Lesson 6 — What Is Truth? | Jesus Is the Way, Truth and Life
Updated: 5 days ago
Key truth:
Truth is not merely an idea to debate or something we define for ourselves. Truth has a name: Jesus Christ. We come to know the Truth by continuing in His Word—and when the Son makes us free, we are free indeed.
Taking the Hard Questions to Jesus — One Lesson at a Time
In Lesson 5, we asked why we hide and why we lie.
We saw that a lie may feel like protection for a moment, but it cannot change reality, cleanse the conscience, repair trust, forgive sin, or make us free.
That brings us to the question beneath all of it:
What is truth?
Is truth whatever I sincerely believe?
Is truth determined by what I feel?
Does truth change according to the person, the culture, or the circumstances?
Or is truth something—and Someone—outside of us whom we must come to know?
Come sit with me awhile,
and let’s keep learning from Christ and the Word of God together.
Pilate Asked, “What Is Truth?”
When Jesus stood before Pilate, He said:
“To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth
heareth my voice.”— John 18:37 KJV
Pilate responded:
“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?”— John 18:38 KJV
Pilate asked one of the greatest questions mankind can ask.
And Truth was standing directly in front of him.
Pilate asked, “What is truth?”
But the deeper answer is not merely what.
It is Who.
Truth Has a Name
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”— John 14:6 KJV
Jesus did not say:
I know one version of the truth.
I can help you discover your own truth.
I am one truth among many.
He said:
“I am…the truth.”
Truth is not merely an idea.
Truth has a name:
Jesus Christ.
If Jesus is the Truth, then truth does not begin with me.
It does not begin with my feelings, opinions, desires, fears, or understanding.
It begins with Him.
My thoughts can be mistaken.
My emotions can change.
My perspective can be limited.
My heart can deceive me.
But Jesus Christ does not change.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”— Hebrews 13:8 KJV
What Feels Right Is Not Always True
Scripture warns us:
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death.”— Proverbs 14:12 KJV
Something can seem right to me and still be wrong.
A feeling can be real without being a reliable guide to truth.
Fear can tell me that hiding is safe.
Anger can tell me that cruelty is justified.
Pride can tell me that correction is an attack.
Desire can tell me that something must be good because I want it.
Shame can tell me that I am beyond mercy.
But none of those feelings determines what is true.
God’s Word tells us:
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?”— Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
This does not mean that feelings have no meaning.
They can show us that something is happening within us.
But feelings must be brought to God and examined in the Light of His Word.
My heart cannot safely become its own source of truth.
I need Jesus.
Thy Word Is Truth
Jesus prayed to the Father:
“Sanctify them through thy truth:
thy word is truth.”— John 17:17 KJV
God’s Word does not merely contain helpful opinions about truth.
Jesus said:
“Thy word is truth.”
That gives us somewhere solid to stand.
When a thought, teaching, argument, or spiritual experience presents itself,
we do not have to accept it merely because it sounds convincing or feels powerful.
We bring it to the Word of God.
We ask:
Does this agree with what God has spoken?
Does it agree with the character and teaching of Jesus Christ?
Does it lead toward truth, holiness, repentance, love, and obedience?
Or does it help the flesh excuse sin,
defend itself, accuse others, or remain in control?
Truth is not established by how strongly I feel.
Truth is established by God.
Continue in My Word
Jesus explains how we come to know the Truth:
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
“And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”— John 8:31–32 KJV
We often quote:
“The truth shall make you free.”
But Jesus first said:
“If ye continue in my word…”
Knowing truth is not separated from continuing in the Word of Christ.
It is more than hearing one verse.
It is more than agreeing with a statement.
It is more than collecting information about Jesus.
A disciple continues.
A disciple remains.
A disciple learns.
A disciple allows Christ’s Word to correct, teach, and transform.
Jesus said:
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”
Then:
“And ye shall know the truth…”
The key word is know.
Not merely know about Him.
Know Him.
Jesus said:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”— John 17:3 KJV
What Kind of Freedom?
The people listening to Jesus did not understand what kind of freedom He meant.
“They answered him,
We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man:
how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?”— John 8:33 KJV
They were thinking about outward bondage.
Jesus was speaking about something deeper:
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”— John 8:34 KJV
The freedom Jesus offers is not freedom to do whatever the flesh desires.
It is freedom from the bondage of sin.
Sin promises freedom
while making us servants.
A lie may promise escape
while creating another chain.
Bitterness may promise protection
while keeping the wound open.
Pride may promise strength
while making correction impossible.
Control may promise safety
while preventing trust and surrender.
But Jesus does not merely reveal bondage.
He sets people free.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed.”— John 8:36 KJV
The Truth makes us free because the Son makes us free.
Freedom is not found apart from Jesus.
It is found in Him.
Truth Exposes—and Truth Frees
Truth may expose something we would rather keep hidden.
That can feel painful.
But the purpose of God’s truth is not simply to leave us exposed and ashamed.
God convicts.
We confess.
God cleanses.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”— 1 John 1:9 KJV
Confession is not informing God of something He does not know.
Confession is agreeing with what God has revealed to be true.
I stop hiding.
I stop renaming sin.
I stop defending what God is correcting.
I come into agreement with Him.
Truth may uncover the wound,
but it also shows us where healing is needed.
Truth may reveal bondage,
but it also points us to the Son who makes us free.
Grace and Truth Came by Jesus Christ
Truth is not separated from the character of Jesus.
John writes:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…
full of grace and truth.”— John 1:14 KJV
And:
“For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”— John 1:17 KJV
Jesus is full of grace and truth.
Truth does not require us to be cruel.
And love does not require us to pretend something false is true.
Scripture tells us to speak:
“…the truth in love…”— Ephesians 4:15 KJV
Truth without love can be used as a weapon to wound someone.
What people call love without truth can leave someone bound in deception.
But in Jesus Christ, grace and truth meet perfectly.
He does not call darkness light.
He does not excuse sin.
But neither does He turn away the person who comes to Him
in repentance and faith.
The Spirit of Truth
Jesus also called the Holy Ghost:
“The Spirit of truth.”
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth…”— John 16:13 KJV
The Holy Spirit does not lead us into a truth that contradicts Jesus
or the written Word of God.
The Spirit of truth points us toward Christ.
He helps us understand the Word.
He convicts us when we are wrong.
He brings the words of Jesus to our remembrance.
He leads us away from deception and into truth.
That means we must be careful with every voice
—including our own thoughts and feelings.
Not every strong impression is the Holy Spirit.
Not every spiritual-sounding statement is Biblical.
Not every teaching that uses the name of God reveals the truth about God.
We test what we hear by the Word of God.
Truth will not contradict Truth.
Lord, Is It I?
This lesson brings me back once again to self-examination.
“Lord, is it I?”— Matthew 26:22 KJV
Do I truly want the truth
—or do I only want agreement?
Am I willing to continue in Christ’s Word when it corrects me?
Do I accept only the Scriptures that comfort me
while resisting the ones that confront me?
Have I confused my feelings with the voice of God?
Am I using truth to help someone—or to prove myself right?
Am I speaking truth in love?
Is there something I am still defending that Jesus wants to make me free from?
Lord, is there something here You want me to see?
Repentance begins when truth matters more to me than defending myself.
Lord, teach me.
Help me hear Your voice.
Help me continue in Your Word.
Help me know You—not merely know things about You.
The Sixth Foundation
What is truth?
Truth is not whatever we decide it should be.
Truth is not established by our feelings.
Truth is not changed by popular opinion.
God’s Word is truth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
And Jesus Christ said:
“I am…the truth.”
We come to know the Truth by continuing in His Word.
And the freedom Jesus gives is not freedom to remain ruled by sin.
It is freedom from sin’s bondage.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed.”— John 8:36 KJV
The Truth is a Person.
The key word is know.
And that leads us to the next lesson:
Lesson 7 — Walking in the Light
If Jesus is the Light of the world, what does it mean to follow Him?
What happens when we stop hiding from the Light and begin walking with Him in it?
And how do confession, fellowship, cleansing, and obedience become part of our daily walk?
We will take those questions to Jesus and the Word of God next.
Christ is the Teacher; I am a fellow learner.
Thank you for sitting with me awhile.
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