Over the centuries, in various ways, many people have asked the question, “What is truth?” In our current culture, many people continue to ask this question. For some, truth has become relative, instead of absolute. For example, you might hear people say, “That may be true for you, but not for me.”

This question of what is truth is even expressed in the Bible:

John 18:37-38a NASB Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth [G225]. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (38) Pilate *said to Him, "What is truth [G225]?"

In the Bible, Jesus gives a clear answer to this question. Note what Jesus says to His disciples:

John 16:13a NASB "But when He, the Spirit of truth [G225], comes, He will guide you into all the truth [G225].

The Greek word in the verses above is G225 - alētheia (al-ay'-thi-a), which means “what is true in reality” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions).

What is the significance of this? The Greek word for “truth” is referring to “reality,” not “doctrine.” God is reminding us of the importance of the application of truth to the reality of our everyday lives. If we simply accumulate biblical knowledge or doctrine without applying it to our lives, then it is true to us in theory only and not in reality.

Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit (the “Spirit of truth”) will guide us into the reality of applied biblical truth, as evidenced in how we live our lives. And we cannot have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, guiding us to this reality, without having a personal relationship with Jesus.

That is why I am starting to include in my quiet time journaling a step where I ask myself, “After reading this passage, how does this change how I think, act, and live?” That is my way of helping myself to apply the truths I have just read.

I saw an example of this in the following familiar passage from the Christmas story:

Matthew 2:1-6 NASB Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, (2) "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (4) Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. (5) They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: (6) 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"

Notice that the chief priests and scribes of the Jewish people had the biblical knowledge to know where the Messiah would come from (Bethlehem). Yet they did not seem to apply their knowledge to the reality of their everyday lives, and therefore did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. As one person has put it, they did not allow this truth to make the 18-inch journey from their heads to their hearts.

Let me repeat the big idea for today:

John 16:13a NASB "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.

The Greek word for “truth” in this verse is referring to “reality,” not “doctrine.” God is reminding us of the importance of the application of truth to the reality of our everyday lives. If we simply accumulate biblical knowledge or doctrine without applying it to our lives, then it is true to us in theory only and not in reality.

As we head into the new year, I am renewing my commitment to apply biblical truth to my everyday life – to not merely accumulate biblical knowledge, but to make it a reality instead of just a theory.

Will you join me in this journey -- to make biblical truth a reality in our lives, and not just theory or doctrine?

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”