John 17:17, Truth. Yeshua, the One sent to this earth from Elohim in heaven, says here, “Thy [Elohim’s] Word is truth.” In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Elohim.”

So what is truth? The word in Hebrew for truth is emet (spelled aleph, mem, tav), which is comprised of the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Truth embodies everything from the beginning to the very end of YHVH’s Word (literally, his Torah or the first five books of the Bible, and secondarily, the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation).

Interestingly, the Scriptures call Yeshua “the beginning and the end of our faith” (Heb 12:2), and likens him metaphorically to alpha and omega (Rev 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13), which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters corresponds in symbolic meaning to the aleph and tav, which are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

In Hebrew thought, truth consists of all of the Word of Elohim from the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet to the last letter. This same idea is picked up by the Jewish apostolic writers of the Testimony of Yeshua and applied to Yeshua who was the Word of Elohim sent to humanity in human form. As the human embodiment of the divine Word of Elohim he was referred to as the alpha and omega, or, in Hebrew thought, the aleph and the tav. We see this idea expressed in John 1:1–5 and 14 where it says of Yeshua,

In the beginning was the Word [Torah], and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. The same was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.… And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.

John 18:38, What is truth?

Pilate asked Messiah Yeshua, the Son of Elohim, a question many inquiring minds have been asking since time immemorial, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). If someone were to ask you this question what would your answer be?

Since the word truth is found some 300 times in the Scriptures it would be safe to assume that YHVH, the Author of the Bible, probably has a definite opinion as to the definition of truth. What is your definition of truth? Does your definition square with his? If not, whose definition is right? The Creator’s or yours? Adam and Eve were confronted with this issue in the Garden of Eden at the tree of knowledge. YHVH gave them some basic truth he expected them to obey, and shortly afterwards the serpent came along questioning that truth. Adam and Eve fell for the serpent’s confusing lies and perversion of truth and men have been confused about the definition of truth ever since.

Even today how many Bible proponents really believe and obey all the truth of the Bible? Don’t most people who read the Bible pick and choose what they want to accept as truth therefrom and reject the rest? For most people, their choices are based on how their Bible teachers and pastors have preconditioned them to think instead of studying their Bibles and learning the answer.  They have been taught to accept some biblical truth and reject those truths they don’t think apply to them.

Christian theologians have contrived a philosophical polemic to justify their decision to view some biblical truth as irrelevant. These arguments, however, are easily refuted. For example, to the argument that certain truth applied in ancient, but not in modern times, we respond, “The Bible declares that YHVH and his truth never change.” To rationale that certain truth was for the Jews only and not for the Christians we respond, “All the early New Testament believers and apostolic era writers were Jewish Christians thus invalidating that argument. To the argument that we’re living in a different dispensation, we respond, “Show us in the Bible where YHVH’s truth changes for different people-groups of different eras.”  To the argument that we follow the God of the New Testament, not the God of the Old Testament, we respond that Yeshua, the God of the New Testament and the God of the Old Testament are the same. To the now codified theological notion that YHVH’s truth has changed or evolved (spiritual evolution) over the millennia and that the validity of the Word of Elohim must be called into question, we respond, “Says who? YHVH or men? Who originated this notion? YHVH or the serpent (Satan the devil) at the tree of knowledge?” You see, sadly, most people have a Swiss cheese or a Holey (not Holy) Bible. Parts are missing from it!

So what is the biblical definition of truth? Yeshua declared that he was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Yeshua said that the word of Elohim is truth (John 17:17). Yeshua is Elohim, the Word of Elohim, and the Word of Elohim that was made flesh (John 1:1, 14). So Yeshua is the Living Word of Elohim or the Living Truth.

But how does Scripture specifically define truth? Psalms 119:142 and 151 says that “thy Torah is truth” and that “all thy commandments are truth.” What is the Torah? The Hebrew word torah literally means “instructions, precepts and teachings,” and as used in its scriptural context truth refers to YHVH’s instructions in righteousness, which when followed leads man to eternal life and intimacy with our Heavenly Father. Speaking of YHVH’s instructions in righteousness or the Torah, Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”

Where in Scripture is found the Torah to which Proverbs makes reference with its commandments which the Bible calls truth? It is found in the very part of the Bible that the mainstream church has come to believe was “done away with” and is largely no longer for Christians today—in the first five books of the Bible called the Books of Moses or the law of Moses, which is the Torah.

The fact that the Bible defines the Torah as truth presents the majority of Christians with a conflict. When confronted with the truth of the Torah, most will respond, “But I can’t do all that stuff, it’s impossible.” The Creator disagrees. In Deuteronomy 30:11–14 YHVH plainly says that obeying his Torah-truth is not impossible or too difficult to do, and Paul curiously and to the chagrin of many Christians, reaffirms this truth in Romans 10:5–13. In Deuteronomy 30:15 YHVH says,

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love YHVH they Elohim, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and YHVH thy Elohim shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Some Christians might respond that the Torah was only for the Jewish people, and is not for us today. To this YHVH’s response is simple. His commandments are valid for 1000 generations (that’s approximately 50,000 years; Deut 7:9). Moreover, his truth endures forever and to all generations (Pss 117:2 and 100:5). So has YHVH ever changed his mind as the mainstream church teaches? Does his truth ever change? Does he have one truth for the Jews and one truth for the Gentiles? To this, YHVH emphatically responds in Malachi 3:6, “For I am YHVH, I change not…” It is man who changes the definition of truth, not Elohim! Some Christians may respond, “But things are different in the New Testament. We’re under a different law now, and in a different dispensation.” To this, we ask you to remember that Yeshua is the truth or word of Elohim made flesh. Did that truth ever change? The answer is no, for Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Yeshua Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Therefore at this point a question needs to be asked: Is your church the pillar and ground of the Torah-truth of the Bible? Paul, a Torah-commandment keeping apostle and follower of Yeshua said in 1 Timothy 3:15 that it should be. John, the apostle, said in 1 John 2:4, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his [Torah] commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Furthermore, we read in the Book of Revelation that the end times saints will be keeping the Torah-commandments of Elohim and have the gospel message of Yeshua as well (Rev 12:17; 14:12).

This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth as the Bible presents it! May YHVH Elohim help us to love him by obeying his truth, and may his Torah become a way of life for us here and now.

If you love Me [Yeshua], keep My [Torah] commandments. (John 14:12)

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. (1 John 2:3–7)