Wednesday: I AM the Truth
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 4th of December 2024
Read John 1:14,17; John 8:32; John 14:6; and John 15:26. How does John tie the concept of truth directly to Jesus?
Again and again in John’s Gospel, truth is connected to Jesus, to His Father, and to the Holy Spirit. Truth is connected with Jesus, the Word (logos), and with light—in contrast to darkness (John 1:1-14, John 3:19-21). And, too, falsehood is connected with the devil and sin (John 8:44-46). Consequently, truth in John is not simply a matter of facts and figures. It does involve such things, but more than this, the idea of truth contains a moral aspect of faithfulness to God and to His will.
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“There are many who are crying out for the living God, longing for the divine presence. Philosophical theories or literary essays, however brilliant, cannot satisfy the heart. The assertions and inventions of men are of no value. Let the word of God speak to the people. Let those who have heard only traditions and human theories and maxims hear the voice of Him whose word can renew the soul unto everlasting life.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 40.
Think about what it means for Jesus to be the Truth. Jesus is the logos, the Word who was with God from the beginning and who was the Creator of all things created (John 1:1-4). One with the Father from eternity to eternity, Jesus has the characteristics of the Father, and thus is also the “I AM.” His being is not subject to anyone or anything else. Nothing that exists, including knowledge, exists apart from Him. And everything that does exist, that was created, was created only by Jesus and exists only in Him, as well. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17, NKJV).
Jesus is not simply the embodiment of the truth; He is the Truth. Truth is not a concept or a construct. It is a Person!
The Truth, Jesus Christ, can be likened to the sun that lights up the world (John 8:12). It is parallel to what C. S. Lewis stated about Christianity: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”—“Is Theology Poetry?” (n. p.: Samizdat University Press, 2014), p. 15, originally presented in 1944.
It is by Jesus, the Truth, that we are able to interpret the world around us rightly.
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Jesus' assertion that he is "The Truth" resonates well with us and we are pretty good at making statements and singing hymns and songs that express this idea. We get a good feeling in our hearts as we quote these scriptures to one another. But, we live in a world that is far more skeptical about the notion that Jesus is "The truth" than we are. In a sense, they are living in the platonic world of ephemeral shadows, where reality is somewhere outside the cave of our existence.
During Jesus ministry, two things are outstanding:
Part of the reason so many people only view shadows of "The Truth" is that those of us who profess to have "The Truth" are behaving selfishly. Rather than reciting platitudes about "The Truth" that make us feel good about ourselves, should we be examining our relationship with "The Truth" so we are not guilty of hypocrisy.
Jesus said:
He was talking about his crucifixion, but he also reminded us to lift him up in our lives so that others can be drawn to him. The higher we lift him, the smaller the shadows. That is physics, but is very relevant in this discussion.
In the Bible, truth is rooted in God's character. Psalm 119:160 says, "The sum of Your word is truth." God is depicted as the ultimate source of all truth. Truth reflects God's constancy, reliability, and holiness (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18). When Jesus says, "I am the truth," He signifies that He is the complete and ultimate revelation of God's will and character. He embodies the truth about who God is and His plan for humanity (John 1:14, Colossians 1:15). Jesus being the truth also signifies that His life, teachings, death, and resurrection perfectly reveal God's purpose and His love for humanity. Biblical truth isn't abstract but practical, meant to transform lives. John 8:32 states, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," emphasizing the liberating power of aligning one's life with God's truth.
Truth, as embodied in Jesus, becomes tangible. His incarnation—God becoming flesh—makes the abstract idea of truth real and accessible (John 1:14). By claiming to be the truth, Jesus asserts that He is the exclusive means of knowing and accessing God (John 14:6). This is not just a claim of moral or philosophical truth but relational truth. Truth in Jesus is deeply personal. It invites individuals not just to acknowledge facts but to have a relationship with Him, the living truth.
Biblical truth challenges believers to live authentically, grounded in the teachings and example of Jesus. It calls for integrity, justice, and love, making it both tangible (in Christ) and transformative (in life). Truth in the Bible transcends abstract reasoning; it is embodied in Jesus and meant to be experienced relationally and lived out practically.
Yes, Omwenga – your speaking to God’s Truth always makes my heart sing the praises of God’s Goodness. 🙂
Though your last paragraph states in a nutshell how God’s Truth appears or manifests itself in our life, I wanted to add that it is for one purpose only – to glorify God as the ‘Way of Truth and Life’ and so fulfill His promise to humanity that man can inherit eternal Life – "living His Truth rationally and practically" leads to eternal Life for the believer.
Personally, I think we make a mistake when we make any human outside of the God/Man Jesus Christ a litmus test for what is truth. I believe all of mankind, including Christian’s, can rightfully be characterized as “poor erring sinners” that are as a vapor that will soon vanish away.
We had an experience in our church a number of years ago. A nice family began coming to our church. They liked the people. They liked the children’s Sabbath school for their children. They enrolled the children in the church school. These people became our friends. However I sensed that the foundation of their connection to the church was the social benefits they received rather than the truths of the Bible. I warned the man of the house not to depend on the good graces of people because they will let you down. Well there eventually was an incident regarding people for which he felt let down. He took his children out of the school and with his family left the church. Does the fact that he was let down by people change the truth that Jesus is the Way, The Truth, and The Life? I believe we will be tested whether our connection to the church is through people or through Jesus Christ.
This is an illustration of what I have seen numerous times over the years. Looking to frail humans instead of to Christ. I believe we should be pointing people to Christ, not to ourselves and our not so wonderful example. Yes, people will judge Christianity by our example, but I think if that is their standard for “what is truth” they are looking in the wrong place.
What starts to become clear to me is that we cannot give directions to someone who does not consider him/herself lost and does not ask for directions. As Christians we are able to recognize the ‘lostness’ of a person, but so often the person does not. How do we behave/act in these circumstances?
To me, Truth-seekers are curious by nature; they always ask ‘why’ questions, but this does not mean they end up with finding spiritual Truth according to Jesus Christ. Ellen White’s quote speaks to that. I accepted Jesus to be the Way, Truth, and Life after looking for a special, never changing Truth, but for a long while I did not recognize this Truth to be embodied in/by Jesus Christ.
Now, I am set free to praise God as I cherish experiencing the fullness of His Way, Truth, and Life: ”And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” John 8:32. Experiencing this freedom - not wavering, not doubting, not fearing to become lost again -, to be strong in my conviction to have found the Truth , this is the freedom this world could not provide.
I consider Jesus’ saying remarkable because it is marvelous: ”But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” This leaves nothing open to interpretation – Jesus IS the Way, Truth, and Life.
Now, we humbly recognize that the Way, Truth, and Life is revealed by the Holy Spirit; no one can squabble with this revelation. Now we know why the lost are still not found, but how do we respond to this awareness?
By God's Grace, after passing the Christian's 'judging' phase, I came to understand that it is better to apply God’s Truth of: Love and Grace to represent Him best when meeting those still ‘lost or on their way to be found’, and interact with them accordingly - 1 Cor.13:8 PHILLIPS
If we ever expect to win some people to God's Kingdom, we have to be winsome. The book Winsome Witnessing, by Gary Gibbs is an excellent read to help us be more effective witnesses for Christ. We have to give liberally of the Grace that was shown to us by God, irregardless of whether or not we experienced that same Grace from God's people. We must see ourselves as no better than others just because we don't sin the same way they do. All we like sheep have gone astray... Isa. 53:6.
We need to see all people, from the "uttermost to the guttermost" as candidates for the Kingdom of God because of what Christ accomplished on Calvary. We would all be lost were it not for Grace.