Can We Really Know the Truth?

“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.”
— Jesus (John 18:37)

We live in a world drowning in information but starving for truth. People speak confidently about politics, science, and society, yet when it comes to the most important questions—Why am I here? What happens after I die? Who is God?—many throw up their hands and say, “Who can really know?”

If truth is unknowable, then your spiritual search is nothing more than guesswork and personal preference. But if truth is real, objective, and knowable, then you are dealing with reality.

The Bible insists that truth exists, that God has revealed it, and that it is ultimately found in a Person: the Lord Jesus Christ.

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1. Truth is Real, Not Just Personal Preference

When the Roman governor Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), he spoke with the weary cynicism of our modern age. But Jesus had just declared that He came to testify to the truth. Biblically, truth is whatever corresponds to reality as God sees it.

Truth has three undeniable characteristics:

• It is Objective: Truth does not bend to culture, majority vote, or private desire. Gravity works whether you believe in it or not. Likewise, God is who He is whether we approve of Him or not (Malachi 3:6).
• It is Knowable: We cannot know everything, but we can know truly what God has chosen to reveal. Jesus promised, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
• It is Binding: Truth is not just interesting information; it carries authority. If Jesus is Lord, then ignoring Him is not a neutral act; it is rebellion.

As the great theologian A.W. Tozer wrote: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If we are wrong about God, we will eventually be wrong about ourselves, our guilt, and our eternal destiny.

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2. The God Who Speaks: Four Ways God Reveals Truth

If there is a God, the crucial question is, “Has He spoken?” The Bible says He has clearly revealed Himself so that no one is left in the dark.

1. Through Creation

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)
The sheer scale, design, and fine-tuning of the universe testify that we did not make ourselves. Creation shouts that there is a Creator (Romans 1:20).

2. Through Human Conscience

“They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness…” (Romans 2:15)
Why do all cultures have an innate sense of justice, fairness, and right versus wrong? Because the Moral Lawgiver has stamped His image upon us.

3. Through Scripture

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
God has not left us to guess who He is; He has spoken propositional truth through the prophets and apostles in the Bible.

4. Through Jesus Christ

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Truth is not ultimately a philosophy; it is a Person. God stepped into history in human flesh to show us exactly who He is.

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3. Beware the Pitfalls

As you begin this search for truth, watch out for these common traps that will derail you:

• Relativism: “What’s true for you isn’t true for me.” This sounds polite, but it is logically impossible. If two beliefs contradict, they cannot both be true.
• Cynicism: “You can’t really know anything for sure.” This claim is self-defeating (are you sure you can’t be sure?).
• Passivity: Treating eternal questions as optional side-issues for later in life. You are not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:14).

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The Challenge

Seeking truth is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is a moral one. Jesus laid down a profound challenge in John 7:17: “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

Are you willing to follow the truth wherever it leads, even if it demands that you change your life? If you search for God with a genuinely honest and humble heart, He promises that you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

Reflection Questions

1. Have I been treating truth about God as objective reality, or just as personal preference?
2. If the Bible actually is God’s word, what are the implications for my life right now?
3. Am I willing to submit to the truth if it requires me to change the way I live?

A Prayer to Begin the Journey

“God, if You are there, and if You can be known, I want to know You. I confess that I have often lived as if I am the center of the universe and the judge of what is true. Please open my eyes. Give me the courage to look honestly at the evidence, the humility to accept the truth when I see it, and the grace to follow wherever it leads. Show me Jesus. Amen.”