To those who "believed on Him" during His ministry in the Holy Land, Jesus said:

"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32.)

Later, as His mortal ministry was about to end, Jesus was taken into the judgment hall. There, Pilate asked:

"Art thou a king?" Jesus answered: "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."

Then Pilate asked the question of the ages: "What is truth?"

We don't know if Pilate waited to hear the Savior's reply. We are told only that, after he asked his question, Pilate "went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." (John 18:37-39.) Perhaps, afraid to learn the truth, Pilate left before Jesus responded. Most likely, Pilate did not want to face the truth.

"What is truth?" From the time Pilate asked this in the New Testament until the heavens were opened again in the day of the Restoration, the scriptures are silent on the Lord's response to that question.

On May 6, 1833, in a revelation given to Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord said: "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth;

"And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;

"And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.

"The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;

"And no man receiveth the fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.

"He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

" . . . Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.

"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence." (D&C 93:23-30.)

Simply put, truth is eternal. When all else has passed away, truth will remain. Man might try to turn his back on it, close his eyes to it, refuse to hear it, or cover it up, but he cannot make truth go away.

Truth and error have always been, and always will be, at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The biblical account of Pilate's brief pursuit of truth gives a glimpse of a major flaw in his character. He claimed that he sought the truth. Yet, he obviously wanted to find the most expedient solution to a difficult situation - what to do with this man, Jesus of Nazareth, in whom he found no fault but whose life the mob demanded. Pilate bowed before custom as he conceded to the will of the throng that Barabbas, a robber, should be released rather than Jesus. (See John 18:39-40.)

Through the generations, many people have allowed custom to overshadow truth. Some erroneously think that embracing the truth is not the most expedient thing to do. Many missionaries, for example, have taught the gospel to people who have believed but not accepted it because they have been concerned that being baptized might curb their social standing or business opportunities.

Under the guise of seeking "the whole truth," people sometimes go astray by delving not into the scriptures as they have been admonished, but into the philosophies of men that often are inspired by the cunning adversary himself. President Harold B. Lee declared: "It has been well said that one does not teach honesty by telling a man how to burglarize a safe. . . . So, likewise, it is inspired wisdom that our efforts must be spent in teaching truth by the power of Almighty God, and thus we can forge the most powerful of all weapons against the vicious doctrines of Satan.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith was asked how he governed the Church members in his day. His answer in one sentence was, `Teach them correct principles and they will govern themselves.'

"If we overemphasize the philosophies of the enemies of righteousness instead of teaching forcefully the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, such overemphasis can only serve to stir up controversy and strife and thus defeat the very purpose of our missionary work in all the nations of the world." (April 1972 general conference.)

"The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth." (D&C 93:36.) The theories of man, even the greatest, are temporary and subject to change. But intelligence - light and truth - that emanates from God is eternal. Let this be what we seek.