The Word of Truth Ministries

 

 
 

 “I am the way the truth...."
 

Truth is a word that we often use but care too little about its meaning and even less about its presence in our lives. Jesus said that we have made ineffective God's word by our traditions and customs, but God's word is truth. [John 17:17] This has not changed since Jesus spoke it to the Pharisees, whom he repeatedly called hypocrites. [Mat. 15:6]

More times than not, truth is a concept academically and intellectually toyed with by many intellectuals, scholars, and philosophers; even Pilate attempted this toying game with Jesus, as Jesus stood before him at the beginning of the end of his redemptive work. Pilate asked Jesus what was truth. [John 18: 38] Of course, he did not expect an answer, for he, like many, had come to a rash conclusion that truth was individually determined and privately held so that one's truth may vary, depending on who that one is. That was/is dilettantish reasoning, if the term reasoning can be accorded it at all.

Pilate's question was really a projection of the world's ignorance of truth. For, you see, questions do more than solicit information. Indeed, some questions are not structured for soliciting information at all. The Rhetorical Question, for instance, is not a question in the pure sense of the Interrogatory Sentence. It is a statement/question geared to play off the information that is within the individual.

At Pilate's audience with Jesus, a number of issues were on display: the definition and meaning of questions was at issue-Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And Jesus, showing that a question is, in fact, a statement, said, "Thou says it." Jesus turned his question around and showed him that the question he asked was not a question at all, but a statement of Jesus' purpose for coming into the world. [John 18: 37]

Often questions project the strength or the weakness of one's intellect; and a good question is often better than having answers because questions also allow discovery. But Pilate was not in a mood for discovery. There in the audience with the very truth he attempted to toy with-God's truth of eternity stood in the flesh of men- Pilate could only muster up, What is truth? If a question is also a statement, which I contend it is, then Pilate's question says that truth is indefinable in any objective way. What is truth? is the same as truth is unknown. His question demonstrated a universal blindness of man to the truth of God that was made into a man, and, although seemingly disgraced and bowed, that truth stood eloquently before him. Eloquent because Jesus had seen the whole of this painful moment, even beyond those present circumstances, and he had seen glory and the freedom of God's people from ignorance and the deception of Satan. So he stood there only seemingly bowed, but certainly bruised, knowing, unlike Pilate's ignorance, the end of his moment and the certainty of his glory that would follow. But Pilate's blindness represented the blindness of all the world concerning truth and God.

Jesus was not only the truth, he was also the way, the life, and the light of the world. [John 14:6] And with all of God's truth and certainty standing plainly before him, Pilate, as symbolic of all man, faltered in the face of God's word, but still he feigned a splendor he did not possess.

In the natural, academic world, truth is a statement that is in accord with the state of affairs. That is, truth is a statement that comports with the facts as they are and can be verified with our correctly functioning senses. But spiritually for saints, truth is God's word rightly divided, plainly stated, and readily accepted; one of the mysteries of God is that Jesus is God's truth made into human flesh. That is why Jesus stated, "I am the way, the truth and the life." [John 14:6] The very essence of all that is true and truth is found in Jesus-from the beginning of God's creation until now, Jesus is the total embodiment of God's truth. [This reality is more profound than I have the time and space to develop here. But if God tarries and gives me the intelligence, I will explore the truths of God and Jesus as those multiple truths at some later writing. But the things of God are so beautiful and so marvelous, I exclaim as David: This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes!]

There is much talk about love today, as it has been throughout all the ages of man. From the old to the new, the Testaments of God have always talked about love because they are testaments [covenants] of God, and God is love. Many have waxed bold and some have even attempted to wax intellectual, as they have talked about love in Greek terms. I know nothing of Greek, and I would not attempt to talk about Agape love or Zoë Love; these are bits and pieces of Greek I do not understand-but I will not vouch for nor demean the users' knowledge of the terms and the language; others are not necessarily bound by my limitations. I will simply discuss that which I know and understand-English words and their meanings. However, in English writing and exegeses, I subscribe, somewhat, to George Orwell's view on the use of foreign terms in English language. [See Politics and the English Language]

But love, whether one talks about it using Greek or English terms, is often talked about but rarely defined in a way that makes sense. But it, like other words we use, falls into a category of words that J.K. Galbraith [Anatomy of Power] has rightly said are used often but infrequently do we define them or even give thought to their definitions. Definitions, however, are important because they control and clarify the use of terms or words we make use of to explicate certain concepts. It is vain to talk about a word or a concept and not know what that word, term, or concept means. Line has to be upon line and precept must be upon precept. Things must be in order. [Isa. 28; 1Cor. 14:40] Hence, first know your meanings, then explicate the concept.

Love is not an emotion that makes one's heart flutter, the stomach fill with butterflies, etc. Nor is love hugging, kissing, touching, etc. Those may be outer expressions that attempt to convey love, but love is quite clear and distinct from those feelings and affections. Yet in this society we normally mistake them for love-sometimes that is a painful mistake. God's word is more precise about the nature and actions of love than is society. There is a fatal flaw in our reasoning and definitions when we rely too heavily on man's definitions and not God's. Paul said that we must compare spiritual things by spiritual things. [1Cor. 2:13] His word is spiritual, so it must be compared to other spiritual things if a definition of God is to be had.

As an example of that reliance on man too heavily for definitions, a number of ministers have used a dictionary of English language and gotten from it a definition of the word apostle. As a result, they have sent themselves forth as apostles, wanting the saints of God to honor them by such titles. But they have not looked closely at God's word to see God's definition instead of man's. In using man's definition of apostle and not using God's, they have transposed God's definition of this term for man's.

When looking at God's word, we can come to a definition of love as an outgoing concern that is activated for another person's significant well being. This definition encompasses what God's word says about love. Hence, it defines love God's way. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my words." That is action. Love is visible because it does an act, much like faith. "Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." That is action. [James 2: 18] Like faith, love is an action. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son." That is action. [John 3:16] To have love one to another is to do one for another; love cannot be for oneself only. It is an outgoing concerned for another's significant well being. Paul asked the saints, "Have I made you mine enemy because I told you the truth?" Implying that he shared with them the truth that positively affected their significant well being even though it hurt their feelings, items of relative insignificance.

God connects truth and love in a way that is important for one's eternal salvation. Indeed, Job's call concerning his righteousness in the midst of his great distress must be our call as well, namely, one must love the truth more than his necessary food. [Job 23:12] The Bible teaches us that we must buy the truth and sell it not. But we must know what truth is. [Prov. 23:23] Only the truth will make us and keep us free. [John 8:32]

During this time of the Last Days, the truth is more valuable than ever before. During this time one can no longer pretend to live for God or pretend to love God's word. All of that will be tested whether you know it is tested or not. And only truth will allow us to be free of Satan's deception. [John 8:32] This is because during this period, Satan will come with all signs, power and lying wonders. He will have all deceivableness. Furthermore, he will have a place in the church, and only the truth of God's word will be able to identify Satan. Without truth, Satan will slip in under our defenses, and we won't be able to see him. He will deceive many, and if it were possible, he would deceive even the very elect of God. [Mat. 24:24]

Only those who use the word of God and allow it to be the determining factor in their lives can decipher Satan's work and his ministers. Some of his ministers will seem like angels of light, but they too must be tested by the word of God, not by man's likes or dislikes of their persons. [2 Cor. 11:14] Only the word of God is quick enough, powerful enough, and sharp enough to pierce and divide Satan's sweetened deceptions. Without the correct teaching of God's word, the truth, and a love of that truth, one will not even know Satan is deceiving him because during these last days, Satan will exercise his greatest level of deception-all power, signs, and lying wonders; and all deceivableness.

This is the time we live in. That which is seen plainly in the word of God is reduced to ashes by Satan in the minds of those who are faint of heart, light of head, unclear about what is truth, and have not the love of God so that they are stout enough to fully follow Jesus, the word of God, fully. [Num. 14: 24]

 

 

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