Sunday Sermons
God IS... Truth
The only true God
“This is eternal life , that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). In this verse the word true or truth is used in the sense that God is real and genuine and that all other so-called gods are nothing more than the product of man’s imagination. From time to time various unbelievers have claimed that the existence of God is nothing more than a myth, but the real myth is atheism. The one permanent reality is that God is, “You turned from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). The Bible makes it clear, God is the only true spiritual reality, there are no other gods besides the God who wrote the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). We will not meet some other God at the judgment(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Reality does not change as generations come and go, and neither does modern technology and advances in science change this reality. Yes, we live in an information age, but despite our advances and successes, the world is still filled with urban legends and myths. Myths, legends, and half-truths are a cherished part of our modern world, just as they were part of the ancient world. Folklore, superstition, and legend are not dead, not by a long shot. In our modern world some people actually believe that man is descended from apes, that the Bible is full of errors or is missing books, that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, that many paths lead to eternal existence, that one church is as good as another, and that one is saved by faith alone. “Clearly, we live in a time of oddly conflicting religious attitudes. For the most part, we seem interested in knowing God, but not interested enough to discover what we believe about Him or why we believe it” (Myths the World Taught Me, R. Scott Richards, p. 21). In many respects our modern culture is like that of ancient Athens, it is filled with people who are religious (17:22), but who are completely ignorant of who God really is and what He expects of mankind (17:23). It is comforting to know that in a world filled with legend, misinformation, and half-truth, that there is a true God who is the source of all truth.
The source of truth
“Into your hands I commit my spirit; you have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth” (Psalm 31:5). Here God is the source or foundation of all that is true. Jesus would centuries later say, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). Seeing that God is the Creator of all that exists (John 1:3), we must conclude that “all truth among men, whether mathematical, logical, moral, or religious, is to be regarded as having its foundation in this imminent truth of the divine nature. The fact that the world order is grounded in the will of God and is known by Him, carries with it the conclusion that every form of truth and every order of intelligence in the world order are grounded in the will of God as the expression of His rational nature” (The Timeless Trinity, Roy H. Lanier, Sr., p. 61). This is why the great scientists in centuries past spoke of science as being nothing more than thinking God’s thoughts after Him. If God created all things, then He also created all the laws that govern this universe as well, laws that govern the working of the human body as well as the rest of creation (Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things have been created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible..”). On a practical level, this fact should motivate all students. Why should you seek to understand math, language, or science? Because you are being allowed to study something given to man by the Creator Himself. In studying math or science you will be learning how God put things together and how He ordered this world. You also are learning how to use a key that will enable you to have dominion over a certain aspect of creation (Genesis 1:28). The importance of English or grammar is that such tools will enable you to properly interpret God’s revelation to mankind (2 Timothy 2:15). The fact that God is the source of all truth leads us to the conclusion that all the sciences agree and that none are in conflict with the Scriptures.
“The truth of God is not only the foundation of all religion, but also of all knowledge. The conviction that our senses do not deceive us, that consciousness is trustworthy, that things are what they appear to be, and that our own existence is not merely a dream, rests ultimately upon the truth of God, that is, that we live in a world that is true” (Lectures in Systematic Theology, Thiessen p. 132). Therefore, on a very practical level the Bible helps us with the first step, “Is this world an illusion?” Or, “Are we really here, or is this nothing more than a dream?” Many other basic truths are also answered such as, “Is suffering real?” “Do heaven and hell really exist?” “Is there really such a thing as evil?” And, “does absolute truth really exist?”
Mankind tends to forget that without the existence of the true God nothing could be settled. Without God, there cannot exist any such thing as “truth”.
God is always right
“Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar” (Romans 3:4). Just as it was in the ancient world, the problem in the modern world is “who can I trust?” It seems that everyone has their own spin on the facts, yet the good news is that God is the original no spin zone. God is not only right about everything, He remains right and true even if every human being disagrees. Therefore, the only book that is truly free of error, spin or propaganda, is the Bible, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Thus, God is always right concerning sin, morality, relationships, marriage, parenting, doctrine, and so on. Added to this fact, the only true perspective of mankind and human history is the perspective found in the Scriptures (Romans 1:18-32; 3:23).
God must be personal
We know God is personal because an impersonal force cannot be the embodiment of all truth, nor the source of all truth. In addition, this means that God does not have both a good side and a dark side, for God is light and in Him is no darkness at all(1 John 1:5).
Practical Applications
· God’s truthfulness is a guarantee to us of His consistency. If God were not truthful, we could never be sure that He would remain the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As a result we could not rely upon His promises nor have any assurance of His mercy.
· If God were not truthful we could have no faith in His revelation to us. Remember, all we really know about His nature, including His love, goodness, justice, and mercy is found in the written will of God.
· If God were not truthful, we could have no assurance that what we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell is real. I know that the physical world is real, because God does not deceive, nor does He lie (Titus 1:2).
· If God were not truthful I could never really know if I had comprehended anything. The only assurance that I have that I can understand the Bible and thus understand reality, is that God says that I can (Ephesians 3:3-5; 5:17).
· God is a God who is truthful, therefore no error, misconception, half-truth, or exaggeration can come from Him. As a result I can have complete confidence in the Scriptures. David noted, “And Your law is truth” (Psalm 119:142). Carefully consider that Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3), and in Him are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge(Colossians 2:3). His commentary upon the Old Testament is summed up in the single phrase, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). He did not say, “partly true”, “mostly true”, but “truth”. Added to this, He would be the author behind the New Testament, and He told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth (John 16:13). Therefore, when Jesus looked at the entire Bible, all He saw was “truth”.
· God’s standard of what is true and what is error is not always in harmony with current human thinking. When there is a disagreement, man is the one is error, not God, man is the ignorant party, not the Scriptures (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is therefore a foolish practice for the uninformed and limited creature to deny, or contract the truthfulness of Scripture in matters pertaining to relationships, morals, the origin of the universe, the fall, the reality of sin, good and evil, redemption, and heaven or hell.
· Seeing that God is the source of all truth, the first place a person should go for knowledge and the right perspective on reality, is the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and only then turn to other fields of study. Understand the Bible and you will not pervert science, nor misunderstand human history! We do live in a world where very educated and intelligent people are woefully ignorant concerning the Gospel message. This cannot but hinder our culture when it comes to the proper presentation of genuine science, social relationships, views concerning home and family, the role of government (political science), issues of gender and sexuality, the nature of man, individual responsibility, and the real lessons of history.
· Spiritual reality is not unimportant, for one cannot properly interpret the physical reality without first understanding the spiritual reality. See Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. C.S. Lewis accurately noted, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else”.
· Truth is not in the eye of the beholder, rather truth is what God says is truth. The eye of the beholder is often completely wrong (Proverbs 16:33). We need to be thankful that we are not slaves of another man’s supposed reality, but we only have to accept one reality, that is God’s reality. Thus Jesus warned us and He gave humanity a spiritual-wake up call. The hard fact is not every religious teacher is good, not every prophet speaks for God, and not every religious system vying for our attention is true (Matthew 7:15-20).
· Ultimately, there are really only two choices, the truth according to man, and the truth according to God (Matthew 21:25).
· God is fair, in that there is only one truth for everyone. Jesus is the truth. The word of God is true for every man, for everywhere, and for all time.
· “Truth matters. We can sincerely believe that human flight is possible by jumping out of a three-story window and flapping our arms, but our sincerity does not make the sidewalk any softer. Sincerely did not lessen the potency of the cyanide punch in Jonestown. Sincerity is a worthless virtue unless it is invested in truth” (Richards p. 64). See Matthew 7:21-23. One reason why people opt for supposed sincerity over absolute truth it because it has the feeling of the moral high ground. The ultimate sin (in the view of our modern society) is hypocrisy. If being a hypocrite is the failure to live up to the standards of your belief, the easiest way to avoid hypocrisy is simple: eliminate the standards one might have trouble keeping. The good news is that God’s laws can be obeyed, His standards are not only reasonable, but are also good, noble and perfectly fitted for mankind (1 John 5:3; Romans 12:2). We do not have to deny or escape from reality to find happiness; rather we can joyfully embrace true reality.
