Articles
Truth
In a spirit of admonition, the Apostle Paul wrote to Roman Christians, “Let God be true though every man were a liar...” (Romans 3:4). He did not mean that every man was a liar (though many are). He meant that God can be trusted to be consistently truthful, though man cannot be.
The prime characteristic of Deity is truth. One writer of Psalms says of God, “The entirety of Your word is truth...” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth...” (John 14:6). And the Apostle John wrote, “...the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5:6). So, no one should be misled by this Trinity. Each person of the Godhead is a source of truth, and can be fully trusted.
On the other hand, Satan is a consistent liar. Jesus said of him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The Devil’s first recorded lies caused Adam and Eve to be spiritually murdered (Genesis 3), and his present lies can do the same to those who believe them today.
During Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor, Pilate, the Lord said, “...for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” But Pilate was a cynic, like many today who despair of hearing any truth, and said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37 38). Such cynicism is fatal, in a spiritual sense.
Some people reject the truth, because they have accepted the description of the Bible by cynics as “mythical,” or “fanciful,” or “illogically supernatural.” Yet, the Bible remains the most popular book in the world, and is read daily by millions of people. Is it because of the appeal of myth? It is more likely that its appeal is to be found in the moral truths that have been tested and proved over the time of its influence.
Therefore, we would be wise to “Buy truth, and do not sell it...” as Solomon reveals in Proverbs 23:23. We should treasure it, preserve it in memory, and apply it faithfully in our daily life.
For our eternal life, we should remember that God, “of his own will...brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). We should “love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). And, we should remember that “[God] will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:6 8).
