The Truth about Truth

On a site dedicated to the truth about God the first place to begin is to answer the question, “What is truth?”.

That very question was put to a real historical person by another real historical person. Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judea around 30 AD, asked Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Christianity, “What is truth?” [John 18:37-38].

Contrary to what many believe, truth is not variable. It can not vary with popular trend changes or shift with cultural swings. Truth is a constant. Something is either true or it is not true. What was true a thousand years ago is still true today. The issue is whether we believe the truth or not.

No one would believe that gravity does not exist. We have experienced the power of gravity all of our lives. If anyone would, for some reason, decide that gravity is not true and that it does not exist, gravity would still exist nonetheless. Truth, real truth, does not depend on one’s belief in it. Truth is true because it is true not because it is believed in.

Beyond Logic and Reason

However, endeavoring to answer questions on this site will require more than logic and common sense, although they help. It also takes faith. Don’t get too religious about faith. Faith is choosing to believe in something you have not seen or touched. Everyone uses faith to some extent to believe that some things are true. No one has ever physically seen or touched a thought but we all believe that thoughts are real and we all have them. You may have been told that your great-grand father was so-in so and lived in a certain place and did certain things. Without ever actually seeing or touching your ancestor, you believe he existed and that requires faith. Back to gravity; we can’t see or touch gravity but we all believe that it will be there to hold us firm to planet Earth. We also have faith that gravity will kill us in certain situations or else we would not think twice about stepping off a high cliff.

Answering Pilate

What is Truth? Truth is what is really real and it does not change. Truth is never false, it is always true. Sometimes truth requires faith to believe in that truth. In reality when we believe something, we do so by choice. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and that if we know the truth, the truth will make us free [John 14:6 John 8:32].