If someone were to ask you the role that truth plays in your life, what answer would you give? Is there a foundation upon which your answer would rest or does it feel fluid and unsure? Do you consider truth to be personal or something that applies to all people? What is the nature of truth? Have you ever wondered if truth really exists? If so, then join me on our journey today as we look into this issue.
When I was young, it never crossed my mind to question what truth was. The first time I heard someone say “you have your truth and I have mine”, I scratched my head. I mean, 1+1=2, isn’t that a truth? Without oxygen to breath, a person dies. Is this just a truth for some and not for others? Murdering a human being is wrong. Is this not so? And yet, somehow the meaning of truth has become muddy in our society. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Back in Bible times, we read that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (Recorded in the Bible – John 18:38.)
So, what is truth? Is there a definite foundation upon which truth is grounded? First, let’s see how the dictionary defines truth. Merriam-Webster1 states:
1a(1): the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY
(2): the state of being the case : FACT
(3)often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
b: a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true truths of thermodynamics
c: the body of true statements and propositions
2a: the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality…
c: fidelity to an original or to a standard
3a: sincerity in action, character, and utterance
(You can see the complete list of definitions at the website noted in the footnotes.)
The key words that I see when reading these definitions are: real things, fact, reality, true, faithful to a standard. I found another definition in the article “What is Truth” by John C. P. Smith where he quotes Dr. Alfred Jepsen, “The late Dr. Alfred Jepsen, former professor of Old Testament at the University of Greisfwald, puts it this way: “Truth is that which is constant and unchangeable . . . something on which someone can rely, which will prove to be true in the future” (Jepsen 1977, in TDOT, p. 310).”2
In Dr. Jepsen’s definition, I see the elements of being faithful to a standard – unchangeable, constant, which is in line with the Merriam-Webster definition. Some people base “truth” upon how they feel at a particular moment. For example, at first Sheila wants to keep the baby in her womb; she views it as a precious life. Then, when she and her boyfriend breakup, the baby is no longer viewed by her as precious but rather a bad reminder of a tough situation. What is reality? What is true? Does the value of that baby’s life change just because Sheila’s feelings changed? Does the baby stop being a precious human being just because its parents are no longer together? Truth must be true no matter the outside circumstances.
Some people look for truth within themselves. Can this work? We, as human beings, all have inconsistencies and are constantly changing. Emotions are unstable and fickle. How many heinous crimes have been committed due to the way someone feels? To try and find truth within oneself, is futile. Looking within myself, I see an imperfect person who would be in utter confusion if I tried to find the answer to life within myself. How about you? If you honestly evaluate your own heart, what do you find? Are you completely honest, loving, pure, and self-less, or are you just like the rest of us? Truth by its very nature must be based upon a solid, unchanging foundation, a standard. Where is this foundation found?
Others look to science for truth thinking that is a solid foundation. At Forbes.com, I read an article by Paul M. Sutter called “Science Does Not Reveal Truth”. In this article, Mr. Sutter touches upon the problem of looking to science as our standard. He says,
“And all our models and theories are representations and approximations of reality as we see it. That is not truth.
“The biggest giveaway is that scientific theories change with time. As we acquire new information or new data, we have to update all of our beliefs. And how can a belief be true if it is subject to change at a moment’s notice?”3
So, where can we find a solid foundation upon which truth rests? A foundation that is unchanging throughout time and space? The answer to this can only be found within the One who created truth; the one who defines truth… God Himself. Just before Pontius Pilate asked the age-old question “What is truth?” Jesus Christ made this statement (John 18:37), “…for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” In John 14:6 Jesus proclaims, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” God Himself is truth and in His Word (the Bible), we learn His standard. He states right and wrong, how we should act, He looks at the heart of matters. God Himself is never changing, therefore He is a sure foundation upon which we can build our viewpoints and framework for life. Hebrews 13:8 assures of this, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As we embrace what God says in the Bible as truth, decision making becomes easier because we now know the standard (the rule of measure) by which we are designed to live. This brings peace and direction.
In light of the definition of truth, is it possible to have a personal truth that applies to you alone? If you say “yes”, my question is, “what is the unmoving foundation that your personal truth is based upon?” Is your heart willing to accept truth as being unchanging, the same for everyone for all time? I hope so, because for truth to positively impact your life, it must be accepted.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and [a]acts on them, [b]may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the [c]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7: 24 & 25
*All scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible 1995.
- Accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truth
- John C. P. Smith, “What Is Truth?”, April 17, 2015, Accessed 5/18/2022, https://answersingenesis.org/hermeneutics/what-is-truth/
- Paul M. Sutter, “Science Does Not Reveal Truth”, October 27, 2019, Accessed 5/18/2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulmsutter/2019/10/27/science-does-not-reveal-truth/?sh=2ee4d47b38c3
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