The Truth

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The Way,

God, Man, Christ Response.

The Truth

A Biblical and Theological Dictionary Truth

TRUTH is used, 1. In opposition to falsehood, lies, or deceit, Prov. 12:17, &c. 2. It signifies fidelity, sincerity, and punctuality in keeping promises; and to truth taken in this sense is generally joined mercy or kindness, as in Gen. 24:27, and other places of Scripture. 3. Truth is put for the true doctrine of the Gospel, Galatians 3:1. 4. Truth is put for the substance of the types and ceremonies of the law, John 1:17.

The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism, and Various Sermons and Treatises (Of the Truth of God)

God’s truth,

Deut. 32:4., “A God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is he;”

Ps. 57:10., “For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.” A God of truth,

Ps. 86:15., “Plenteous in truth.”

God is the truth. He is true: 1. In a physical sense; true in his being; he hath a real subsistence, and gives a being to others. 2. He is true in a moral sense; he is true sine errore, without errors; et sine fallacia, without deceit. God is prima veritas,—the pattern and prototype of truth. There is nothing true but what is in God, or comes from God. I shall now speak of God’s truth, as it is taken, from his veracity in making good his promises, 1 Kings 8:56., “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.” The promise is God’s bond, God’s truth is the seal set to his bond

Proverbs 12:17 “17 He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit.”

Genesis 24:27 “27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.””

Galatians 3:1–4 “1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?”

John 1:17 “17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Singular “The Truth”

This is included, but rarely looked at. Jesus is claiming that there is only one true truth.

It is professed by “THE” singular and set.

It one line, plan, explanation is pure truth, any deviation is no longer truth.

1 John 2:20–21 “20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

Mark 13:22 “22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

WE are in a battle for Truth.

If satan can twist us, make us fight another battle than to know God and His truth, He has won, at least he has gained ground.

This is a foundational Truth. An Ultimate Truth.

Psalm 14:1 “1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.”

Proverbs 1:7 “7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 9:10 “10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 8:13 “13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”

All sorts of evil come under the list of falsehoods.

verses on the Mouth

Psalm 119:78 “78 Let the proud be ashamed, For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts.”

Psalm 120:2 “2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.”

Psalm 144:11 “11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—”

Proverbs 6:12 “12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;”

Proverbs 6:17–19 “17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

Proverbs 12:22 “22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.”

Proverbs 13:5 “5 A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.”

situations cause us fear and we lie

Genesis 12:11 “11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.”

Genesis 20:2 “2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.”

Genesis 27:15–16 “15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.”

Deceit — Jacob gets Leah and not Rachel.

God has always been known as the God of Truth who cannot lie. Psalm 31:5 “5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Jesus claims this, it is a claim of deity.

When He promises the Holy Spirit He introduces Him as:

John 14:17 “17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 15:26 “26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

John 16:13 “13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

1 John 4:6 “6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

His Word is therefore True as well.

John 17:17 “17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

Ephesians 1:13 “13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

The Gospel itself is described as the truth.

1 Peter 1:22 “22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”

The Catacism

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Flavel, Volumes 1-6 (Of God’s Truth)

1. WHAT is the truth of God?

A. It is an essential property of his nature, whereby he is perfectly faithful in himself, and in all that he hath spoken; Deut. 32:4. He is the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he, Psal. 119:142. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Q. 2. What is the first property of Divine truth?

A. The first property of it is, That it is essential and necessary to God: He cannot lie, Titus 1:2.

Q. 3. What is the second property of it?

A. The second property is, That it is everlasting, and abiding to all generations, Psal. 100:5. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. Isa. 25:1. O Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee——thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Q. 4. What is the third property of Divine truth?

A. The third property is, that he is universally true in all his words and works. (1.) In all his words; John 17:17. Thy word is truth. (2.) In all his works; Psal. 25:10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto such as keep his covenant.

Q. 5. What is the first lesson from God’s truth to be learnt?

A. That truth and sincerity of heart is that which is most suitable and pleasing to God; Psal. 51:6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts.

Q. 6. What is the second lesson from God’s truth?

A. That whatever God hath foretold shall assuredly come to pass, and be fulfilled in his time; Josh. 23:14. Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord our God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

Q. 7. What is the third lesson from the truth of God?

A. That a promise from God is full security to the faith of his people, and they may look upon it as good as a mercy in hand; Heb. 10:23. For he is faithful that promised.

Q. 8. What is the fourth lesson from God’s truth?

That whatever God hath threatened in his word against sinners shall surely come upon them except they repent; Zech. 1:6. But my word, and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned, and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. Ezek. 12:27, 28. The word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.

Q. 9. What is the fifth lesson from God’s truth?

A. That falsehood in words and actions is contrary to God’s nature, and abhorred by him; John 8:44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there was no truth in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own? for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Q. 10. What is the last lesson from God’s truth?

A. The day of judgment will rightly and justly state every man’s condition; Rom. 2:2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Application

Do we seek the truth of God’s Word.

It isn’t if we claim to believe the Word,

But if we use the Word for our research assistant on how to live.

Do we look to God, knowing that He speaks only truth.

Do we love truth in our lives? Are we people of the book and people of truth?