In the Bible, truth refers to what is dependable, tested, and trustworthy. It is firm and never changes (Ps 24:4,5; 43:3; 111:7,8; 119:160). This contrasts with some Greek philosophies, where truth is an idea or a principle that exists apart from the physical world that gets old and decays. Truth in the Bible is based on God’s unchanging purpose for the world and all the people God created. The proper response to the truth of God, therefore, is trust in God’s promises.

Trust is the basis for the special relationship between God and people throughout human history. Abraham trusted God’s promises (Gen 15:6). Jacob gave thanks for the ongoing love and faithfulness that God showed him in spite of his disobedience (Gen 32:9-12). Moses praised God on Mount Sinai because God’s love was continuing through each generation of his people (Exod 34:6,7). God is always faithful, and God’s promises and plans are true and trustworthy (Deut 32:3,4). Just as plants always grow and the sun and stars always shine, so God’s love and promises are forever dependable (Ps 85:10,11).

In the New Testament, Jesus claimed that the prophet Isaiah’s words were coming true because of the work the Spirit had chosen Jesus to do (Luke 4:16-21). In his teaching, Jesus frequently used the Hebrew word amen to emphasize that what he says about God’s will for his people is completely true and reliable (Matt 5:18; 6:2; 8:10; 18:15; 19:23; 24:2; 25:12). Jesus tells his followers that his death on a cross and his being raised from death carry out promises recorded in the Jewish Scriptures, and so are surely true (Luke 24:27,45-47).

In John, Jesus is the true light (1:9) who brings God’s true word (4:37). He is also the true food (6:30), the true vine (15:1), and the true way to God (14:6), who brings the Spirit of truth (16:13). And Jesus is the truth of God (14:6). His people live by the actions and promises of God, and as a result, they are the people of truth (John 18:37) who hear and trust him as the living word of God.

In the later letters of the New Testament, truth comes to be understood in the more usual modern sense—as what is correct, in contrast to what is false. There are warnings against false teaching (1 Tim 1:3,4; 2 Tim 2:16-18) and against those who are enemies of the truth (2 Tim 3:6-9) and who tell senseless stories (Titus 1:10-14). These letters say the church should fight for the true faith (1 Tim 6:11-21) and should see itself as “the strong foundation of truth” (1 Tim 3:14,15), which here means “right belief.”