true truth

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” (John 14:6); He is the doorway, the evidence and the heartbeat.

I once knew a girl whose name was “Alethea.” Not until I went to college and learned the Greek language did I realize that her parents had named her according to the Greek word for truth (αληθεια). A quick word study demonstrates that John by far uses this word more than any other writer in the New Testament. How he uses it is even more intriguing.

John’s purpose in writing his gospel record is clearly outlined in John 20:30-31, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” He’s not writing mere history; he’s writing basic belief. From the outset, Jesus is texted as the Word made flesh, the eternal Son of God who is co-Creator-God, the Light that penetrates the darkness, the Father of faith for children who believe, the true Light and the Giver of truth. This account introduces us to the Savior of the world!

As John describes the events surrounding Jesus’ life, he uses language unlike his gospel contemporaries. Jesus IS the Lamb, the Light, the Truth; He doesn’t just point people in the direction of those ideals. He is the incarnate illustration wrapped in flesh, laying the foundation for our Christology.

Listed below are several verses in which John displays this concept to his readers, and the point of this exercise is to illuminate how the true worshipers of John 4:24 are able to worship God in spirit and truth –we know they need the Holy Spirit, but they also need Jesus!

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John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

John 3:21 “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 5:33 “You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.”

John 8:44-46 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”

John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

John 18:37-38 “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?'”