for believing that Jesus raised from the dead.

Maybe you are searching for the truth. Maybe you want to know the truth. Consider the following promise from Jesus:

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

Jesus said we have to look no further than to the Bible to find the truth. If we remain in His Word, then we shall know the truth and be free indeed!!!!