What is Truth? How the Bible Defines It

Pilate asked Jesus in John 18:38, “What is truth?” This article is to determine what the Bible has to say about truth.

All Truth Comes from God

Genesis 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth:
Genesis 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant;
Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
2 Samuel 2:6 And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you:

God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, is Truth

Psalms 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.
Psalms 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
Psalms 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Jesus is Truth

John 5:33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.(Jesus)
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Lack of Truth leads to Deception

Jeremiah 9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The Gospel is the Truth

Galatians 2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

If we walk in truth we will also have mercy

Genesis 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
2 Samuel 15:20 Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.
Psalms 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalms 57:3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
Psalms 57:10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
Psalms 61:7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalms 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Psalms 98:3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalms 108:4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Proverbs 14:22 Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Proverbs 20:28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.
Micah 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Truth is connected to God’s Light and lack of truth connected to darkness.

Psalms 43:3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

The absence of truth leads to iniquity

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Isaiah 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
Jeremiah 9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Malachi 2:6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Conclusion

We see from the above verses, the Bible is the Written Word of God and the source of truth, what we need to know to live a happy and fruitful life in this world. Beware when people speak only of “Christ”. Christ is a title, the same as Messiah. There are many false teachers today who claim to be Christ, both people and disembodied spirits! Only Jesus of Nazareth who died for our sins and was resurrected from the dead is the true Christ.

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Jesus called Satan the father of lies. He said to the Pharisees in John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Paul referred to Satan as the god of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

It therefore behooves us to learn the truth which exposes the lies of the Devil.

If you have any suggestions for additions to this Bible study on truth, please share them in the comments section. Thank you!