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!”

Taking Truth to the Negotiating Table?

It’s time to revisit a topic in the forefront of many people’s minds these days. Pontius Pilate, confronted with what to do with Jesus, whom religious leaders regarded as rabble-rouser at best and outright threat at worst, famously asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Lots of people these days seem to be wondering the same thing.

We tend to treat truth as a negotiable commodity, like going into a grocery store and choosing between brands and flavors of jelly (or jam or preserves), kinds of deli meat, or varieties of cereal. Everyone likes multiple choices, don’t we? 

If you’re old enough, you remember having only three TV stations – or if you’re not that old, about a dozen cable channels. Boring, right? (Today we have hundreds of channels from which to choose, and still can’t find anything worth watching!) When cars were invented, Henry Ford said something like, “You can have your Model T in any color you want – as long as it’s black.” Can you conceive of not having dozens of makes, models, sizes and styles of cars, vans, SUVs and trucks, not to mention color schemes or accessory options?

Lots of folks view spirituality the same way. They recoil at the notion that there could be such a thing as absolute spiritual truth. I read this post recently on social media: 

“One can believe they have a corner on the truth and God’s will, but that would be true of any number of people from any number of religions.” 

In other words, who’s to say that Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and all the other “isms” aren’t equally true? (Despite the fact that even a cursory comparison reveals they differ greatly on many key points, often diametrically opposed and irreconcilable.)

Should we agree that truth is simply a matter of what’s right in the eyes of the beholder? As long as one is sincere – or convinced? Kumbaya, anyone?

Well, drawing cues from everyday life we discover truth isn’t nearly so negotiable. Take, for example, commonplace realities like gravity, blood, or even roadways.

What would you think of someone who said, “I’m jumping off this cliff. My truth says I won’t fall, that instead I’ll soar like an eagle”? Gravity has little interest in what our “truth” tells us. What goes up must come down, like it or not.

If we need a blood transfusion, in most cases a blood type matching our own is required. Tomato juice or red fruit punch won’t do; not even blood from a cow or a camel. No matter what someone decides they want their “truth” about their blood to be, the type of blood they have is the type they will need.

Many roadways are very clearly designated for one way. Especially highways. We don’t want some driver deciding “her truth” says it’s okay to drive south in the northbound lane. We’ve all heard about what happens when one person’s truth collides with someone else’s truth on the interstate.

There’s a tendency to balk when we’re told there’s only one way to achieve a desired objective. But imagine a passenger of the Titanic, struggling to stay afloat in the frigid waters as the fabled ocean liner sinks to the ocean floor. (This is shortly after the ship captain’s “truth” told him the Titanic was unsinkable, and that there couldn’t be an iceberg in the vicinity poised to rip a hole in the ship’s hull.) 

A lifeboat comes across the frantic passenger treading water. There’s room for one more person in the lifeboat, and it’s the swimmer’s last chance for survival. Yet he emphatically refuses to climb in, insisting he’ll wait for a larger rescue boat. His own “truth” convinces him this isn’t his one and only option. How long do you think his truth would keep him alive?

For this reason, when we read Jesus make the seemingly audacious statement,“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), we should at least take a moment to consider the magnitude of His claim. Many argue, “Jesus is the only way? No way!” Then they move along pursuing their own way, their “truth.”

But Jesus didn’t make that assertion just once. He made it clear truth was of eminent importance for Him, such as the time He addressed the esteemed Pharisees: “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me…. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!’" (John 8:42-45).

Harsh, tough words, right? Jesus apparently hadn’t read Dale Carnegie’s book about how to win friends and influence people. But sometimes there’s no soft-pedaling, no sugarcoating the truth.

If He were standing among us today, I believe Jesus would say the same thing. As He told Jews who were following Him, “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 8:32).

And how can we find this truth? How can we know it? Jesus gave this answer as well: "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me” (John 15:26). 

Good Four-Way Test

Years ago I was a member of the Rotary Club in the metropolis of Tomball, Texas (about 30 miles from Houston), but until a couple weeks ago I’d forgotten about a cornerstone philosophy for every good Rotarian.

I was at a Rotary luncheon in Norfolk, Neb. (another metropolis) with my friend, Steve, and at the opening of their meeting the members recited what’s known as “The Four-Way Test” of Rotary International. If you’re not familiar with it – and if happen to be under 40, you probably aren’t – it goes like this:

-        Is it the truth?

-        Is it fair to all concerned?

-        Will it build good will and better friendship?

-        Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Imagine if everyone, not just Rotarians, took these guidelines to heart in their interactions and communication with other people. How different might things be?

For starters, I think about 75 percent of everything elected officials and candidates for public office say would have to be eliminated – and they’d have a lot of apologizing to do. If they’re humble enough, they might even seek forgiveness. When facts are distorted and opponents misrepresented, all for the sake of gaining political advantage, they violate all four.

At least half of what we read on Facebook, Twitter and other social media couldn’t be posted, because in many cases words are used as weapons to wound, not as tools for building up.

So-called “fans” of college and pro football teams would have to keep silent, because their boorish behavior and hateful criticisms too commonly are untrue, unfair, not conducive for good will and friendship, and hardly beneficial for anyone. The same applies to many parents at youth sporting events who despite having little real understanding of the game, shout and carry on in very disruptive ways.

Commentators on cable news networks – Fox, CNN, MSNBC and others – would often have to practice the adage that “silence is golden.” Or else reassemble their facts in ways that aren’t stacked strategically to support their ideological biases and delude viewers and hearers.

Marriages could be transformed, as husbands and wives chose discretion and consideration rather than emotional impulse for guiding their conversations and shaping their relationships.

Many educators would have to totally rewrite their curricula, since their course content too often is engineered to influence inquiring student minds into believing their propagandist teachings and philosophies. Similarly, the entertainment media would have to drastically revise and reproduce agenda-driven movies, TV programming and videos, all disguised as means to “entertain.”

And leaders of various religions – including many in Christianity – would be forced to carefully re-examine their dogmatic and often judgmental pronouncements. They could feel compelled to answer the penetrating question asked by Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), rather than presuming they already know.

If we all embraced Rotary’s “Four-Way Test,” we might all be persuaded to apply the exhortation of Ephesians 4:29, which tells us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Can you imagine?