Citizens require their governments to be truthful to them.  Married people want their spouses to be truthful.  Musicians are always composing songs on peace and truth.  Corruption is engulfing many governments and organizations.  Is truth really on this earth? Can men be true to the society they live in?  Will stewards and people in responsible positions be truthful?

What is truth?  Why truth?

“Truth is the true facts about something, rather than the things that have been invented or guessed.” –Oxford Dictionary

As Pilate was questioning the King of kings in his judgment hall, Jesus declared His kingdom different from the kingdoms of this world—a kingdom of truth that has never been on earth.

“My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. 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: 36–37

“Jesus thus sought to convince Pilate that He was innocent of aspiring to kingly honors upon earth. Pilate had been confused by the disturbed and divided elements of the religious world, and his mind grasped eagerly at the words of Jesus declaring that He had come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Pilate had heard many voices cry, Here is the truth! I have the truth! But this man, arraigned as a criminal, who claimed to have the truth, stirred his heart with a great longing to know what it was, and how it could be obtained. He inquired of Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ But he did not wait for a reply; the tumult of the excited crowd was continually increasing; their impatient cries jarred upon his ears, and recalled him to his judicial position. He went out to the Jews, who stood beyond the door of the hall, and declared in an emphatic voice, ‘I find in Him no fault at all.’”  –The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, p. 132–133

Pilate was confused and became curious to find out more about that kingdom.

“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in Him no fault at all.” John 18:38.

What he knew about truth was not what Jesus meant. He could not conclude that this man was guilty of the charge leveled against Him.

What is truth?

“Jesus saw that, however deeply rooted were the principles that were set in opposition to the principles He proclaimed, yet they were delusion and falsehood, and had originated in the enemy of all righteousness. Jesus said to the people, ‘Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.’ Christ was the embodiment of truth and holiness. He it was who had stood in the councils of God, and dwelt in the innermost sanctuary of the Eternal. He knew whereof He spoke. He was presenting to them the truth of the highest order, revealing to men the infinite mind, giving to men the words of eternal life. He was revealing to them the character of the Father, but the men who stood high in knowledge and position, who claimed to possess superior spiritual understanding, failed to comprehend the knowledge that Jesus came to impart. They failed to grasp with their human understanding that which had been from everlasting, and was known to the Father and to the Son. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and, lacking the Spirit of God, they were left in the blindness of darkness. Refusing the light of heaven, ‘because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful,’ they ‘became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.’” –The Signs of the Times, April 25, 1895

Jesus, being the Alpha and Omega of all things, presented Himself to Pilate as the truth the world was looking for. Pilate, being a ruler, was also longing for truth, but felt rebuked by the words of Jesus. Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, was standing in front of Pilate. Yet this ruler never thought of how he could be saved from this world of lies, misery, and woe.

Satan, the father of lies, had blinded the children of Israel to forsake the plain truth that the Son of God presented to them. They leveled allegation upon allegation to blame this man that Pilate himself saw to be a just man without fault.

That moment truth was standing in front of him, as plain as anything could ever be; Jesus was standing in front of him.  “The way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6

Pilate could have had that truth and he could have been set free from the burdens of his heart and soul, but he did not hearken to the voice of the Son of God.

The Jewish nation after their rejection of the Ransomed of God sealed their rejection of the truth by stoning Stephen. “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59. Stephen gave his life for the truth and faith he had in Jesus Christ. Being stoned by the angry mob, he just looked up to heaven.

“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord.” Acts 7:55–57.

“The scene about him faded from his vision; the gates of heaven were ajar, and Stephen, looking in, saw the glory of the courts of God, and Christ, as if just risen from His throne, standing ready to sustain His servant, who was about to suffer martyrdom for His name. When Stephen proclaimed the glorious scene opened before him, it was more than his persecutors could endure. They stopped their ears, that they might not hear his words, and, uttering loud cries, ran furiously upon him with one accord. ‘And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.’” –The Story of Redemption, p. 265

What a scene! Stephen now saw the truth in the life that Jesus lived. He saw the work the Son of God must do to save this fallen race from ruin. Oh! What a wonderful day, that at the death of this young man he died in the faith of the Redeemer, he died in the truth he knew.

Stephen presented also the truth to this people, but they rejected him as they rejected Jesus, the Truth.  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

The quest for truth continues until this day, but the truth we seek should not be of this world. Politicians negotiate, but they do not give peace and truth in their roles. Scientists also research, but they only come to discover what already existed in nature.

Truth is still there in this world and there is only one place you can find it.

Truth is light, and light is only found in the Word of God. And the Word of God is Jesus Christ.

John 14:6; Isaiah 8:20; Psalm 119:105; John 1:1–5

God bless you. Amen

Bernard Conduah

Ghana

Student – Berea Adventist Missionary Institute – (BAMI) – Kenya