Tuesday: Bible Truth
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 21st of April 2026
A trend among some liberal theologians in the 1960s was to write God out of the field of theology. In 2017, a cover story of Time magazine featured the headline “Is Truth Dead?” It’s interesting because this trend illustrates the position of our society today. The very idea of “truth” itself is decaying to such an extent that no one knows what truth is anymore. According to popular culture, there is no measuring stick, no foundation that remains constant that can be depended upon to endure the test of time. Contrary to this, Jesus said, “ ‘I am the . . . truth’ ” (John 14:6). His Word testifies about Him as truth in complete purity.
Read the following verses slowly, and then read them again a second time. What do you notice about these messages?
- John 17:17
- Proverbs 30:5-6
- Psalms 12:6
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
The Bible declares that basic truth, Jesus Himself, doesn’t change (Hebrews 13:8). At the same time, as we read God’s Word, our understanding of God and His truth can grow. “There are mines of truth yet to be discovered by the earnest seeker.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 704. In speaking of “truth,” Ellen G. White always referred to truth as given by God through His Word. We can search for additional light in the Bible because God’s Word never contradicts past truths but instead builds on them.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Psalms 33:4-5; and Ephesians 1:13. What is the message found in these texts?
In the end, the Bible, and the Bible alone, must be the foundational source of what we understand as truth. All other sources must be tried and tested by the Word of God. Even what we deem “reason” needs to be tested by God’s Word!
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Some people want to argue that there is no truth. Why is that statement self-contradictory? That is, why is making the claim that there is no truth an attempt to proclaim truth, and thus self-refuting? |
In mathematics, we depend a lot on truth. At the beginning of every proof, you have to state the axioms you are using. An axiom is an idea that is widely accepted. For example, the additive identity property is something that mathematicians agree is true. If you add zero to a number, you get the number you started with.
In our spiritual lives, we also hold several axioms. For example, “God is Love”. But not everyone agrees it is an axiom. Some people don’t believe in God, and others believe that the deity is not loving. So while we can call it an axiom in our Sabbath School Net discussions – we may use other language because some of us are not mathematicians – it is regarded as nonsense by many of our non-believing friends.
The most significant reason many non-believers do not accept that axiom is that they see Christians stating the axiom but denying it in the way we live and interact with others. When we read the Gospels, we see Jesus running a pitched battle against hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a denial of the axiom, “God is love”.
Too much of our religious argument (proof if you like) is really self-vindication rather than living the “God is Love” axiom.
If we get the axiom right in our lives, the proof will follow.
Lying seems to be becoming a way of life for many people today. A recent survey found that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about trivial matters, while 36 percent lie about important issues. Additionally, 86 percent lie regularly to their parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to their spouses. With statistics like these, one of the greatest complaints from those outside the church is that church members are hypocrites because they also lie frequently. This, however, remains one of the many misguided excuses for not coming to church. Such statistics help us recognize our own sinfulness and, by extension, put our conduct into perspective. As John says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1:10). Sin is sin—whether it is murder or hatred, stealing or coveting, idolatry or lust—because that is what God declares. To say otherwise is to tell the Judge who presides over the affairs of heaven and earth, who decides our guilt or innocence for eternity, that He is a liar.
So how should I live? I am to live in the truth alone, whether my friends, siblings, or neighbors lie often or not, since I have the personal responsibility of coming before the Judge daily and confessing that I have not been perfect. I acknowledge my sinfulness and ask for forgiveness, trusting that because of the work of His Son, I will be forgiven. As Scripture reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It is forgiveness that purifies me totally and completely, and choosing to bathe daily in His innocent blood removes every guilty stain. This brings a joyful heart filled with gratitude to God. While the worldview emphasizes the here and now, the life of Christ calls me to find all my satisfaction in Him and to seek my deepest fulfillment in His grace.
Dear Motanya, I am replying specifically to your final paragraph – which begins with, “How should we live?”.
As previously stated – “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 NIV. However there is another side to “the coin”. Our Lord clearly stated that “by their fruits ye shall know them” Matthew 7:16.
The point that I am making is this: whilst I concur with you that we are not sinless; it is also correct that no one can claim to be a Christian and possess the quality of habitually lying , stealing ,etc. Their exists a MARKED and SIGNIFICANT difference between a Christian and a Non-believer.
Character is not judged by the incidental good deeds or misdeeds that we perform, but by the habitual trend of our words and actions.
We are sinners who have been forgiven and whose words and actions have been manifestly changed through faith in Christ.
Thank you for this, Steve. I was having similar thoughts, and you expressed them for me.
Yes, Christ forgives, but if we make no progress in the Christian journey, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are truly living in faith that saves. 2 Cor. 13:5
There is danger of taking forgiveness for granted, such as in another religious tradition that made merchandise of forgiveness.
I agree with you, but with a disclaimer. Some Christians can be ignorant of what actions are right. Old habits can also die hard. We don’t overcome sin instantly.
I don’t know if it’s productive to differentiate sins from each other in this regard. Would you say that no one can claim to be a Christian and habitually lose their temper? Or habitually worry? My guess is most people wouldn’t. But are lying and stealing worse traits than losing one’s temper and worrying?
I think it’s easy for us to excuse some sins because of a person upbringing etc. while we don’t excuse others. But really there are roots to all sins.
I don’t say all this to excuse any sins. God desires we overcome them all. However, as we cannot read hearts or know from how far people have come, it’s probably better we not judge people’s professions.
In the world, there are many religions with competing messages of truth. The Bible truth is one of them. We Christian believers must hold firm to the truth that we know. Anyway, what is the biblical truth? Jesus said, “I am the way… the truth… the life” (John 14:6). The Bible is a story of how the broken relationship between God and man was restored because of sin through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the truth is that all human beings are sinners, but the grace of God has forgiven them.
The only way we can claim and proclaim that we know the truth is to live the truth as declared in the Bible. No amount of knowledge about the Bible or eloquence in support of the biblical truth will make any meaningful sense if we fail to walk the talk. Jesus lived the biblical truth. He demonstrated the biblical truth in his own life. It does not help to defend the biblical truth if our lives reflect the contrary. In fact, we do more damage than the professed non-believers. The truth of the matter is that we are dangerous hypocrites to the well-being of the biblical truth. “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Mark 7:6).
Searching through the definitions of truth, it was interesting to see these definitions below:-
“Truth” generally refers to factual accuracy, objective reality, or personal conviction, while “Bible truth” is viewed as an absolute, divine, and unchangeable standard rooted in God’s character and Word.
This is puzzling on a paradoxical level, and thinking we could be meaning totally different things with a statement like “This is the truth!” It then brings to the fore a question that we should ask, and that is,
It almost looks unlikely, but think of it: a larger percentage of Christians, including Adventists, depend on third parties to read and study scripture. This translates to some superficial knowledge and dependency on others to understand or interpret the Bible. That alone is a recipe for deception and relying on wrong interpretation. We need to note that even the devil himself reads through scripture to manipulate the truth – “It is written…” Matthew 4:6 – and there’s the danger because most of us partially or selectively read the Bible – Bible truth is compromised to start looking like the “other” truth.
However, the Bereans showed us something to pick:
Keeping ourselves in tune with the Word daily will give us access to the much-needed truth of God, and the relationship with God that we yearn for.
Truth is the source of all things good,kind, peaceful and godly. But, lies and deception are the causes of evil,pain, disappointments,sufferings and corruption . God is Truth and His words and deeds are pure and true. Anyone who trusts in them is blessed and secured in God.
John 8:32 tells us: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
It is only as we know the Source of truth can we live in truth.
Any other way will lead us into error!!!!!
To me truth is inextricably connected to reality. It does not depend on our understanding or existence. I don’t understand how some consider truth to be relative when to me it is as simple as 2 + 2 = 4. All of the interaction of the world and with each other depends on subscribing to the absolution of this simple truth. If the world was uncertain of what 2 + 2 equaled, how could any meaningful activity progress?
In God reality and truth are united. In this world because of sin there is a disconnect between the two. If we are alive we are participating in reality but may be separated from the truth. Jesus declared Himself to be the truth. We are attached to the truth by being attached to Him. And this gives us a clearer view of reality.
Heb.13:8 – ”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” There must be something else which is represented by Jesus Christ – the Son of God. As anyone can see, merely ‘reading God’s Word’ does not necessarily lead to the same understanding. Jesus conveyed God’s Truth through his teachings and living His Life as an example for all who believe in Him. Though, is there not a deeper, essential Truth which His Life reveals?
Jesus came to reveal God’s Truth. His Truth is more than a ‘set of doctrines’ assembled and accepted by the organized body of the Ecclesia. God’s Truth is the Way of Life revealing/unfolding Life’s meaning to the believer. I consider the deepest Truth to be the ‘Glory of God’. Though we have a limited understanding of its powers, His Glory reveals/is the only Truth which does not change.
He gave us the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, with which to understand Him by ‘beholding’ His Glory. God’s Glory is alive within His Living Word – Christ Jesus -, it is in the written and spoken Word of the Scriptures, and is found in the heart of the believer who fervently loves our Creator – God.
As I see it, Truth is the ‘Glory of God’ manifesting itself as the ‘Light’ benefiting His sentient Creation – engaging us to participate in the marvelous work of our redemption. Truth is the core, the essence to reveal the purpose of God’s Glory! His Glory – His Truth – His Purpose is proof that ‘His Love is the causation to establish Harmony’ for governing His Creation – 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Col.1:16-17; Rom.8:39.
I assume when the lesson says the lesson is the foundational source of truth, I assume it means moral truth and I suppose truth about the overarching themes of history and the earth. I think we would agree that there are many truths that are not related to the Bible whatsoever. For example, many scientific ideas such as gravity. We wouldn’t look in the Bible for truth about that nor would we say that gravity has to be tested by the Bible. Same with medical information – a lot of it is not connected to the Bible at all. There are other fields of study that would likely also be separate from the Bible such as linguistics.
Look at your fingers, aren’t they there? As with everything we sense around us, the truth is not dead, nor is it relative! Yes, there is truth; the truth exists! The present is as absolute as faith reveals God.
The truth is THE truth, it exists today as it always has, as has God always been and will continue to be. He and His ways are concrete. With and in Him, we are Free. There’s no other way to the truth that matters and saves. Thanking Him for being our constant!
Our focus should be on Christ not sin as we “look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” Hebrews 12:2 KJV. Wherever Jesus is located that place is Holy, ie: the temple in the wilderness, the burning bush and today in our hearts!
Christ wants to rest in us as we rest in Him. Acts 7:48,49
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2
If you are in Christ and He is in you, you are Holy.
“New light doesn’t contradict established truth”—it builds on it.
The Bible shows that God reveals truth progressively. Proverbs 4:18 says the path of the just shines “more and more.” That means clearer light, not a different direction.
Even Jesus Christ didn’t overturn truth—He deepened it. In Matthew 5, He clarified the law’s true meaning rather than replacing it.
So when something is called “new light,” it should harmonize with what God has already revealed. Isaiah 8:20 gives us the test—if it doesn’t line up with Scripture, it’s not really light.
At the same time, we should stay teachable. Sometimes it’s not truth changing, but our understanding growing.
Real new light doesn’t tear down—it brings things into clearer focus.