Truth is freedom from bad images of God
"What is truth?"
This is the question an exasperated Pilate asked Jesus when Jesus said to him, "I have come into the cosmos to demonstrate the power of truth. Everyone who seeks truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).
Pilate unwittingly asked one of the great questions of humanity. A quick Google search of that question will lead you to hundreds of philosophy, science, and religious sites.
Followers of Jesus are often quick to respond with excellent Sunday school answers: "The Bible is truth," or "Jesus is truth," but the question, and truth itself, deserves a more thoughtful and reasoned response.
Take the Bible, for example, is it true because it's literally true all the time (seven 24-hour days of creation, an actual beast with ten horns and seven heads rising from the sea as per Revelation), or do we call it truth for another reason? What about Jesus? Why does Jesus call himself Truth (John 14:6)? Is it because he is the correct answer to every trivia question? "What is the capital of Mongolia?" "Jesus!" Or is it for some other reason?
In order to understand statements about truth from a thoughtful Christian perspective, let us first deal with what truth is not.
Truth is not whatever we want it to be
Truth is not whatever makes people feel good
Truth is not whatever we believe
Truth is not even necessarily what the majority believes
Truth is not a synonym for literally accurate
The Greek word for truth (aletheia) means unconcealed or hiding nothing. In other words, there is nothing hidden or obscured. The Hebrew word for truth (emet) means real, constant, or reliable. There is substance to it, and it can be relied upon.
Jesus is truth not because he's the correct answer to a math equation, but because, as he says in John 17, he fully reveals the Father to us. There is nothing hidden or obscured in him. When we look at Jesus, we see God. We can rely on him to accurately portray God's heart and character.
Yes, the Bible can be trusted and relied upon as our guide for life, but our interpretation and application of it can be incorrect. This means, of course, that if we are reading and interpreting the true Bible in a way that is inconsistent with the words and character of Jesus in the Gospels (who is the true reflection of the Father's heart), or if we are reading it in a way it was not intended to be read, we are reading and interpreting it incorrectly.
Keep in mind truth corresponds to reality, thus belief and truth are not the same. To believe implies to trust. Hopefully what we choose to believe / trust is also true. However, choosing to believe or trust that the earth is flat does not make the earth flat. The earth is what it is, and truth corresponds to that reality. Our belief may not.
PAUSE and REFLECT: With all this in mind, how do we discern and live in truth?
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him "If you hear My voiceand remain faithful to my teaching... you will know the truth, and the truth will give you freedom.” (John 8:31-32).
"Immerse them in the truth, the truth Your voice speaks." (John 17:17, when Jesus prays for his followers)
"I have come into the cosmos to demonstrate the power of truth. Everyone who seeks truth hears My voice." (John 18:39)
If we believe in Jesus and listen to his voice, we are trusting an accurate and full revelation of God. This truth of who God is sets us free from the many ways we and others misconstrue God's heart or intentions. When we don't listen, we enslave ourselves or hurt others by trusting unreliable and inaccurate expressions of God. Jesus, the truth of who God is, sets us free from bad images of God.
Many things claim to be true, and they all want our trust and belief. They shout to us they know God, they know God's will, they know what will make us happy and fully alive. When was the last time we pulled away from the mayhem to hear the voice of Jesus?
It reminds me of a poem I wrote many years ago as I struggled to hear God's voice:
My mind is crowded.
Every thought, influence, and to-do
vies for my attention
like carnival hawkers
seducing me to come to their booth
and spend my time.
God patiently sits and waits
for the quietness of my soul.
He does not hawk cheap wares
or fast entertainment.
The emptier something is, the
more devoid of life-giving power,
louder it barks and harder it tries
to get my attention.
Because it is not whole,
it cannot let its presence speak for itself.
God can.
So he quietly sits and waits.
Peace in the midst of the whirling dervish
of my thoughts and busyness.
We root ourselves in the truth of who God is by abiding in Jesus. He is the unconcealed revelation of God, and he wants to speak with me. When I listen I hear the truth about God and about me, and this truth sets me.
My invitation to you, reader, is the next time you begin to pray or pick up your Bible to read, pause ten seconds to draw your attention to God's loving presence with you, whisper, "Here I am" to him, and ask him to help you hear his voice. Don't assume you know what he will say. Instead, listen for the quiet voice of love that fills you with peace.
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Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash