True or False?
July 20, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
Today, we live in a culture where truth is often perceived as relative. AI, Google, and other platforms have become a truth serum? Truth is critical for all that God wants to do in and through us; “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). God can never lie (Hebrews 6:18). When the Holy Spirit is deposited in us, He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17) This contrasts with; “…. the devil, ………, does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him, whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44).
Truth is an event or something that someone said; credible eye-witness accounts can verify that; therefore, it is factual. It is a living reality, not perception, speculation (this can become demonic; 2 Tim. 2:23-26), or is it philosophical? When it is philosophical (what the Bible calls human wisdom), it is demonic (James 3:13-18). If it is false doctrine, the scriptures represent it as demonic (1 Tim. 4:1-4); Christ states this in the case of Peter in Matthew 16:21-23. There are no half-truths or white lies. In the scriptures, it is either truth or, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, Satanic.
When we are committed to “walk in the truth” (2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4) Peter says this protects us from becoming “blind or short-sighted” (2 Peter 1:9). John says it is the only way we can have an intimately relationship with Christ (1 John 2:3-6) or establish a friendship with Him (John 15:13-17). This is why knowledge and truth are different. Knowledge is required for a believer to experience what it takes to come to the truth (Phil. 1:9-11). Knowledge alone, as can be seen in the Jewish leaders of Christ’s day, leads to arrogance and pride (1 Cor. 8:1-2). A believer must surrender their will to the will of God in order to be transformed (Romans 12:2). Once this occurs, a believer’s love for God is perfected (1 John 2:5; 4:18).
Christ blesses us to be able to walk in the truth. The Holy Spirit is the truth (John 14:16-17), He came to guide us to the truth (John 16:13), reminds us of the Word (knowledge so that we can walk in the truth (John 14:26), and He illuminates the scriptures so that we can understand them (1 Cor. 2:10-15). All the Holy Spirit is in us (Titus 3:4-8) so that we have the inner ability to work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13), making good decisions (Eph. 5:15-18; Psalm 119:9-11) with guaranteed success (Isaiah 55:11), while conquering all obstacles (Hebrews 12:4; 2 Peter 1:10c).
Truth is a person, the Holy Spirit. It is not our understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). Human wisdom is here today and gone tomorrow. Walk in the TRUTH!