Jesus affirmed truth

Jesus affirmed that “the Father who sent me bears witness about me” (John 8.18). This word is striking for two reasons. The first is that Jesus refers to God as “the Father who sent me”. Later in the same chapter Jesus says, “I came from God and I am here… he sent me” (v42). Earlier he had already stated: “I have come down from heaven… to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6.38). Amazingly, Jesus stated several times and very clearly that he came into the world, sent by God from heaven, and God was his Father, whose message he was to convey to the world!

If this is true, we have an extraordinary key to knowing what was in the mind of God when he created us – understanding who we are and what is the meaning of life. 

Jesus himself was categorical, calling himself “a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God” (John 8.40). “I tell the truth”, he reiterates (v45). He firmly believes and insistently attests that what he says is true. And when he was later judged by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, Jesus tells him, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth” (John 18.37). These affirmations are absolutely amazing: the big question is, was Jesus actually telling the truth here? For those who want a digital copy of a 3,000 word booklet I wrote entitled: “Did Jesus tell the truth?” I will send it to you if you ask me for it at cwilliam.ec@gmail.com

There is a second reason why Jesus’ reference to his Father bearing witness to him is important. It is the key to answering the question: who is able to tell us truth about God? The answer has to be: only God himself. God is so infinitely great and complex, that no mere human can define his being. He himself alone is capable of telling us truth about himself – and that is what he has done. Only God can bear accurate witness to Jesus’ divine identity; that’s why God’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son”. And it’s why Jesus predicted the coming of God’s Holy Spirit, saying (in John 15.27-28) “I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth… he will bear witness about me”.  God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all bear witness to the deity of Jesus; we should receive this testimony – or at least be open to check it out, for Jesus is the key that allows us to obtain authentic answers to our questions.

Clive Every-Clayton