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How Jesus Christ Is Truth
Because Jesus Christ knows all truth, we can trust Him to understand us, help us, and teach us.
A friend and I were discussing questions we had about our faith while snowshoeing in the mountains. After listening to her, I asked why she decided to remain an active member of the Church. Her response was profound: “I don’t know the truth about everything, but I know that Christ is the source of all truth. He is the reason I continue to believe.”
I felt the Spirit when she said those words. I believed in my heart that Christ was “all truth,” but logically I still didn’t quite understand everything about His gospel. So I decided to search the scriptures to better articulate what I believed in my heart.
In the New Testament, we read that Christ is the “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). What I found was that “the truth” is more than just a scriptural title—it’s a powerful description of our Savior and who He is.
The Perfect Judge
Lehi explained why the Messiah needed to be full of truth: “Because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of Him according to the truth and holiness which is in him” (2 Nephi 2:10).
The Messiah needed to be full of truth in order to be our perfect judge. If Christ did not know all truth, He wouldn’t be able to judge us according to the desire of our hearts. Understanding our intentions and desires allows Him to judge in both a just and merciful way.
He also understands the context from which we make all our decisions. This truth is augmented by empathy, through His suffering and exaltation, which allows Him to perfectly understand all things:
“He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6).
We can trust Christ to be our perfect Judge and Advocate because He knows the truth of all things.
The Perfect Helper
Jesus Christ knows everything about us, including all the challenges and struggles we face. In the words of Alma:
“He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
“… And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy … that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people” (Alma 7:11–12).
Christ’s endless empathy enables Him to succor (or help) us perfectly. He can mend us when we are broken, liberate us when we feel captive, and enlighten us when we are confused. He knows and feels the full truth about our situations, and we can trust Him to help.
The Perfect Witness
When talking with Pontius Pilate, Jesus Christ taught us one way that He is the truth. He declared, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37).
What does this mean, exactly?
First, we know that He cannot lie or do wrong (see Numbers 23:19). Second, we understand that He is the perfect witness of Heavenly Father and of the truth of Heavenly Father’s plan for His children.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “Feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who was ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness’ [Lectures on Faith (1985), 42]. In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, ‘This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own.’”1
The Savior also said, “I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10).
At times, either through others’ incorrect beliefs or misunderstanding of the scriptures, it can be easy to mistake Heavenly Father for being stern and unmerciful, while it can be easy to see Jesus as loving, kind, and lenient.
However, if part of Jesus Christ’s mission was to bear witness of our Heavenly Father, we can understand a great truth—that He and Jesus Christ both love us perfectly.
Trusting Jesus Christ
I believe in my Savior, Jesus Christ, and as I have learned more about Him and His character, I have been able to place greater trust in Him.
Just as my friend told me while we were in the mountains, Jesus Christ is all truth. President Russell M. Nelson also affirmed this when he recently said: “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Learn more about His Atonement, His love, His mercy, His doctrine, and His restored gospel of healing and progression. Turn to Him! Follow Him!”2
Because Jesus Christ is all truth, we really can trust Him.