What did Jesus mean when He said, “Your word is truth” in John 17:17?

Answer

In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” «Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. », (John 17:17). In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.

In the same prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples and all who will believe in Him through the gospel «Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; », (John 17:20). Believers accept God’s words «I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. », (John 17:6) and accept Jesus as God’s Word «For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. », (John 17:8). God is truth, and His truth brings salvation to all who accept it «For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, », (Titus 2:11). Furthermore, God’s written and living Word will sustain believers as they are in the world «I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. », (John 17:14).

John 17:14).

In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus affirms that He brought the message of salvation to the world: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” «And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. », (John 17:3). Jesus’ mission of bringing the truth has been fulfilled «I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. », (John 17:4), and He shifts the focus of His prayer to God working through the disciples and other believers. He confirms that believers will face rejection by the world for believing “Your word is truth,” but believers are also promised joy, God’s protection from the evil one, and sanctification by God’s Word (John 17:13-19).

The Old and New Testaments both declare that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. Since God cannot lie, His Word is truth: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless” « As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. », (Psalm 18:30). Since God is eternal and unchanging, His Word is always the same: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35;cf: Isaiah 40:8). Jesus uses the Word as He rebukes the devil who was tempting Him: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3.

If we desire to know the truth, we will search in God’s written Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and look to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3). John refers to Jesus Christ in John 1:1–2, stating, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word represents God’s complete message, and Jesus embodied that full message, which is why He is referred to as the “Logos,” or “Word,” of God (Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:9). God is truth. His Word is truth. Salvation comes through accepting Jesus and affirming that “Your word is truth.”

Jesus declared, “Your word is truth.” When we examine the Bible, we encounter truth. The Bible does not simply contain the truth; it embodies the truth. Every word is truth, throughout the entirety of the Bible. “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” «The words of the LORD are pure words: As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. », (Psalm 12:6). This is the doctrine of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture.

Our response to God’s written Word and the Word made flesh has an eternal impact on us. As God’s Word is truth, rejecting the Bible and rejecting Jesus is rejecting God Himself. Believing, cherishing, studying, and obeying God’s Word is the key to salvation, understanding God, and living abundantly «The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. », (John 10:10).

Whatever challenges we encounter in this world, we find strength in the prayer spoken over us by Jesus: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” «Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. », (John 17:17).