In John 14:6 Jesus declares that he is “the way, the truth and the life.” But what does it mean that Jesus is “truth”? Why is he truth incarnate?

To answer that, we must first understand what “truth” is. Truth corresponds to reality; it always mirrors reality (this is what is known as the Correspondence Theory of Truth). There are two powerful implications: (1) As such, truth is necessarily objective because reality is always objective, never subjective, and (2) We can only discover truth; we can never invent it.

Note carefully that Jesus did not say his words were true (a descriptive adjective), but that he himself is the embodiment of truth (a declarative noun). The same distinction is made in John 17:17 when Jesus characterizes the Word of God as “truth” (noun), not simply “true” (adjective).

When Jesus proclaimed himself truth, he was making the jaw-dropping claim that he is the grand Architect of all reality.  For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Col 1:16-17)