The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Zachary W. during the 2007-2008 League.
Truth: A Biblical Study
Truth is crucial to the Christian faith. Christianity claims to possess the objective truth about God and about the way to God, his son Jesus. If truth is not objective, real, and knowable, then the Christian faith is false and misleading.
So, what is this thing called truth, and how can we know what is true? Unsurprisingly, the Bible holds the answers to these questions.
First, we examine the nature of truth. A familiar passage to many is John 14:6, in which Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life; No one comes to the Father except through me." In other words, to see and know Jesus is to see and know the truth; He perfectly corresponds with truth. Due to this claim, Christianity necessarily implies a specific theory of truth, often referred to as the correspondence view of truth.
Unlike other theories about truth that claim it is found in intentions or consistency, the correspondence view holds that truth is to be found in correspondence. Simply put, truth is what corresponds with the facts; it is "telling it like it is." Such is the truth presented in the Bible.
Another characteristic of biblical truth is that it is absolute. Here is an example: I wrote this paper on November 5, 2007. No matter what happens from now on, the simple fact remains: I did indeed write this paper on November 5, 2007, and nothing will change that. This statement is true to everyone who reads it.
Applying this thought biblically, Exodus 20:3 says: "Thou shalt not have any gods before Me." This verse means that idolatry of any sort is forbidden for all people, in all places, for all time, under any circumstances. This commandment is applicable to everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions or variables. Simply stated, absolute truth is absolutely true everywhere, all the time, for everyone.
In Psalms 31:5, David writes "Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth." In many instances throughout Scripture, God is referred to as the God of truth. God's very nature is truth. For it to be any other way is logically impossible. As a supernatural being, God cannot lie, because God is truth.
The Bible tells us this in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." If God is truth, it stands to reason that the Bible, by logical extension, is also absolutely true.
Truth then is what God says. It is an essential characteristic of His nature, and it is supreme and absolute. God has given us a source of this truth that is available to everyone -- the Bible. More than a mere collection of stories, the Bible is God's Word; it is His truth that is presented to us. Thank God for this wonderful gift.
