Part 1 showed how constancy—specifically the faithfulness and reliableness of God—is at the core of biblical truth, and indeed at the foundation of all science. We now examine biblical truth more closely, and how it applies to the character of God and of Jesus.

Bible-Defined “Truth”

Meanings1 firmness, stability, durability, unchangeableness, permanence, duration, constancy, certainty, dependableness, dependability, reliableness, reliability, trustworthiness, faithfulness, fidelity, security, truth, verity Pronunciation2 Biblical Hebrew: e-METH (ʔ eˈmeθ)

Modern Hebrew: e-MET (ʔeˈmet) Occurrences in the Hebrew Old Testament3 x 127 First occurrence Genesis 24:27 Strong’s number 0571 Root letters אמן (ʾmn) Also derived from the same root אָמַן (ʾāman) = to confirm, support, uphold; to be established, be faithful, be trustworthy, be reliable; to be certain, believe, trust אָמֵן (ʾāmēn) = verily, truly, surely (i.e., “Amen!”) אֱמוּנָה (ʾěmûnāh) = firmness, fidelity, steadiness; steadfastness, dependability, faithfulness, trustworthiness, honesty; trust, faith, belief + the names Amittai, Amnon, and Amon Greek word most often paralleled with אֱמֶת (ʾěmeṯ)4 ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia) = truth, truthfulness, sincerity, integrity, uprightness, dependability, fidelity

The Hebrew Bible conveys the concept of “truth” primarily with the word אֱמֶת (ʾěmeṯ), which occurs 127 times in the Old Testament. The closest Greek equivalent, ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia), is found 132 times in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), and a further 109 times in the New Testament.5 Both terms mean more than factual correctness. They also convey the idea of dependability or dependableness.

God Desires and Exhibits אֱמֶת (ʾěmeṯ)

אֱמֶת (ʾěmeṯ)—mostly translated “truth” in older versions, but also meaning “faithfulness”—is a huge theme in the Bible. It is an attribute that is highly commended. Hanson (1975) writes,

ʾemeth meant originally ‘trustworthiness’ and is often used for ‘stability, constancy, enduringness’. As Glueck remarks, ‘wherever ḥeseḏ [‘lovingkindness’] appears together with ʾemeth . . . the quality of loyalty . . . is emphasized’6 . . . as a description both of God’s character and of the corresponding conduct which God requires of man. (p. 7)

He is the “God of truth”7,8 ( Psalm 31:5 9), who says, “be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).10 He described Himself to Moses in the following terms, when He passed before him in a cloud on Mount Sinai:

. . . The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth {faithfulness11} ( Exodus 34:6 )12

What does this mean, “abounding in . . . truth”? It means utterly dependable and faithful in every aspect:

God is faithful and dependable; His Word is true and trustworthy.

He is “the true 13 God” ( 2 Chronicles 15:3 );

13 God” ( ); He is the one “[w]ho made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth { faith 14} forever” ( Psalm 146:6 );

{ 14} forever” ( ); Truth { faithfulness 15} goes before His face ( Psalm 89:14 16);

{ 15} goes before His face ( 16); His truth { faithfulness 17} reaches to the clouds ( Psalm 57:10 18; 108:419);20

{ 17} reaches to the clouds ( 18; 108:419);20 His “words are true { truth / trustworthy 21}” ( 2 Samuel 7:28 );

{ / 21}” ( ); “The judgments of the Lord are true 22” ( Psalm 19:9 23);

are 22” ( 23); “All the paths of the Lord are. . . truth { faithfulness 24}” ( Psalm 25:10 );

are. . . { 24}” ( ); His “law is truth { true 25}” ( Psalm 119:142 );

{ 25}” ( ); “The entirety of [His] word is truth { true 26}” ( Psalm 119:160 );

{ 26}” ( ); He has “dealt faithfully ” ( Nehemiah 9:33 );

” ( ); “The works of His hands are verity { truth / faithful 27} and justice; all His precepts are sure.

They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth { faithfulness 28} and uprightness” ( Psalm 111:7–8 );

The “truth {faithfulness29} of the Lord endures forever” ( Psalm 117:2 ).

What an awesome God! No wonder Hannah enthuses,

No one is holy like the Lord,

for there is none besides You,

nor is there any rock like our God ( 1 Samuel 2:2 )

and the Psalmist exclaims,

. . . I will praise You—and Your faithfulness {truth30}, O my God! . . . ( Psalm 71:22 )

Likewise, David pleads,

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;

let Your lovingkindness and Your truth {faithfulness31} continually preserve me. ( Psalm 40:11 32)

The Sons of Korah wrote the following profound lines:

Mercy and truth {faithfulness33} have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Truth {faithfulness34} shall spring out of the earth,

And righteousness shall look down from heaven. (Psalm 85:10–1135)

This Psalm has strong Messianic themes and some believe it speaks prophetically of Jesus.36 Indeed, the “grace and truth” which John says filled Christ ( John 1:14 ) appear to echo the “mercy and truth” of Psalm 85:10 .37,38,39

For sure, the New Testament speaks boldly on truth—truth found in Jesus—as we shall now see.

The Dependable Witness

Think for moment about a witness. Whether for victims seeking justice, or for judges wanting to get to the truth of a matter, reliable witnesses are extremely valuable assets. Back in 1999, my wife, Kerensa, was standing next to our parked car when a young man got into his vehicle opposite and quickly accelerated backwards. Swinging round wildly and clearly not seeing our car, he smashed into it, shunting it into a gate and causing over $1,000 in damage. If Kerensa had been standing a couple of feet to one side, she would have had her legs crushed. After she turned down the driver’s measly spur-of-the-moment cash offer of about a tenth of what it would later cost to repair, the matter went to the insurance companies. Eventually my wife got a letter saying the young man claimed she had backed into him! She phoned the insurance company asking if they had called our witness, an elderly gentleman who had seen the whole incident. They hadn’t! But once they did, the matter was finally resolved justly and we got the money to pay for the repairs. We were grateful to God for protecting Kerensa, and also for providing an honest, dependable witness.

A true40 witness delivers souls,

but a deceitful witness speaks lies. ( Proverbs 14:25 )

Jesus speaks about a witness or testimony being “true” or not ( John 5:31–32, 8:14 ), which a few Bibles translate with the word valid.41 Indeed valid certainly seems to fit the context here, especially in light of Christ’s reference back to the Torah ( Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15 ) in His conversation with the Pharisees:

It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. ( John 8:17 )

But, clearly, the underlying reason that the testimony of two or more witnesses is considered valid is that it is more likely to be reliable and dependable, and therefore truthful. So it is with good reason that Gingrich (1983) suggests the word dependable (p. 8) in settings such as these.42

One dependable witness may be worth more than a dozen unreliable ones.

In fact we can go further than this and say that, although the testimony of two witnesses may be technically and legally valid, the actual authenticity and truthfulness of their account is entirely dependent upon whether or not they are honest, trustworthy, reliable, and dependable, known for their integrity and faithfulness in the face of possible bribery and corruption. Given this, one dependable witness may be worth more than a dozen unreliable ones! As Paul puts it, in answer to the question of whether the faithfulness of God can be nullified by the unbelief of some,

. . . let God be true but every man a liar . . . ( Romans 3:4 )

In other words, as the NJB renders the same verse,

. . . God will always be true even if no human being can be relied on . . . ( Romans 3:4, NJB )

Indeed if we take Thayer’s definition of ψεύστης (pseústēs)—“liar” in the NKJV—in this verse as meaning “one who breaks faith, a false or faithless man” (2000), then Paul is contrasting the faithfulness/reliableness/truthfulness of God with the faithlessness/unreliableness/untruthfulness of man.

This is why Jesus on the one hand admitted,

If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not [technically or legally] valid {true43} ( John 5:31, HCSB , emphasis added);

yet on the other hand He maintained,

Even if I testify about Myself . . . My testimony is [completely dependable and therefore] valid {true44}.” ( John 8:14, HCSB , emphasis added)

The Real Deal

Nevertheless, Jesus does have independent testimony:



If ever a Messiah were to come from God, there could be no more profound endorsement of His credentials.

John the Baptist, whom “all counted . . . to have been a prophet indeed” ( Mark 11:32 ),45 “has borne witness to the truth” ( John 5:33 ), saying, “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” ( John 1:34 );46

),45 “has borne witness to the truth” ( ), saying, “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” ( );46 “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do [e.g., preaching the Gospel to the poor, working miracles, healing the sick, delivering from demons, giving sight to the blind, making the lame to walk, the dumb to talk, the deaf to hear, even raising the dead, all in fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures such as Isaiah 61:1–3 ]—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” ( John 5:36 );

]—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” ( ); “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me” ( John 5:37 )—e.g., after Jesus had been baptized “a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” ( Matthew 3:17 ), and later when He was transfigured, “a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” ( Matthew 17:5 );47

)—e.g., after Jesus had been baptized “a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” ( ), and later when He was transfigured, “a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” ( );47 “the Scriptures . . . testify of Me” ( John 5:39 ), “[f]or if you believed Moses [i.e., the Torah or Pentateuch], you would believe Me; for he wrote about me.”

In fact, the words spoken from the cloud at Christ’s transfiguration were a double confirmation, both from God the Father, and from the Messianic Scriptures to which they alluded:

“This is My beloved Son” alludes to ( Psalm 2:7–8 )—

. . . The Lord has said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession”;

“in whom I am well pleased” alludes to ( Isaiah 42:1 )

Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles;

“Hear Him!” alludes to ( Deuteronomy 18:15 ):

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.48

Furthermore, these three Scriptures are taken from the three main divisions of the Hebrew Bible:

from the Torah (or Law, i.e. the Pentateuch)— Deuteronomy 18:15 ;

; from the Nevi’im (or Prophets)— Isaiah 42:1 ;

; from the Ketuvim (or Writings)— Psalm 2:7–8 .49

WHEN THE ROAD IS ROUGH AND STEEP When the road is rough and steep

Fix your eyes upon Jesus

He alone has pow’r to keep

Fix your eyes upon Him

Jesus is a gracious friend

One on whom you can depend

He is faithful to the end

Fix your eyes upon Him All Rights Reserved. Used by kind Permission.

If ever a Messiah were to come from God, there could be no more profound endorsement of His credentials. According to the recognized and most respected prophet of His day, according to multiple miraculous deeds and lives transformed, according twice to a heavenly voice, and according to the testimony of Scripture—Jesus was the real deal!

Finally, in the last book of the Bible, Jesus refers to Himself as “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God” ( Revelation 3:14; see also 19:11 ). And towards the end of the book of Revelation, we read that “He who sat on the throne said, ‘ . . . these words are true and faithful’” ( Revelation 21:5 ; see also 22:6 ). In each one of these occurrences we see the fullest sense of ἀληθινός (alēthinós),50 defined by Gingrich (1983) as “dependable . . . true, in accordance with the truth . . . genuine, real” (p. 8). Jesus is the Faithful and Dependable One, and His words are true and trustworthy.

Coming Up Next

In Part 3 we’ll look briefly at how truth is personified in Jesus, before applying all we’ve learnt about truth to the debate over origins, and what it means to have faith.