“What Is Truth?” — The Spirit, the Cross, and the Lie
John 16:12–14 (RSV)
“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Truth isn’t lost. It’s ignored. Rejected. And sometimes crucified when it stands in the way.
Jesus promised the Spirit of truth—not to invent new dogmas, but to guide, to illuminate, to glorify. This was not postmodern relativism or ideological spin. It was revelation. Truth, not as opinion, but as a person: Christ Himself.
Yet Pilate stood before the incarnate Word and asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). The question wasn’t honest. It was evasion. He feared Caesar more than he feared God. Truth bowed to crowd control. He could wash his hands, but not cleanse his conscience.
Truth in the Gospel of John is never neutral. John 8:32 says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Some translations say “set you free,” implying the offer of a path. But “make you free” reveals something deeper: divine transformation. One opens the door. The other changes the soul.
But today, truth is no longer sacred. It’s engineered. Curated. Edited to fit the script. During COVID, we witnessed the rise of a new trinity: Science, Scientists, and Self. These did not serve truth—they served control. A false gospel. A secular priesthood. And dissent was not permitted.
We were told it was for our safety. Churches were closed. Worship was forbidden. Families were separated, funerals postponed. All in the name of “following the science.” But the “science” shifted with political winds. Models were flawed. Evidence was withheld. And fear—not truth—was the binding force.
The outcome? A people conditioned by fear and confusion. Long-term consequences remain—physical and spiritual. From spike protein residues to psychological scars. From censorship to shattered trust.
This was not truth in the biblical sense. It was truth repurposed—as a cudgel.
And it’s not a new story. In Jesus’ time, the religious elite orchestrated a plot cloaked in legality. The Sanhedrin couldn’t tolerate a Messiah who exposed their motives. He healed on the Sabbath. He called Himself Son of God. He ate with sinners. They charged Him with blasphemy, but the real crime was that He told the truth. So they twisted the law into lawfare.
Six trials. Three religious. Three civil. None just. None truthful. Each step choreographed to reach a predetermined end.
And Pilate? He stood at the crossroads of history and looked away.
Back then it was the Sanhedrin. Today, it’s the televised trial, the censored post, the demonized dissenter.
Jesus told His disciples they weren’t ready for the full truth. Not yet. The Spirit would come and guide them—slowly, deeply—into all truth. This was mercy. Revelation unfolds on a soul’s schedule, not the world’s clock.
But now the world demands instant answers. Truth is expected to arrive in 280 characters or less. We are drowning in information, yet starving for meaning. Without the Spirit of truth, we mistake noise for knowledge.
To walk in truth today is to walk a narrow path. It means risking reputation, enduring ridicule, rejecting the easy lie. It requires discernment rooted in Scripture, and courage shaped by the cross.
C.S. Lewis once said, “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” So it is for truth-seekers. Truth is not a consensus. It is not a trend. It is not a tool.
It is Christ.
We must ask: Do we want the truth? Or do we only want relief? Have we settled for curated narratives because they spare us from hard choices?
The Spirit of Truth still speaks. But we must listen—and be willing to bear what He reveals.
You won’t find truth on a screen, or in the safety of silence. But follow the Spirit—and He’ll take you straight to the cross. And from there, to freedom.
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 NKJV
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