Pontius Pilate asks Jesus in John 18:38, “What is truth?” Of course, Pilate, not being a worshipper of the one true God, would ask that question. For how could he know what the truth would be, under God?
Still, it’s a good question. Does the Bible define what a statement of truth would be? The Bible essentially defines the truth as something which is not false, as Exodus 20:16 commands us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
The Bible distinguishes a falsehood from the truth. Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Ephesians 4:25 says, “…having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” It implies that if you love your neighbor in accordance with the second great commandment of Jesus, you will speak nothing but the truth to them.
Similarly, 1 John 3:18 says “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” But this also implies that the truth reflects something that really happened, as opposed to any other speech.
How would others know if you are speaking the truth, if they themselves were not witness to it? Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” Why add three witnesses to two witnesses? The third witness could arguably be the person who was directly involved.
But what if there is only one witness that may contribute to the fate of one who is accused? As it is written that the righteous, who by definition love their neighbor, would not lie to their neighbor, one would have to determine whether the witness is such a righteous person. That’s not easy, given the evil that exists in the world. Perhaps under God, two witnesses, in addition to the person, would be needed to attest to that person’s righteousness; but since that is impossible as among people, the next best thing is for those witnesses to attest to things that show the person’s faith and devotion to God, that the person is upright in the eyes of the Lord. But in this regard, witnesses may see different things in regarding the same person, presenting a cloudy predicament. So how can the truth be found out for sure?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to “…test everything; hold fast what is good.” So we may test to see if a person’s assertion is true. That opens the door to considering everything, including how the person has conducted themselves, and including anything inanimate that may shed light on the matter, regardless of the degrees of separation.
Is age a defense for what a person may have done? The Bible says we were all conceived in sin and the evilness from the sin of the world we were born in is in all of us. In that regard, it is up to the more upright to share what they know about loving one’s neighbor and loving God.
A person will know in their heart, in addition to God knowing, whether they are being truthful. But as Adam and Eve did multiply, we have to contend with eachother, and thus convey to others what we know in our heart to be true, subject to verification by others, if we truly have faith in God.
Still, it’s a good question. Does the Bible define what a statement of truth would be? The Bible essentially defines the truth as something which is not false, as Exodus 20:16 commands us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
The Bible distinguishes a falsehood from the truth. Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Ephesians 4:25 says, “…having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” It implies that if you love your neighbor in accordance with the second great commandment of Jesus, you will speak nothing but the truth to them.
Similarly, 1 John 3:18 says “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” But this also implies that the truth reflects something that really happened, as opposed to any other speech.
How would others know if you are speaking the truth, if they themselves were not witness to it? Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” Why add three witnesses to two witnesses? The third witness could arguably be the person who was directly involved.
But what if there is only one witness that may contribute to the fate of one who is accused? As it is written that the righteous, who by definition love their neighbor, would not lie to their neighbor, one would have to determine whether the witness is such a righteous person. That’s not easy, given the evil that exists in the world. Perhaps under God, two witnesses, in addition to the person, would be needed to attest to that person’s righteousness; but since that is impossible as among people, the next best thing is for those witnesses to attest to things that show the person’s faith and devotion to God, that the person is upright in the eyes of the Lord. But in this regard, witnesses may see different things in regarding the same person, presenting a cloudy predicament. So how can the truth be found out for sure?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to “…test everything; hold fast what is good.” So we may test to see if a person’s assertion is true. That opens the door to considering everything, including how the person has conducted themselves, and including anything inanimate that may shed light on the matter, regardless of the degrees of separation.
Is age a defense for what a person may have done? The Bible says we were all conceived in sin and the evilness from the sin of the world we were born in is in all of us. In that regard, it is up to the more upright to share what they know about loving one’s neighbor and loving God.
A person will know in their heart, in addition to God knowing, whether they are being truthful. But as Adam and Eve did multiply, we have to contend with eachother, and thus convey to others what we know in our heart to be true, subject to verification by others, if we truly have faith in God.
