What Is Truth?
The Watershed Truth of Human History
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
— John 18:37–38
There is something almost tragic about Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” He asks the question while Truth Himself is standing directly in front of him. Jesus Christ—the One who would later be described as “the image of the invisible God,” the One who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”—stands before Pilate, and Pilate asks: What is truth? Perhaps no question better captures the crisis of our own age. We have more access to information than any generation before us, yet we seem increasingly uncertain whether truth itself can even be known. We are not merely debating what is true anymore. We are experiencing a crisis concerning the very nature of truth itself.
When Image Becomes More Important Than Reality
We live in an age of carefully curated realities. Images can be edited. Stories can be framed. Personal brands can be constructed. Social media allows us to present selected versions of ourselves to the world. Increasingly, accurate perception of reality seems less important than the impression that is communicated. What matters is how something appears. How it makes us feel. How it is presented. How many people believe it. How compelling the story is. How attractive the image looks. But truth does not need makeup. Truth does not need embellishment. Truth does not need varnish. There is such a thing as the unvarnished truth—reality as it actually is. Something is either real or it isn’t. Something either happened, or it didn’t. Something is either true or false regardless of how convincingly we present an alternative. Yet increasingly, truth is being replaced by images, impressions, feelings, and preferences. Instead of asking: “Is this true?” we often ask: “Does this feel true to me?” And those are very different questions.
“My Truth” Is Not Necessarily the Truth
One of the dominant ideas of our culture is that truth is relative. You have your truth. I have my truth. Everyone is entitled to construct his or her own reality. Certainly, we all have different experiences and perspectives. Two people can witness the same event and remember certain details differently. We don’t always look at things from the same angle. Our experiences, emotions, assumptions, desires, and backgrounds influence how we interpret what we see. But here is the problem: Your perception of reality is not necessarily reality. Neither is mine. You can sincerely believe something and still be sincerely wrong. Our confidence does not determine truth. Our emotions do not determine truth. Our preferences do not determine truth. Our perception does not create reality. There is such a thing as objective reality. And without objective reality, the very concept of truth eventually collapses.
Truth Corresponds to Reality
One of the oldest ways philosophers have described truth is through the Correspondence Theory of Truth. Simply stated: Truth is that which corresponds to reality. To tell the truth is to tell it like it is. To live according to truth is to live according to what actually is. If I tell you it is raining outside and rain is actually falling from the sky, my statement corresponds to reality. It is true. But immediately we encounter another problem. Whose perception of reality? Whose viewpoint? Whose interpretation? After all, human beings do not possess perfect knowledge. We see partly. We misunderstand. We misinterpret. We forget. We are influenced by prejudice, emotion, fear, and desire. So perhaps the fuller Christian statement is this: Truth is that which corresponds to reality as it actually is—and God alone sees reality perfectly.
Reality as God Sees It
God does not merely have another perspective among competing human perspectives. God has the perfect perspective. Nothing is hidden from Him. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing escapes His knowledge. He knows every event completely. He understands every motive. He sees every hidden intention. He knows what happened before anyone tells the story.
Hebrews says:
“No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
— Hebrews 4:13
This means there is an objective reality beyond our perceptions, since God knows things exactly as they are. You may have your interpretation. I may have mine. Someone else may have another. But God knows. And ultimately, His assessment is the one that matters. That can be comforting. But it can also be terrifying. Because it means that I cannot ultimately hide behind the image I present.
God Knows the Truth About Me
Every one of us manages an image to some extent. There is the person people see. There is the person we believe ourselves to be. There is the person we want others to believe we are. And then there is the person God actually sees. God knows the truth about me. He knows the motives beneath my actions. He knows whether my generosity was really generosity. He knows whether my humility was actually pride in disguise. He knows why I said what I said. He knows what I thought but never spoke. He knows what happens when no one else is watching. Before God, there is no public relations department. There is no filter. There is no carefully constructed version of ourselves. There is only truth.
Jesus warned:
“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
— Luke 12:2
Eventually, God gets to the truth of the matter. Including the truth about us.
The Truth About God Is Even More Confronting
There is another truth we often resist: The truth about God. God does not begin existing when someone believes in Him. If God exists, then He exists whether you acknowledge Him or not. Your disbelief cannot erase Him. Your belief cannot create Him. Reality is not produced by preference. And perhaps one reason humanity finds objective truth threatening is because of what the truth about God means for us. If God is truly holy—if He is truly Creator—if He truly has authority over us—if we truly will stand before Him—then some of us have a big problem. Because the truth of God’s holiness exposes the truth of our sinfulness. If God is holy and we are guilty, then we cannot simply redefine reality until we become comfortable with it. We need rescue. We need forgiveness. We need reconciliation. We need a Savior. And that brings us back to the man standing before Pilate.
Truth Was Standing in Front of Him
John records this extraordinary conversation:
“Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’”
— John 18:37–38
Pilate asks: What is truth? But the irony is staggering. Truth is standing right in front of him. Jesus had already said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
— John 14:6
Jesus does not merely teach truth. Jesus does not simply possess exceptional insight into truth. Jesus is the incarnation of Truth itself. If we want to know what reality looks like from God’s perspective, we ultimately look to Jesus Christ. Because in Jesus, God has stepped into human history.
The Watershed Truth of Human History
There are certain truths that function like watersheds. A watershed truth is a truth that becomes a major dividing point—a foundational reality upon which many other conclusions depend. It is a decisive point after which everything takes a different course. In Christianity, there is one watershed truth above all others: Jesus Christ is Lord and King. Get Jesus right and countless other truths begin to fall into place. Get Jesus wrong, and eventually everything else becomes distorted. That is why Jesus’ question in Matthew 16:15 cannot remain merely academic. Who is Jesus? Was He simply a moral teacher? A religious revolutionary? A prophet? A misunderstood rabbi? Or is He who He claimed to be? The Son of God. The King. The Savior. The Truth. Your answer becomes a watershed. Because if Jesus Christ is truly who Scripture says He is, then nothing remains the same.
“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?””
Matthew 16:15
“So You Are a King?”
Pilate asks: “So you are a king?” Jesus’ answer reveals something extraordinary. His kingdom is not from this world. Jesus is indeed King. And this is one of the great realities upon which Christianity stands: There is a King, and His name is Jesus. The Christian proclamation is therefore not merely: Jesus can improve your life. It is not simply: Jesus can give you peace. Or: Jesus has some helpful teachings. The Christian proclamation is: Jesus Christ is King. He possesses a kingdom. He possesses authority. He possesses the right to rule. And His kingship does not depend upon whether humanity recognizes it. Pilate was looking at a bound prisoner. He saw weakness. He saw political inconvenience. He saw someone the crowd wanted executed. But Pilate’s perception did not determine reality. The prisoner standing before him was the King of kings. Appearances can deceive. Reality remains reality.
The Truth on Which Christianity Stands or Falls
Christianity makes historical claims. It does not merely offer inspiring spiritual ideas. Consider the resurrection. Paul writes:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:14
That is remarkable. Paul does not say: It doesn’t matter whether the resurrection actually happened as long as believing it makes you a better person. No. He ties Christianity to objective reality. Either Christ rose from the dead or He did not. If He did not rise, Christianity collapses. If He did rise, everything changes. The truth matters because reality matters. Our faith is built upon the astonishing affirmation that Jesus Christ really lived, really died, really rose from the grave, and really reigns as King. That is watershed truth. Your life ultimately stands or falls upon what you do with Him.
Everyone Who Is of the Truth Hears His Voice
Jesus makes another striking statement: “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” This turns Pilate’s question around. Pilate asks: “What is truth?” Jesus effectively directs us toward another question: “Will you listen to the Truth?” Everyone who is genuinely seeking God’s truth must eventually contend with Jesus Christ. You cannot endlessly pursue truth while permanently ignoring the One who declared Himself to be Truth. To be “of the truth” is to hear His voice. To recognize Him. To receive what He says. To submit ourselves to reality as God has revealed it through His Son. The question is therefore not merely whether we find Jesus interesting. The question is whether we will listen to Him.
Pilate Knew Enough Truth to Act—But Didn’t
Perhaps one of the most sobering parts of the passage comes immediately after Pilate asks “What is truth?” He walks outside and declares: “I find no guilt in him.” Pilate knew something. Jesus was innocent. Yet knowing the truth and obeying the truth are different things. Pilate would eventually surrender Jesus to crucifixion. Why? Among other things, the crowd mattered. Political pressure mattered. Public perception mattered. The image he needed to maintain mattered. Pilate had truth before him but allowed impression and expediency to triumph over reality. And that danger remains with us. We can know what is right but choose what is popular. Know what is true but choose what is convenient. Know what God says but choose what preserves our reputation. The crowd did not care enough about the truth. Pilate cared too much about the crowd. And Truth was crucified between them.
We Are Too Easily Persuaded
One reason this matters so much is that human beings are remarkably persuadable. We like to imagine ourselves as independent thinkers. But repetition influences us. Popularity influences us. Emotion influences us. Images influence us. Fear influences us. People we admire influence us. Algorithms influence us. If we hear something often enough, from enough people, and presented attractively enough, we may begin to accept it without asking whether it is actually true. Scripture warns us against such naïveté:
“The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”
— Proverbs 14:15
We must recover the ability to ask: Is this actually true? Not: Is everyone saying it? Not: Does it affirm me? Not: Is it fashionable? Not: Does it fit the image I want to maintain? But: Does it correspond to reality as God has revealed reality?
Without Truth, the Mind Eventually Closes
Ironically, abandoning objective truth does not make us more open-minded. Eventually, it can make genuine conversation impossible. If your truth belongs exclusively to you and my truth belongs exclusively to me, there is no reality outside ourselves to which either of us can appeal. Correction becomes offensive. Disagreement becomes personal. Evidence becomes optional. And the only remaining question becomes: Whose version of reality will prevail? But truth gives us something beyond ourselves. Truth allows me to say: I may be wrong. It allows you to say: My perception may be incomplete. It gives both of us somewhere to look beyond our own preferences. And for the Christian, that ultimately means looking toward God.
Test Everything
This is why Scripture repeatedly calls believers to discernment. John writes:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
— 1 John 4:1
Paul says:
“Test everything; hold fast what is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21
The Bereans were praised because they examined the Scriptures daily to determine whether what they were hearing was true. Christian faith is not supposed to produce gullible people. We should not believe something merely because it sounds spiritual. Or because a preacher said it. Or because thousands of people shared it. Or because it produced an emotional experience. Or because someone confidently declares: “God told me.” Test it. Compare it with Scripture. Ask whether it corresponds with what God has revealed. Because God does not contradict Himself.
The Father of Lies
Jesus describes Satan in stark language:
“When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
— John 8:44
The great spiritual conflict has always involved truth. Go back to Genesis. The serpent approaches Eve with a question: “Did God actually say…?” Notice the strategy. Before outright rebellion comes the destabilization of truth. Did God really say that? Is that really what He meant? Can His Word really be trusted? Perhaps reality is different from what God told you. That ancient strategy has never disappeared. A lie does not have to completely replace the truth. Sometimes it only needs to make us uncertain enough about the truth for us to stop obeying it.
Truth Does Not Need Embellishment
This is why Christians must resist the temptation to manipulate truth—even for supposedly good purposes. Truth does not need makeup. It does not need exaggeration. It does not need embellishment. It does not require us to make the facts more dramatic so people will believe them. If Christianity is true, we do not need to manufacture miracles. We do not need to exaggerate testimonies. We do not need to manipulate emotions. We do not need to create a false image of ourselves as Christians who never struggle. Tell it like it is. Live it like it is. The unvarnished truth is enough. Because truth ultimately belongs to God.
What Is the Truth About You?
Pilate’s question finally becomes personal. What is truth? What is the truth about God? What is the truth about Jesus? But also: What is the truth about you? Not the Instagram version. Not the church version. Not the professional version. Not the version your friends believe. Not even necessarily the version you have convinced yourself is true. Who are you when seen from God’s perfect perspective? That can be an uncomfortable question. But it is also the beginning of freedom. Jesus said:
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
— John 8:32
Freedom begins when we stop hiding from reality. When we tell the truth about our sin, we can discover forgiveness. When we tell the truth about our weakness, we can discover grace. When we tell the truth about our emptiness, we can discover Christ’s sufficiency. When we tell the truth about our guilt, we can discover the cross. God does not expose truth about us merely to condemn us. He brings us into the light so that He can redeem us.
What Is the Truth About Jesus?
But eventually every question leads back here. Who is Jesus Christ? That is the watershed question of human history. Everything downstream is affected by the answer. If He is merely another religious figure, you can admire Him and move on. But if He is the Son of God—if He rose from the dead—if He is King—if He is the Truth—then He cannot simply be acknowledged. He must be followed. Jesus said: “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Truth therefore has a voice. And the voice belongs to Jesus. Pilate stood face-to-face with Truth and still asked: “What is truth?” We should be careful not to do the same. Searching endlessly. Debating endlessly. Redefining endlessly. Questioning endlessly. While refusing to listen to the One standing before us. The ultimate truth is not something humanity invented. It is not something culture votes upon. It is not something we manufacture from our preferences. Truth has revealed Himself. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the King of the Kingdom. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. And everyone who is of the truth listens to His voice. So perhaps the most important question is no longer Pilate’s: “What is truth?” Perhaps the question is: What will you do with the Truth now that He is standing before you?
