There is a phrase we hear often today: “Live your truth.” It sounds positive, even courageous. It encourages people to be honest about their experiences, feelings, and struggles. But there is an important difference between saying, “This is my experience,” and saying, “This is my truth.”
Experiences are personal. Opinions are personal. Preferences are personal. Truth is different.
Truth does not change simply because our feelings change. It does not become false because it is unpopular, and it does not become true because enough people vote for it. Truth is rooted in reality, and for the Christian, ultimate truth is rooted in God.
That is what makes the conversation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate in John 18 so powerful. Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?” Yet the great irony is that Truth Himself is standing right in front of him. Jesus had already said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Christianity does not merely teach that Jesus knew the truth. It teaches that Jesus is the Truth.
That changes the way we approach life. We are not called to invent a version of Christianity that fits our preferences. We are not called to reshape Jesus until He agrees with us. We are called to bring our lives under His lordship and allow Him to reshape us.
That means there will be moments when God’s Word agrees with what we want—and moments when it does not. There will be times when Scripture comforts us, and there will be times when it confronts us. Both are gifts.
We love hearing that God loves us. That is true. But the same Bible tells us that we have sinned and need forgiveness. We love hearing that Jesus saves. That is true. But Jesus also says, “Follow Me.” We love grace, but grace is not permission to remain unchanged. Grace brings us to Christ, and truth teaches us how to walk with Christ.
Living God’s truth begins with a simple question:
Who gets the final word?
Is it my feelings? My friends? The culture? Social media? Popular opinion? Or God?
Our feelings matter, but they are not infallible. We have all felt afraid when there was no real danger. We have all felt certain about something and later discovered we were wrong. Feelings are real, but they make terrible gods.
We need something stronger than our moods. We need something more permanent than cultural trends. We need a foundation that does not move.
Jesus gives us that foundation.
Living God’s truth is not about becoming harsh, argumentative, or self-righteous. It is about surrender. It is waking up each day and saying, “Lord, when Your Word and my opinion disagree, You are right. When Your ways and my desires disagree, Your ways are better. When You show me something that needs to change, give me the courage to change.”
Pilate asked the right question but walked away from the answer. Your sermon emphasizes that tragedy vividly.
We do not have to make the same mistake.
Truth has a name: Jesus.
Truth has a voice: Jesus.
Truth has a face: Jesus.
And when we listen to His voice, trust His Word, and follow Him, we discover that God’s truth is not something that crushes us. It is the solid ground beneath our feet.
Don’t merely live “your truth.”
Live in His truth.
