“We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.”
2 Corinthians 13:7-9 NLT
In His trial before Pilate, Jesus was asked a question: “Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognise that what I say is true”” (John 18:37). Pilate’s reply was timeless, and it starts the next verse with “What is truth? …”. Truth is something that has two facets – absolute and relative. Most of what goes on in our world that is defined as “truth” is relative, because it is only through God that absolute “truth” can be realised.
A secular view on “truth” prioritises empirical evidence, scientific inquiry, and human reason over divine revelation or dogma. It holds that truth is discovered, not revealed, and is constantly updated through investigation and doubt, focusing on verifiable facts and human welfare rather than supernatural explanations or absolute religious certainties. But this definition of “truth” is purely relative, and it is liable to change, making it unreliable. Something that is defined as being true today can be found to be not true, or false, tomorrow.
But before we get sidetracked into a philosophical discussion about Pilate’s statement, “What is truth?” it is far more rewarding to obtain God’s perspective. Paul said in our verses today, “For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth”. That is our position as pilgrims because, along with Paul and countless others, we believe that God is truth. Famously, Jesus said, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). About the Holy Spirit, Jesus also said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future” (John 16:13). About God, the psalmist wrote, “The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever” (Psalm 119:160). So, for us pilgrims, it is a safe assumption to believe that any words that emanate from the Bible are words of truth. Come to that, Jesus said, about God’s Word, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17). Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16).
To us believers, we look at Jesus and know in our hearts that He is truth, embodied in Him as a Person. No one can find a word spoken by Jesus that was false. No one can find any sin in Him, or any action that would prove to be sinful. And because He was God, His statement that He is the truth is immutably correct. So anything that God says, or has said, is absolute truth and cannot be changed, and will always happen as He has said.
God’s truth is trustworthy but in our world system, there is a person who embodies the opposite of truth, the devil. Of him, Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees, said, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). In Scotland, and as I write this, we are in the run-up to the Scottish parliamentary elections, and when this blog is posted, the outcome will be known. But one thing we electors remember is that little trust can be placed in the statements our wannabe politicians make. To garner votes, they will make all sorts of outlandish statements, most of which are unachievable and, therefore, can be labelled as “lies”. If we enter the world of social media, we will soon find many posts that purport to be truthful statements, but which are based on the poster’s false or skewed interpretation of events. Truth is a scarce commodity in our world, but that is not surprising because Jesus referred to the devil as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
We pilgrims know about the truth because we believe in Jesus. John 8:31-32, “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free””. We have been set free from the bondage to lies and the relative “truths” that abound in this world. We carefully consider all “truths” presented to us by referring to the Word of God, which is the only Source of truth that this world will ever possess. By looking at the world around us through God’s Biblical lens, we can make right decisions when necessary, discard the half-truths and lies, and keep our feet firmly established on the narrow way that leads to Glory. But there will be many seductive statements that will attempt to throw us off course. Remember what the serpent said to Eve – “Surely God didn’t say …”? If something that is said to us sounds right, but nevertheless seems at odds with God’s Word, then we discard it. The devil will never give up trying to lure us into sin until we are home, safe and sound, in the arms of our wonderful Saviour.
Dear Father God. You are truth. So we pray for protection from the lies of the evil one – “deliver us from evil” – and help for our journey in the years ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 