I’ve contemplated a number of larger topics that could be the subject for this article. I finally settled on an issue that crops up in the general American culture from time to time. I’ve narrowed the subject down with the intent of making Christians aware of how non-believers have tried to steal its meaning. I hope it will be helpful to you.

That subject is truth. “What is truth?” is a question raised by Pontius Pilate and was recorded in (NASB) John 18:38, “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no guilt in Him.’” There is a conclusive answer to Pilate’s question. Back in John 14: 6 we read that answer, “Jesus said ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

This Truth has been eroding, becoming too insignificant culturally for too long now. Man’s rebellion from God has taken many forms. The most recent contribution is the attempt to deny God’s Authority by denying any objective truth altogether. In past articles I’ve alluded to this attempt by bringing up a phrase now being bantered about by seemingly witless writers. But these people are just the latest in a long line of those who obviously have denied God and His Truth, even if they are just blissfully ignorant.

There has been a progression of thought that eventually brought about the self-condemning phrase, “my truth.” But even that phrase wasn’t the final point of this way to deny God. Now there are those who want to complete the discourse by telling us that there are others in the same camp. They do this by using the phrases “his truth” or “her truth.” Nothing could be farther from the Truth.

This progression began long ago. A misinterpretation of the philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard was the beginning. He was touted as having said that “truth is subjectivity.” Others took that statement and ran with it. They claimed that if there is no objective truth then all truth must be subjective. That was the basis for a shift in philosophic thinking that became known as “Existentialism.” What people ignored was that Soren Kierkegaard was trying to explain that mankind was limited in his own knowledge and understanding. Therefore, the only way to understand objective truth was to agree with God and His pronouncements.

However, the path later philosophers took was to separate themselves from the old and supposedly outdated ways of thinking. This movement became known as “Modernism.” This new way of thinking ultimately lead to a total denial of there being any universal truths. This became known as “Post-Modernism.” Its main tenet can be described in the statement the truth is that for whatever you believe to be true is true for you. This makes for a very confusing world if one were to remain logically consistent. But for those adherents the explanation simply says that agreement gives mankind a way to move forward with a new social structure. In those instances where there is disagreement or misunderstanding it then becomes a truth just for the individual and not for everyone. How convenient and easy to say how in any individual situation what is, is “my truth.” That won’t and can’t work.

The whole argument for this line of reasoning simply falls apart when you consider the etymology, definition and provenance of the word “truth” being used. This is where the rubber meets the road. Simply, there is no such thing as “my truth.” It ignores the fact that any definition of “truth” includes an either/or proposition, an ultimatum.

The word truth cannot be associated in any way to other ideas like false, lie, probable, or possible. Truth is their antithesis. Truth stands alone and apart from any other category. There isn’t any need to wander off into the ideas behind any maxims, or the categorical imperative of Immanuel Kant. Simply put, the premise that the truth is true is an unavoidable position. But, how do we know it when we see it?

Here we can return to Soren Kierkegaard’s writing and his revelation of where truth can be discovered. The origin and originator of truth is God alone. We find out what God has said on the subject of truth in the scriptures. It is the ONLY PLACE where The Truth is found.

The Bible is clear about the subject of “What is truth?” As stated before, John 14: 6 gives us the truth. The answer is, “Jesus said ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” However, there’s more, it doesn’t stop there. The Bible goes further, giving us a more complete answer.

John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Therefore, by knowing and accepting God’s Truth we become sanctified, set apart, and adopted as children of God.

Then because we’ve been adopted by God we are told in Philippians 4: 8; “ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

It is fitting to end this discussion and the quotations from the Bible with what is found in I Timothy 2: 3-4. “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

 With this unmistakable knowledge of the truth, we can proclaim to the sinful world that Jesus is the Savior for all mankind; He is the Christ (anointed one) and the Messiah.  Most importantly, He is the Lord for those who believe and will spend an eternity with Him because of the forgiveness of our sins.

That is where the Truth is. It isn’t found in some sort of vague phrase like, “my truth,” along with the phrases “his truth” or “her truth.” These are just another lie perpetrated upon men by the father of lies.