What does it mean to say that God is truth?
When describing the attributes of God, they are usually split into two categories—moral (related to His character, such His justice and faithfulness) and nonmoral (such as His omniscience and omnipotence). Saying that God is truth is an ontological way to refer to truth as one of His moral attributes.Saying that God is truth extends beyond Him being truthful to declaring that truth itself find its very source in His nature. Other things can be truthful, but only God Himself is truth. Truth flows out of His very nature.
Throughout the Bible, God is defined as truth. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." He goes on to talk about how He and God the Father are one (John 14:7—11) and refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). In this one passage, Jesus makes it clear that the Triune God is truth. To further affirm the point, Hebrews 6:18 states that "it is impossible for God to lie."
Another of God's attributes is that He is unchanging: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17; see also Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Because God does not change, we can be confident of His ongoing faithfulness, truthfulness, and other attributes. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
As humans, we fail in our consistency and faithfulness, but God never will: "If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13). God is truth and in Him we find truth: "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20).
Truth and righteousness go hand-in-hand, as do lies and unrighteousness (see Romans 2:8). If we see unrighteousness or sin in our lives, we should take it as an indicator that we may be believing or living in some sort of falsehood. When we are in Christ, we submit to His truth and let it prevail in us—over our own opinions or desires—and the fruit of this submission is freedom for righteous living: "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
The attributes of God, what are they?
Are any of God's attributes above all the others?
Is God immutable? What is the significance of the immutability of God?
Does the sovereignty of God have an impact on everyday life?
What are the names of God? What do the names of God mean?
Truth about God
