The Veracity of God

The attribute of veracity refers to God’s truthfulness—that is, his identity as the source of all truth and the unfailing conformity of all divine action and revelation to this identity.

Nu 23:19, God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

1 Sa 15:29, And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Jn 14:6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jn 15:26, But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jn 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Tt 1:2, In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

The Bible portrays God not only as a unimpeachable truth teller but also as the source of truth itself. In other words, God’s Word is true not because it conforms to some external reality called “truth,” but because his Word is an expression of the truth itself—namely, God’s own essence. This is why the Scriptures insist that God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), for such would entail God’s denial of his very self—an impossibility. --Stratis, J. (2018). God’s Veracity. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.

Hebrew prophets were judged to speak authentically “from God” (2 Pet 1:21) only to the extent that their message was proven true in relation to the events they foretold (Deut 18:21–22). —Stratis, J. (2018). God’s Veracity. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. Peter wrote, II Pet. 1:21, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Moses wrote regarding false prophets whose prophecies did not come from God: Deut. 18:21, When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Peter wrote there would be many false prophets in the last days before the coming of Christ: II Pet. 1:1-3, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. v.2, And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. v.3, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...