Truly, Truly I Say to You: The Bible Is True

If you’re a parent, you probably know the drill. You ask your child to do something, but he or she pays no heed. They seem to have become hard of hearing. Or your child is engaged in unacceptable behavior, and you want their attention immediately. What do you typically do? 

You might figuratively pull out their birth certificate and with a loud voice, recite their complete given name: “Joseph Thomas Smith!” or “Heather Elizabeth Williams!” During non-stressful moments they answer to “Joe” or “Beth,” but when they hear their full name, ears perk up because they know you’re saying, “Hey, listen up. Right now!”

 

In especially teachable moments, Jesus Christ utilized a similar strategy. Except His go-to phrase was, “Truly, truly I say to you….” If you’re most accustomed to the original King James Version wording, it reads, “Verily, verily….” Some modern translations put it this way: “I tell you the truth….” Whichever way you prefer, Jesus was emphasizing the veracity of what He was about to say.

 

Not to suggest that He wasn’t speaking truthfully at other times, because the One who declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) always spoke the truth. But there were times when Jesus wanted to be certain His hearers were paying close attention, that they knew what He was preparing to say was crucial.

 

This particularly occurs in the gospel of John. One example concerns when Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus at night to ask some very pressing questions. Pastor J.D. Greear refers to this visitation as “Nic at Nite.” Jesus had the religious leader’s full attention right away when He said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

 

We can imagine Nicodemus’s jaw dropping before he responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” To which Jesus replied, again with emphasis, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:4-5).

 

Several other times during the evening conversation, Jesus began His statements with “Truly, truly” to assure the inquiring Pharisee that He was speaking in utmost seriousness, making assertions that were certain to shake him to his ecclesiastical core.

 

However, it wasn’t with Nicodemus only that the Lord found it necessary to be so emphatic. Earlier, the first time He encountered Nathanael, who would become one of His followers, the skeptic-turned-believer had said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” To which Jesus replied, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that. Truly, truly (I tell you the truth), you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:49-51). As if to say to Nathanael, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

 

In the gospel’s fifth chapter, Jesus again was interacting with religious leaders who challenged His credentials to say what He was saying and to perform the miracles He was doing. Jesus’ response was, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what He sees His father doing…whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned” (John 5:19,24). 

 

Jesus Christ used this phrase repeatedly, His way of putting a stamp of authenticity on His declarations, many of which astounded His hearers. To those who, like Pontius Pilate, would ask, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), Jesus stalwartly stood, stared straight at them and declared, “I am Truth.”

 

These days, everyone seems eager to espouse “my truth,” but few are actively and openly seeking The Truth. The greatest source for this, I’m convinced, is the Bible. As it asserts in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 

 

And to those who would argue the Scriptures are at best archaic and irrelevant for today, we have this rebuttal from Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and matter; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

I think Jesus would plainly state to us today, “Truly, truly, I say to you – the Bible is true!”