Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining our study about truth in the New Testament Gospels. If you missed last week’s Part One/Old Testament discussion, please read it now since it is the foundation of what appears below. While the rest of us patiently and lovingly wait, listen to “Love You With the Truth” by Casting Crowns. (To wake you up, my first musical inclination was to link “Communication Breakdown,” but I resisted the urge.)
Last week, I wrote that truth is “always a relevant and essential theological topic.” And continued with what I believe is the curse of our times:
“The unfortunate truth is that these days, ‘truth’ is relative and can be whatever someone thinks or wants it to be to justify whatever needs justification. After all, prevalent in modern thought is ‘Who are YOU to judge?’ Long gone are moral guideposts and societal shame facilitated by the decline of biblical literacy, the weakening of Judeo-Christian tradition, and cultural change.”
Such is what believers in Christ are up against, orchestrated by the evil one. Ultimately, truth will prevail and be revealed through our continually growing and loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That truth, by which we must live, means abiding by the Word of God, as reflected in His teachings.
The gospel passage below best encapsulates the truth operationalized in a minute-by-minute guide stating “how to” live our lives. This passage does not mention “truth” per se, but what Jesus says is the essence of truth:
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:34-40).
And what is Jesus referring to when saying, “All the law and the prophets”? Answer: The Word of God from the Hebrew Bible, especially the Ten Commandments. About Jesus, the Apostle John wrote:
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
Now that we have established from whom flows the “essence of truth,” let's read some explanations in His gospel passages:
“‘So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’” (Matthew 6:31-33).
Jesus just answered a fundamental question asked for centuries by wise men (and women): “Where do I find truth? Answer: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” Where and how do you seek his kingdom? Through believing in Him, reading His Word, and trusting Him through prayer. Here is another truth that applies to our lives:
“They [Pharisees] sent their disciples to him [Jesus] along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,” they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are’” (Matthew 22:16). We can learn from Jesus by quoting Him:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
John’s gospel has the most truth-related quotes from Jesus. A few are mentioned below as a starting point for more study:
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
In this following passage, Jesus is praying to His Father shortly before He was arrested and condemned to death and made a request on behalf of the Disciples:
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). And why is that so? The answer is from a famous and familiar verse:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
His “glory” was through the Resurrection, but first, Jesus had to suffer for our sake:
While Jesus stood trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, he asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”:
“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.’ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’ ‘What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him’” (John 18:36-17).
What is truth? The answer is the Word of God and a quote from last week:
“Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. Because the definition of truth flows from God, truth is theological.”
Next week, we will discuss more highlights about truth from the rest of the New Testament with verses such as:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence..” (1 John 3:18-19).
I conclude, same as I did last week, with one of Jesus’s most famous teachings, which is pure truth and why you must believe in Him:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Amen!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, which is dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit recently hosted a four-day exhibit (with a VIP guest) at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Contact: MyraAdams01@gmail.com
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