What is truth?

‘What is truth?’ is an especially vexed question today. The prevailing reality is that truth’, in many cases, is whatever you want to believe. To one group of people a particular behaviour is ok but to another it is not. So it is true to one group and false to the other, even though the behaviour is the same.

There’s another variation on this type of truth. There are behaviours which were taboo 50 years ago but now are ok. So what was true 50 years ago is not now.

Both of these types of truths are relative truths. They are truths which change depending on time and circumstance. So they are not a constant.

But there is another type of truth - absolute truth; a truth which does not change at all, ever.

About 2000 years ago the Roman governor Pilate asked Jesus about his words ”Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” Pilate infamously said “What is truth?” A fuller account is in John 18:37-38 (NLT) but it’s a reasonable assumption that Pilate only understood relative truths which were a part of both Greek and Roman culture.

Now consider these words about Jesus. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

God is truth, absolute truth; and so is His son, Jesus. I find this constancy so very reassuring when it seems there is so much I can’t count on.

The message which God has given us in His book the Bible is a constant and an absolute. Jesus will return and set this sad world to rights. And we can all be a part of this. How this is possible is explained in the Bible.