When I was attending seminary, I took a class in student ministry. Our professor liked to bring in various Baptist Student Ministry directors to speak to our class (it was a Baptist seminary, by the way).
One of our speakers was the BSU director at the University of Texas in Austin. He talked about the challenges of ministering on that campus. For one thing, the campus is one of the largest in the nation, and there is a wide diversity of students from all over the world who attend there. For another, the university at that time had a designated area on campus where students and organizations could proclaim their message. There was also a requirement for all student organizations to adhere to strict guidelines. The director spoke of a pamphlet the BSU was trying to distribute at UT that was ultimately denied by the university.
One of the schools at UT had a statement carved into the building’s front. The quote was, “The truth shall set you free.” The BSU came up with a clever brochure to pass out on campus to incoming freshmen. The brochure asked the question, “Who said, ‘the truth will set you free’?”
Most people, if asked that question, might suggest one of our Founding Fathers or a well-known philosopher. Perhaps they would cite a noted educator or some industrialist. And they would be wrong.
The answer to the question is Jesus, from John 8:31-32.
What Does It Mean?
To understand what Jesus was saying with that quote, we really need to look at the context in which it is said and to whom He was speaking when He said it.
Here are the two very short but very deep verses: “To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
John records this statement in a discourse that possibly begins with Jesus’ statement, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). A little later in the chapter, John notes that the dialogue with the Pharisees takes place in the temple area where offerings were put. There follows an exchange about the validity of Jesus’ words and Jesus’ origins.
In v. 30, John writes, “Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him.”
There is some debate as to whether the next two verses regarding the truth were stated to the people of v. 30, or if it is a new discourse at a different time to a different group of Pharisees. Whether or not the dialogue is a continuation or a new one, there is no doubt that Jesus’ words in vs. 31-32 are directed to those who professed a belief in Him. To these professed followers, Jesus tells them the mark of a true disciple is that of embracing all of His teachings and living them out accordingly. In that way, as we come to know Him and His ways, then we will embrace the Truth, and that Truth will and does set us free.
Here is where it is helpful to understand the context. As the dialogue continues, the Pharisees take up the issue of freedom—“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In response to Jesus’ declaration, they counter with, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say that we will be set free?” (v. 33).
Jesus then points out the freedom He speaks of is freedom from sin’s ultimate consequences and the inevitability of sin. In the following dialogue, Jesus eventually comes to the nature of the devil, and the contrast is very sharp. In contrast to the followers of Christ knowing the truth, those who fail to follow the devil are slaves to sin (cf. vs. 34-38), and are a reflection of being under Satan’s influence (vs. 39-47). Jesus makes the following statement to those who oppose Him: “Why is My language not clear to you? Because you unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. 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” (vs. 43-44).
So, looking at the context of the passage where the quote is found, we can see that Jesus’ statement, “The truth will set you free,” is an indication of freedom from sin’s influence and consequences, and coming under the influence of the One who calls Himself the Truth—“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6a)—as opposed to one who’s influence is the father of lies whose native language is lies.
But in a larger context, Jesus’ statement is also a call for us to live a life of truth, seeking to overcome lies and deceit by following Jesus’ example and by following His teachings. By putting our faith in the One who is the Truth, we are committing ourselves to seek after truth in all its forms, not just in the context of sin.
Why Is Truth So Important?
Truth is important because it validates and verifies a statement. When Jesus proclaimed He is the Truth, He also proclaimed that there was no inconsistency in Him.
Years ago, a man was running for president of the United States. Reporters were asking him about his personal life, and the candidate responded that he led a very dull life. He told the reporters to follow him around and see if what he said wasn’t true. It turns out the candidate may have been dull, but that didn’t stop him from having an extramarital affair, one that was exposed by the very reporters he challenged to follow him and verify his statement. The candidate lost all credibility and went from front-runner for his party’s nomination to resigning in disgrace from the race.
Jesus’ claim to be the Truth is an invitation for us to examine Him and see if there is any fallacy in Him. To date, for the genuine seeker, even the critical or skeptical seeker, there has been no evidence of Jesus making a false claim or not acting consistently with His message. Jesus has proven to be true in every sense of the word.
In the same way, His followers are called to exemplify that which is true. One of the biggest and most frequent charges against Christians is that of hypocrisy. There are those who say Christians say one thing and do another. The contradictions are startling at times. Sadly, there is validity to the claim. Too often, we are exposed in not living the life we proclaim is to be living. Too often we are caught saying one thing one moment, and saying something else entirely the next moment.
To some extent, this hypocrisy can be attributed to our sinful nature. There are many good men and women who are deeply committed to living lives consistent with the teachings of Christ. There are innumerable people who devote themselves to learning and doing that which God calls them to do through Christ. But, being human, we all fall short. We stumble, we sin, and when we do, we clearly step away from that message we are fervently trying to follow. When we sin, those who seek to accuse will point to that stumble and exclaim that we are all hypocrites. In those instances, the claim is unfair and unjust.
But there are also many people who proclaim to be followers of Christ who really never have an inkling about what Christ is all about. Such people have a passing knowledge of Christ, but they never seem to bother to spend time in prayer and study, in seeking after the will of Christ. There are those who see their relationship with Christ as one of convenience and “some day” assurance. They understand the relationship with Christ as one of being saved from judgment, and never understand that faith in Christ is a life-changing commitment. To such people—those who proclaim Christ on Sunday, but tend to ignore Him the other days of the week—the claim of hypocrisy is more valid.
Truth is important because it brings a consistency to our lives and our message. And the seeking after truth allows us to be open to challenges of our faith. For those who seek truth, there is an understanding that truth will always win out over lies and deceit. If I proclaim to follow the truth, I should be open to hearing what others profess, even when that profession is inconsistent with what I believe. One of two things will happen. Either I will learn something that expands my understanding of truth, or my original faith statement will remain intact and be strengthened from the challenge.
When I began my first pastorate, I had a woman from my church who had come out of the Pentecostal churches. She wanted to talk to me about the spiritual gifts, in particular that of speaking in tongues. Coming out of the Baptist church and tradition, I was taught that speaking in tongues was no longer valid or never was valid. She shared with me her passages of Scripture that supported her claim, and I listened to her. I then went to my Bible and studied it prayerfully. I reached my own conclusion. My conclusion is that the gift of tongues was valid at one time and is still valid in our time. However, I believe the gift of tongues is one of private use, as opposed to corporate use. That is, the gift of tongues should be limited to one’s prayer closet and not brought out into a house of worship. I believe my interpretation is consistent with what I’ve read and studied. But I’m open to others who may believe differently.
The point is, not everyone sees eye-to-eye with us on every point of life and Christian living. If we will know the truth, then we must be willing to let our faith be challenged. Believing Jesus is the Truth, and believing the Spirit will lead us into all truth, we can be challenged in our faith and, as long as we stay submissive to Christ and His words, we can only be strengthened in our faith.
The seeking after truth and the knowing of truth strengthens our faith. I was listening to the radio the other day. I wasn’t really paying attention, but I heard the announcer talking about a news story that was to appear later in the day or the week. The story was about two girls who had grown up in a nation that did not allow for the preaching of anything but the official state religion. These two girls converted to Christianity and began handing out Bibles to their community. The resultant opposition was swift and harsh. The news story promised to look into the matter in more depth.
As I heard that story, my first thought was how sad it was for the two girls. Then I thought how sad it is to live in a land where one’s faith cannot be challenged. Such a faith is a very weak faith and a frightened faith. It is a faith that is not willing to stand up to scrutiny and challenge. It is a faith that is afraid to be challenged lest it be exposed to a truth that contradicts their faith. Such a faith is a lazy one, unwilling or unable to withstand outside challenges.
When one proclaims to be a follower of the truth, there can be no fear or weakness in allowing it to be challenged. Truth will always endure.
Is There Really Such a Thing as Absolute Truth?
After World War II, there was the rise of rationalism or relativism. Put simply, the idea of rationalism or relativism is that truth is not something that can be known with certainty. Rather, truth is that which we can reasonably assume (come to rationally) or is only true in some circumstances (truth is relative to the hearer). These ideas have turned the concept of truth on its head. For centuries, the debate has not been whether or not truth is absolute, only whether which was the best way to discover truth.
If truth is relative, then it stands to reason that truth can change over a matter of time—sometimes minutes, sometimes years. For instance, the idea of slavery was seen as a valid truth for most of humanity’s history. There were slaves back in the days of Abraham up until the present. The truth was slavery was an accepted truth for so long, only becoming challenged in Western thought in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the idea of slavery as a truth is no longer seriously considered by any Western thought.
In another sense, we can see that truth is relative simply by turning on the news. Having recently completed an election, we were inundated with political ads. Whether they were true or not depended largely upon who was making the claim. If my candidate was running the ad, of course it was largely true. If the ad was from my candidate’s opponent, it was nothing but a pack of lies. That’s an over simplification, but it’s one that is all too readily accepted by far too many people.
And yet, even with these examples of truth being relative, there are also examples of truth being absolute. In math, one plus one will always equal two, and no matter how sincerely one holds to any other answer, the answer will always be two. The rules of mathematics will always apply and will withstand the test of time. (I realize that there are those who are involved in theoretical math who might argue my point, but even they will agree that the vast majority of the rules have been constant from the moment we began thinking about math.)
Conclusion
There are absolute truths in our world, and since there are absolute truths, we can be certain of many things in life. We rely on these truths to get us through each day. While I am reluctant to speak in universal terms, there are some truths that can be universal, absolute and tested.
Because we know there are absolute truths, then, we should be willing to accept Jesus’ statement of John 8 to be valid. And, believing that truth can and should be tested, we should be willing to put our faith to the test. The fact that there is truth in Jesus and in His words gives us an anchor for life’s verities. It provides us a solid foundation upon which to build a life of faith and commitment.
To borrow from a former television show, “The truth is out there.” His name is Jesus.
© 2018 Glynn Beaty