Truth

Common Sense Commentary: "He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." Jn.3:33.

This verse describes a condition of the soul which develops out of salvation. When someone believes on Jesus and receives His " testimony", God redirects their thinking and they have a new awareness of truth. From the moment of salvation, the converted soul may declare with Paul,"Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar", who contradicts God. Rom.3:4. King David expounded upon the subject of truth many times. In Psm.100:5 he said, "His truth endureth to all generations."

The prophet Isaiah faced similar problems as we do today. He declared that, "None calleth ... nor (any) pleadeth for truth ." Isa.59:4. Jeremiah lamented, "Truth is perished, and is cut off ...." Jer.7:28.
The reason for that sad situation was and is, "They are not valiant for the truth ..." Jer.9:3. Moses looked for spiritual leaders when he specified these qualifications in Ex.18:21 ... "such as fear God, men of truth ..."

Wicked King Ahab swore he wanted the absolute truth from God's prophet ..."And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord ?" 2Chr.18:15. But when the prophet told King Ahab the truth, Ahab wouldn't believe it and hated God's man for saying it. Many follow "Ahab's Contradiction". They want the truth ... but only if it conforms to their beliefs and fits their plans.

Wise King Solomon declared, "The lip of truth shall be established forever." Prov.12:19. This verse says plainly that the truth cannot be changed ! When the truth is twisted into a lie, it is no longer the truth. When the truth is denied or rejected ... it is still and forevermore the truth. "Know the certainty of the words of truth " preached Solomon in Prov.22:21. One lie can motivate the masses to stampede over the facts and evidence of a matter, in their flight from God's Truth of the matter. Isaiah exclaimed, "truth is fallen in the street...." Isa.59:14.

That great prophet, Zechariah, challenged, Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor .... therefore love the truth." Zec.8:16 & 19. The truth is our only means of reasoning with ourselves or communicating with others, or with God. "This above all: To thine own self be true." Shakespeare. Truth is the only thing which can solve a problem, help a bad situation or build a life. But the truth is, most of the world does not want to hear God's truth unless it conforms to their own philosophy or understanding.

Jesus told it like it is in John 3:21. He said, "He that doeth truth cometh to the light." Anyone who does not "come to the light", is not "doing the truth" of God. He may be practicing "religion" or he may be pretending or doing what he "feels" is right, but he is not "doing" truth until he "cometh to the light".

The whole world is seeking truth and freedom .... freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of action, sexual freedom, racial freedom, financial freedom, and a thousand other freedoms. But, there is just one door to freedom and that door is marked "TRUTH". "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Jesus said it in John 8:32. He didn't mean the American truth or the Russian truth. He didn't mean my version of the truth or your version, but THE TRUTH as God knows it. Jesus asked the people, "If I say the truth, why do ye not believe me ?" Jn.8:46. Only a small percentage of the world's population has "believed" His truth. Of those who do believe, Jesus said, "Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice." Jn.18:37. In fact, He went further than that ..."I am the truth". Jn.14:6.

Governor Pilate, who must have been an early advocate of "situational ethics" and the "truth is relative" philosophy, questioned Jesus about these things in Jn.18:38, "Pilate saith unto him, what is truth" ? Many seek to pacify their miserable conscience and justify their lifestyles in the gray area of uncertainty or the darkness of error. God threw the spotlight on these argumentative souls in 1 Tim.6:5 where He calls their debate, "perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth." "So do these also resist the truth." 1 Tim.3:8. Surprisingly, many people enlist in that drumbeat of agnosticism. "And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." 2 Pet.2:2.

The primary problem, and root of conflict, in the world today is, "Because they receive not the love of the truth."
2 Thess.2:10.

Pass it on. RB