What Is Truth? What Is True?

When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, He answered by proclaiming His loyalty to truth. “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37). Pilate was not impressed. “What is truth?” he asked, as he left the room.

Pilate’s frustration is understandable. In a world where everyone seems convinced that different things are true, it can be easy to wonder if absolute truth exists or if we can reliably identify it.

Sherem told Jacob, “no man knoweth…of things to come” (Jacob 7:7). But Jacob knew better. He testified, “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.” And, he added, “these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13).

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Some would have us believe that truth is relative—that each person should determine for himself or herself what is true. Such a belief is but wishful thinking for those who mistakenly think they will not also be accountable to God….

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces all truth that God conveys to His children, whether learned in a scientific laboratory or received by direct revelation from Him.

“What Is True?” General Conference, October 2022

I love the expansiveness of that last sentence. Our goal is not to identify a few key truths and then cling to them tenaciously. It is to continuously acquire more truth through a variety of reliable sources. We should learn to evaluate the reliability of information sources, and we should be ready, as we gain more understanding, to let go of beliefs and opinions that have been supplanted by newly acquired knowledge. But what an exciting path lies ahead of us as we recieve light which grows brighter and brighter until “the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18, Doctrine and Covenants 50:24).

Today, I will strive to understand the truth better. I will remember that disciples of Jesus Christ seek and embrace truth. In a fast-paced world of conflicting messages, I will trust that absolute truth exists and that God will help me find and recognize it.