I Was Born For This

I Was Born for This

Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.

John 18:37-38

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Every year Christmas poses the question, Why did Jesus come? When he was on trial near the end of his life, Jesus himself answered this question clearly. He said, “I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth.” Christmas exists because Jesus came to show us that there is ultimate truth and that truth can be known.

But evidently, from what Jesus said, not everyone recognizes the truth. According to Jesus, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37, NASB). He didn’t mean that only a certain group of people can hear the sound of his voice. He meant that only some people who hear his voice recognize that what he is saying is true.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:10, Paul writes that Satan uses every kind of evil deception to fool people who “refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.” Many people have been deceived into thinking that individuals can decide for themselves what God is like. Some people say about Jesus, “That may be your truth, but that’s not my truth.” Some people think those who believe in an absolute truth—something everyone should believe and follow—are unintelligent and even dangerous.

But Jesus said that there is a truth that comes from God outside the world we know, and it is this truth that gives the world meaning. This is a truth that should be pursued, believed, and enjoyed. This truth is Jesus.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What are some things you believe are absolutely true? How do you know these things are true?

When you talk to people who don’t believe there are things that are true for everyone, how can you respond?

What does John 16:12-15 tell us about how we can know truth?