What is Truth?

Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!”

Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate asked, “WHAT IS TRUTH?” 

–John 18:37–38

Pilate asks a critical question. “What is TRUTH?” has always been an important question. In our times it has become a critical question because there are many voices giving competing and often conflicting answers.

Truth represents and expresses what is really-real.

In our previous discussion of reality, we said that reality can be comprehend and communicated with language because our Creator has made things this way. Truth accurately communicates reality in a way that we can all comprehend things together.

Jesus says that He came into the world to testify to the truth. As we will see in the next topic, the Bible presents Jesus as not only a “witness” to the Truth, but the origin of Truth itself. In all that Jesus teaches, He points us to the Truth – the way things actually are.

But then, Jesus says something very intriguing: “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” What does it mean to “belong to the truth“?

In order to recognize the TRUTH, you have to be truth-full. In other words, you have to be characterized by a love of truth. It is difficult for people who reject truth to recognize it fully. It is near impossible for people who are deceitful and duplicitous to acknowledge truth.

Writing in the 11th Century, Anselm of Canterbury gave some great insight into this:

I am not trying, O Lord, to penetrate thy loftiness, for I cannot begin to match my understanding with it, but I desire in some measure to understand thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. 

For I do not seek to understand in order to believe,
but I believe in order to understand. 

For this too I believe, that unless I believe, I shall not understand.

—Anselm, Proslogion

Belief precedes understanding. This is a critical, foundational reality. Since Descartes, philosophers have started with doubt and skepticism about reality as Descartes did. Then this doubt and skepticism cuts off certain sources of knowledge and wisdom to us. Unfortunately, since Adam we have become masters of rejecting knowledge that does not fit our desires. This is especially true when it comes to God and the nature of the World.

Belief is ultimately an exercise of trust.

If I could interpret Anselm’s statement through my own understanding, I would say that he desired to know God more deeply but he knew that in His essence, God was beyond Anselm’s grasp. So, Anselm decided to believe, trust God to guide him to understanding.

The author of Hebrews says this:

Hebrews 11:6
Now without faith it is impossible to please God,
for the one who draws near to Him MUST believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

When we begin with ontology (being) and then allow God’s existence to define prime reality we open the doors to understanding truth. If we decide to trust Him, especially in the way He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, we can not only know the truth, but also be shaped by that truth. Understanding will follow our faith.

But Anselm also mentions loving God’s truth before fully understanding it. What we love – treasure above other things – plays a huge role in determining the shape of our worldview. We will turn to that core topic in a future session.