Living by the Truth | Holden Smith

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” -John 3:20-21

As followers of Christ, we are called to live by the truth. Living by the truth is described by Jesus in John’s Gospel as a precursor and driving force for us to step into the light to reveal that our works are done with God’s oversight. Truth, however, is a concept that in our current day has been heavily distorted. Truth is seen as something that can be subjective, and even personal, rather than eternal and unchanging. To fulfill this calling we need to define our terms.

“‘What is truth?’ retorted Pilate.” -John 18:38a

Truth is more than just an attribute of factual statements. It is something eternal and unchanging. While we can make statements that are factual today and not tomorrow, the same cannot be said about Truth. Something true does not fear cross-examination or exposure to light. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” -John 8:44

Satan is described as the father of lies. His chief aim is to contradict that which is true. Whenever we deviate from the truth, we find ourselves in alignment with him. There is only one source of truth, but many sources of lies. To walk in truth, we must fix our eyes firmly on the source and walk a straight path, not deviating to the left or the right. To achieve this, we must first identify the source.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” -John 14:6

Jesus is our only source of Truth and the only Path to Life. He is also self-described as the Light of the World, One Who illuminates the evil done in the darkness. Make special note that Jesus does not say that He is one of many forms of truth, but rather THE Truth. This makes it abundantly clear that our walk in Truth must be focused on the person of Jesus. But who is He?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14

Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God. For Jesus to claim that He is the Truth is to testify that God only speaks Truth. Contrary to Satan who speaks lies in a native tongue, God only speaks that which is true. His Word is faithful and true, both on the pages of our Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ. In basing our lives firmly on our relationship with Christ, and careful obedience to the Scripture, we fulfill our calling as believers to live by the Truth.