We live in a world where the truth doesn’t seem important to many people. Politicians campaign promising voters things that they have no intentions of doing. People cheat on their income taxes and insurance claims and don’t think anything about it. Doesn’t truth matter any more?

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word "truth" as: "Conformity to knowledge, fact. actuality, or logic. Sincerity; integrity; honesty." "Truth is most commonly used to mean correspondence with facts or with what actually occurred."

It is interesting to note that when Jesus appeared to Pilate on the day of His crucifixion that Pilate asked the question: What is truth? Notice in John 18:37-38 (NKJV): "Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." {38} Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

The word "truth" appears 235 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Evidently "truth" is important to God.

What is the Bible definition of "truth"?

The answer is found in John 17:17 (NKJV) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

God’s word is truth. The Bible is the written word of God. We are to live by every word that God speaks. Let’s look at

Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

All Christians should desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. This is what God expects of His true worshipers. John 4:23-24 (NKJV) says: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. {24} "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

God is perfect, truthful and cannot lie.

Titus 1:1-2 (NKJV) "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; {2} in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,"

Satan is the father of lies and there is no truth in him: John 8:44-46 (NKJV) "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) and he loved the truth. David wrote many of the psalms of the Bible. Let’s look at a few passages where he talks about the truth:

Psalms 25:5 (NKJV) "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day."

Psalms 100:5 (NKJV) "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

Psalms 119:151 (NKJV) "You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth." This verse is interesting. It says that all of God’s commandments are truth. We would logically think that only the ninth commandment would apply to truth. (The ninth commandment says: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor")

Let’s look now at some proverbs:

Proverbs 23:23 (NKJV) "Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding." Truth is like the pearl of great price. Mat 13:46 (NKJV) "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

Proverbs 3:3 (NKJV) "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,"

Proverbs 12:17 (NKJV) "He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit."

Proverbs 20:28 (NKJV) "Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne."

This last proverbs reminds me of a quotation by Richard M. Nixon when he was accepting the presidential nomination. He said: "Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth - to see it like it is, and tell it like it is - to find the truth, to speak the truth, and to live the truth." This is a dynamic and beautiful quotation. It is shame that President Nixon didn’t follow his own advice. Our country, churches and businesses need good leadership. Men who will tell the truth and live the truth.

Our love must rejoice in the truth! Notice: 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NKJV): "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; {5} does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; {6} does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;"

God loves the world (John 3:16) and He wants men to come into the knowledge of the truth: 1 Tim 2:4 (NKJV) "who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

The ways and customs of this world are based upon fables. We must not let pagan customs interfere with our worship and relationship with God. We must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

God warns us that the time is coming when people will not have sound doctrine:

2 Tim 4:2-4 (NKJV) "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. {3} For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; {4} and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."

God’s truth will make you free from fables and the world’s ways. John 8:32 (NKJV) "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

1 John 1:5-10 (NKJV) "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. {6} If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. {7} But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. {8} If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 2:1-12 (NKJV) "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. {2} And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. {3} Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. {4} He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. {5} But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. {6} He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. {7} Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. {8} Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. {9} He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. {10} He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. {11} But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. {12} I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake."

In Conclusion:

God’s word is truth. Jesus told us that "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". He also told us that "we must worship God in spirit and in truth".