What is Truth?

WHAT IS TRUTH?
Standing Before the Truth

Primary Text: John 18:33–38

Supporting Texts: John 14:6; John 17:17; John 8:31–32; Romans 1:18–25; 2 Timothy 4:3–4

BIG IDEA

Truth is not something we create to fit our lives. Truth is something God has revealed—and ultimately, Truth is found in Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION — “LIVE YOUR TRUTH”

There is a phrase that has become very popular in our culture:

“Live your truth.”

You hear it in movies.

You hear it on television.

You see it on social media.

People say things like:

“Be true to yourself.”

“Follow your heart.”

“Don’t let anybody else define your truth.”

“This is my truth.”

And on the surface, some of that sounds positive.

Certainly we should not live hypocritical lives.

Certainly we should be honest about our experiences.

Certainly we should not pretend to be something we are not.

But there is a tremendous difference between saying,

“This is my experience,”

and saying,

“This is my truth.”

Because experiences can be personal.

Preferences can be personal.

Opinions can be personal.

But truth cannot ultimately be personal.

If something is true, it is true whether I like it or not.

If something is true, it is true whether I believe it or not.

If something is true, it is true whether society votes for it or against it.

Truth does not need my permission to be true.

I recently came across an article with a provocative headline:

“Don’t allow your kids to live their truth.”

The writer was concerned about children growing up believing they should simply construct their own beliefs, values, and morality.

His point was essentially this:

Children need wisdom.

Children need guidance.

Children need somebody who has traveled farther down the road to tell them that some things really are true.

Kindness matters.

Hard work matters.

Perseverance matters.

Doing good matters.

Those aren't truths we invent because they make us feel good.

They describe realities about life that we discover.

And I believe the article raises an important question.

But Scripture takes us much deeper.

Because Christianity does not merely claim that truth exists.

Christianity makes the extraordinary claim that Truth entered the world.

Truth took on flesh.

Truth walked among us.

Truth spoke.

Truth healed.

Truth loved.

Truth confronted sin.

Truth went to a cross.

Truth rose from the grave.

And in one of the great ironies of Scripture, a Roman governor once stood face-to-face with Jesus Christ and asked perhaps the greatest philosophical question ever asked:

“What is truth?”

And the tragedy is that the answer was standing right in front of him.

1. PILATE WAS LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER WHILE THE ANSWER STOOD BEFORE HIM

John 18 takes us into the final hours before the crucifixion of Jesus.

Jesus has been arrested.

He has been questioned by the Jewish religious leaders.

Now He is brought before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

Pilate enters the headquarters and summons Jesus.

He asks Him:

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

That question matters because Pilate doesn't particularly care about Jewish theological disputes.

Pilate cares about power.

Pilate represents Rome.

If Jesus is claiming to be a king, Pilate wants to know whether this man is a threat to Caesar.

Jesus answers him.

Eventually Jesus says:

“My kingdom is not of this world.”

Pilate hears the word kingdom.

So Pilate asks:

“So you are a king?”

And Jesus answers:

“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

And Pilate responds:

“What is truth?”

Think about that scene.

Pilate is asking about truth.

Jesus is standing before him.

The One who created Pilate is standing before Pilate.

The One through whom the universe was made is standing before Pilate.

The One who knows every thought Pilate has ever thought is standing before Pilate.

And Pilate asks:

“What is truth?”

But John tells us that after saying this, Pilate went back outside.

Apparently, he didn't even wait for an answer.

That may be one of the saddest pictures of humanity in the Bible.

Pilate asks the right question.

But he walks away from the answer.

And people are still doing exactly the same thing today.

2. OUR CULTURE HAS CHANGED THE QUESTION

Pilate asked:

“What is truth?”

Our culture increasingly asks:

“What is true for me?”

That sounds similar.

But it is radically different.

One asks whether reality exists outside of me.

The other makes me the center of reality.

We hear:

“My truth.”

“Your truth.”

“His truth.”

“Her truth.”

But think about how strangely that works anywhere else in life.

Imagine going to the doctor.

The doctor says,

“Your blood pressure is dangerously high.”

And you answer,

“Well, that's your truth. My truth is that my blood pressure is perfect.”

The doctor isn't going to say,

“I admire your courage in living authentically.”

The doctor is going to say,

“No. There is a reality here that exists whether you like it or not.”

Suppose your bank says your account has $37.

You say,

“My truth is that it contains $37,000.”

Try spending according to your truth and see how long that works.

Suppose you're driving down the highway and the sign says:

BRIDGE OUT.

You cannot say:

“That may be true for you, but it's not true for me.”

Reality eventually wins.

That's the thing about truth.

You can deny truth.

You can ignore truth.

You can dislike truth.

You can suppress truth.

You can run from truth.

But you cannot change truth simply by believing something else.

And nowhere is that more important than when we begin talking about God.

3. JESUS DID NOT SAY, “FIND YOUR TRUTH”

Listen carefully to what Jesus tells Pilate:

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”

Notice something.

Jesus does not say:

“A truth.”

He does not say:

“My personal truth.”

He says:

“THE truth.”

There is something real.

Something objective.

Something eternal.

Something established by God.

And Jesus came into this world to reveal it.

This fits everything Jesus had taught throughout John's Gospel.

John 17:17:

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Truth begins with God.

God determines reality.

God defines good and evil.

God defines righteousness.

God defines justice.

God defines humanity.

God defines marriage.

God defines sexuality.

God defines salvation.

God defines eternity.

And we do not sit above God deciding whether His truth meets our approval.

He is God.

We are not.

That is where the great conflict of every human heart begins.

The original temptation in Genesis wasn't merely:

“Would you like some fruit?”

The temptation was:

“Would you like to decide good and evil for yourself?”

God had spoken.

The serpent challenged what God had spoken.

And humanity essentially said:

“We will determine truth ourselves.”

And we have been trying to do it ever since.

4. TRUTH IS NOT ONLY SOMETHING JESUS TAUGHT—TRUTH IS WHO JESUS IS

Now we come to something even greater.

Jesus did not merely teach truthful ideas.

Jesus said in John 14:6:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Notice the wording.

Jesus doesn't say:

“I know a way.”

He says:

“I am the way.”

He doesn't say:

“I know some truth.”

He says:

“I am the truth.”

He doesn't say:

“I can tell you how to have life.”

He says:

“I am the life.”

Christianity ultimately does not begin with a philosophy.

It begins with a Person.

Jesus Christ.

Pilate says:

“What is truth?”

But standing before him is Jesus Christ saying, in effect:

You are looking at Him.

Imagine the irony.

Pilate is looking Truth in the face and asking where truth can be found.

And that same thing can happen in churches.

You can hear sermons about Jesus.

Sing songs about Jesus.

Own a Bible.

Know Bible stories.

Celebrate Christmas.

Celebrate Easter.

Know the language.

Know the hymns.

Know when to stand.

Know when to sit.

Know when to say “Amen.”

And still never actually surrender your life to the One who is Truth.

Pilate was physically closer to Jesus than almost anyone on earth that morning.

But spiritual proximity is not salvation.

You can stand close to truth and still reject it.

5. PILATE'S REAL PROBLEM WASN'T INFORMATION—IT WAS DECISION

This is one of the most important things in the passage.

Pilate eventually concludes that Jesus is innocent.

After asking, “What is truth?” Pilate goes back outside and says:

“I find no guilt in him.”

Pilate knew something.

He knew Jesus was not guilty of the charges deserving Roman execution.

Yet Pilate eventually allows Jesus to be crucified.

Why?

Because Pilate's greatest concern wasn't truth.

It was convenience.

It was political survival.

It was keeping the crowd under control.

It was protecting his position.

Pilate wanted truth—

right up until truth became expensive.

And that's where truth becomes difficult for every one of us.

Most people like truth when truth agrees with them.

The challenge comes when truth confronts us.

We love:

“God loves you.”

That's true.

But the same Bible says:

You have sinned.

That's also true.

We love:

“God has a wonderful purpose.”

But Scripture also says:

Repent.

We love:

“Jesus saves.”

But Jesus says:

“Follow Me.”

We love forgiveness.

But truth tells us we must forgive others.

We love grace.

But truth calls us away from sin.

We love heaven.

But truth tells us there is judgment.

We love a Savior.

But truth also gives us a Lord.

The real test is not:

Do I believe in truth when truth agrees with me?

The test is:

Will I surrender when God's truth contradicts me?

6. EVERY PERSON MUST DECIDE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DEFINE REALITY

Eventually every person has to answer a very basic question:

Who gets the final word?

The culture?

My friends?

My feelings?

My desires?

Social media?

Popular opinion?

A political party?

A professor?

A preacher?

My own heart?

Or God?

Because somebody is going to occupy that place.

We sometimes say:

“I just follow my heart.”

But Scripture doesn't teach us that the human heart is an infallible guide.

Our feelings are real.

But feelings aren't always truthful.

Have you ever felt like nobody cared about you when people actually did?

Have you ever felt afraid when there was no real danger?

Have you ever felt confident about something and later discovered you were completely wrong?

Feelings matter.

But feelings make terrible gods.

We don't need a truth that changes every time our feelings change.

We need something stronger.

Something permanent.

Something eternal.

We need a rock.

Jesus said:

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

That's the question.

Whose voice are you listening to?

7. TRUTH DOES NOT CHANGE BECAUSE CULTURE CHANGES

One generation says one thing.

The next generation says something else.

There are things our culture celebrated fifty years ago that it condemns today.

And there are things our culture condemned fifty years ago that it celebrates today.

Human opinion changes.

Language changes.

Politics change.

Philosophy changes.

Governments change.

Civilizations rise and fall.

But God's Word remains.

Isaiah says:

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.

We should never be surprised when biblical truth becomes unpopular.

Jesus wasn't crucified because everyone agreed with Him.

The apostles weren't persecuted because their message fit comfortably within the culture.

Biblical Christianity has always required courage.

But church, hear me carefully:

We do not defend truth by being hateful.

Truth does not give us permission to be cruel.

Jesus was full of grace and truth.

Those belong together.

Truth without love can become brutality.

Love without truth can become sentimentality.

Jesus gives us both.

Grace says:

“Neither do I condemn you.”

Truth says:

“Go, and from now on sin no more.”

Grace welcomes the sinner.

Truth refuses to redefine sin.

Grace opens the door.

Truth calls us to walk a new road.

That's Jesus.

8. THE ARTICLE IS RIGHT THAT OUR CHILDREN NEED MORE THAN “LIVE YOUR TRUTH”

There is one part of that article that I think parents and grandparents desperately need to hear.

Children need guidance.

Young people need wisdom.

The idea that the most loving thing we can do is simply stand back and say,

“Whatever you decide is true for you is fine with me,”

is not biblical love.

Parents are supposed to teach.

Grandparents are supposed to teach.

The church is supposed to teach.

Deuteronomy describes God's truth being taught diligently to children.

Proverbs repeatedly calls younger generations to listen to wisdom.

Jesus tells us to make disciples and teach them.

Our children do not need us simply to tell them:

“Find your own truth.”

They need us to say:

“Let me introduce you to Jesus.”

Don't merely teach them:

“Be nice.”

Teach them why every human being has value—

because people are created in the image of God.

Don't merely teach:

“Work hard.”

Teach them that whatever they do should be done as unto the Lord.

Don't merely teach:

“Get through difficult times.”

Teach them that God is faithful in suffering.

Don't merely teach:

“Do good things.”

Teach them that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works.

And most importantly:

Don't merely raise children who behave well.

Pray for children who know Jesus.

A well-behaved person without Christ is still lost.

A successful person without Christ is still lost.

An educated person without Christ is still lost.

A moral person without Christ is still lost.

Our greatest responsibility isn't to help the next generation discover themselves.

It is to point the next generation to Jesus Christ.

9. TRUTH IS NOT OUR ENEMY—TRUTH SETS US FREE

One reason people resist truth is that they think truth restricts freedom.

But Jesus said exactly the opposite.

John 8:31–32:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Truth isn't the enemy of freedom.

Truth is the foundation of freedom.

Imagine someone who says:

“I want freedom from the laws of gravity.”

Go ahead.

Walk off the roof.

Gravity isn't oppressing you.

Gravity is describing reality.

Freedom doesn't come from denying reality.

Freedom comes from living according to reality.

The same is true spiritually.

Sin says:

“Do whatever you want and you'll be free.”

Jesus says:

“Sin will enslave you.”

The world says:

“Follow every desire.”

Jesus says:

“Follow Me.”

The world says:

“Create yourself.”

Jesus says:

“You were created by God.”

The world says:

“Define your own purpose.”

Jesus says:

“You were made for God's glory.”

The world says:

“Live your truth.”

Jesus says:

“Listen to My voice.”

And when we surrender to Christ, we don't lose freedom.

For the first time, we discover what freedom actually is.

10. PILATE SHOWS US THAT YOU CAN KNOW THE TRUTH AND STILL REFUSE TO ACT ON IT

This may be the most sobering part of the story.

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent.

He says it.

But knowledge wasn't enough.

Pilate still had to make a decision.

And so do you.

This morning you may say:

“I believe Jesus existed.”

Pilate believed Jesus existed.

Jesus was standing in front of him.

You may say:

“I think Jesus was a good man.”

Pilate apparently believed He was innocent.

You may say:

“I respect Jesus.”

That's not the question.

The question is:

What will you do with Jesus?

Pilate wanted to remain neutral.

But there is no neutral ground when it comes to Christ.

Pilate had to make a decision.

The crowd had to make a decision.

The religious leaders had to make a decision.

The disciples had to make a decision.

And you must make a decision.

Jesus said:

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Are you listening?

11. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LISTEN TO HIS VOICE?

Listening to Jesus means more than hearing words.

It means trusting Him.

Following Him.

Submitting to Him.

Believing Him.

It means saying:

“Jesus, when Your Word and my opinion disagree, You are right.”

“When Your Word and the culture disagree, You are right.”

“When Your Word and my desires disagree, You are right.”

“When Your Word exposes something in my life that needs to change, I will change.”

That's discipleship.

The Christian life is not asking Jesus to approve the life we have already decided to live.

It is bringing our lives under His lordship.

We don't edit Jesus until He agrees with us.

We allow Jesus to transform us until we become more like Him.

12. THERE ARE REALLY ONLY TWO WAYS TO RESPOND TO TRUTH

Pilate asked:

“What is truth?”

Then he walked away.

That's one response.

You can walk away.

You can say:

“Maybe someday.”

“I'll think about it.”

“I've heard all this before.”

“I don't want anybody telling me how to live.”

You can do exactly what Pilate did.

Ask the question—

and walk away from Jesus.

But there is another response.

You can say:

“Lord Jesus, if You are the Truth, then I surrender to You.”

Peter once said to Jesus:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

That's the response of faith.

Where else are we going to go?

Our culture doesn't know what it believes from one decade to the next.

Our emotions change from one day to the next.

Human philosophies rise and fall.

Governments come and go.

But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

CONCLUSION — PILATE'S QUESTION IS NOW OUR QUESTION

I want you to picture that room one more time.

Pilate.

Jesus.

The governor looks at the prisoner.

Pilate appears powerful.

Jesus appears powerless.

Pilate sits in judgment over Jesus.

But in reality, Jesus is the King before whom Pilate will one day stand.

Pilate asks:

“What is truth?”

And Truth is standing three feet away.

Pilate doesn't recognize Him.

He doesn't receive Him.

He doesn't follow Him.

He walks away.

And two thousand years later, Pilate's question still echoes:

What is truth?

Jesus has already answered.

John 14:6:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

Truth has a name.

Jesus.

Truth has a voice.

Jesus.

Truth has a face.

Jesus.

Truth went to a cross.

Jesus.

Truth walked out of a tomb.

Jesus.

Truth offers forgiveness.

Jesus.

Truth offers eternal life.

Jesus.

And perhaps the greatest question this morning isn't:

“What is truth?”

Maybe the greater question is:

“WHAT WILL I DO WITH THE TRUTH?”
INVITATION

Maybe you've spent years constructing your own truth.

You've tried to live life your way.

You've decided what was right.

You've decided what was wrong.

You've followed your feelings.

You've followed your plans.

You've followed your desires.

And today Jesus is saying:

“Listen to My voice.”

Maybe you need to say:

“Jesus, I've been trying to be lord of my own life.

I've sinned against You.

I cannot save myself.

I believe You died for my sins.

I believe You rose from the grave.

Forgive me.

Save me.

Be my Savior and my Lord.”

For some Christians today, perhaps the invitation is different.

You know the Truth.

But somewhere along the way, you have started allowing the world to speak louder than Jesus.

Maybe there is an area of your life where you know what God's Word says, but you've been resisting it.

Today would be a good day to surrender.

Not:

“My truth.”

Not:

“Your truth.”

But:

His truth.

Because in the end, truth isn't something we invent.

Truth isn't something we vote on.

Truth isn't something we modify when it becomes uncomfortable.

Truth is revealed by God.

And ultimately—

TRUTH IS JESUS.

Pilate asked:

“What is truth?”

Don't make Pilate's mistake.

Don't stand before the Truth—

and walk away.

Listen to His voice.

Trust Him.

Follow Him.

And He will set you free.