Word of the Month – Attributes of God: True

 

Attribute n. - a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.

[See the rest of this series.]

 

As we look about us it is good to remember that though the world is full of lies and uncertainty there is One True God and He has given us His absolute truth in His Son and in His word.  This is the attribute that I suggest we think upon this month – that God is true.

John 18:37-38  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?…

This is an age old question that man had been constantly trying to answer.  The tragedy of history, and also the present, is that very few really want the correct answer.  They want philosophy, humanism, false religions, theories, lies, entertainment and so much more.  (Yes, there are people who would rather be lied to and entertained than to know the truth.)

God has answered this question for us, however.

The One True God

God has declared Himself to be the true God.  Because He is the true God, He, and only He, is able to do this.

Jeremiah 10:10  But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

All the gods that are worshipped in this world are false and are nothing.  There is only one true God, and that is the God of the Bible, the LORD God Almighty.  He is all-powerful and living and He is able to deal with all of this earth and all that the nations have done or will do.  There is none besides Him.  He alone is the true God.

Humans Are Liars

We read in Romans 3:4,  …yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

All of mankind are liars.  I know there are some people who are obsessed with being truthful, but they have fallen short.  I found out for myself that it is impossible in this sinful world.  The most simple lies we tell regularly are when people ask us, “How are you?” and we answer, “Fine” or “Doing good”, when in fact we are not fine or doing good. But, we know they don’t really want to hear how we feel so we feel compelled to hide behind this falsehood.  

I remember years ago when a friend of our family’s told my mom that her son had never lied to her, that he was always truthful.  Later my mom pointed out to me that she should not have said that because there is no such thing as a child who never lies.  She said to me that she was concerned about that lady’s claim and the bad fruit that might come from her mistaken view of him.  But then, perhaps the lady herself was the one who was lying.  Who’s to say?

John 3:31-34  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

As earthly beings, we speak earthly things.  This includes not always telling “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”  Jesus Christ was sent by His Father to speak the truth of God to us, and whoever believes His testimony is saying that God is true. 

Humans Mishandle God’s Truth

Mankind also has a way of mishandling the truth.  They may deny it outright, as with atheists, evolutionists, and many who are offended by God’s definition of sin.  They may use the truth to justify their lies or give themselves credibility, as with cults and –isms that have elements of truth which they use to deceive people into thinking their lies are true. (Examples: the Roman Catholic Church, the Latter Day Saints [usual disclaimers apply], Seventh Day Adventists, Torah keepers, the Patriarchy Movement, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.)  By incorporating a large or small portion of God’s truth into their belief system, they hope to justify the lies that they also teach.  (I speak of the systems, not the individual followers who are often ignorant of the deceptions that they have been taught.)

Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Romans 1:24-25  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Changing the truth of God into a lie could almost be called an epidemic.  There are so many ways this is played out.  We see the effects of this throughout U.S. culture: from the Bible publishers who make horrible changes to the word of God and publish and sell it as “God’s word”, to those who justify sexual deviations by denying what the scripture says, to those who declare that God approves of their political agenda because they are “right”.  At least some of these are present in some other countries as well.  It is no wonder then that we see a world that is given up to uncleanness and to dishonoring their bodies (and I don’t think this just means sexual things as there are so many other ways this is appearing in Western culture now).

God Is True and His Ways Are True

God is not only the true God, He is also true and His ways are true.  Being the true God means that He is the only God, the only real God.  When we say that He is true and that His ways are truth, this speaks to us of what kind of God He is.

Psalms 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Revelation 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Deuteronomy 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

One of the tough things to deal with regarding God’s ways being true is that we don’t always understand His ways.  We read in Isaiah 55:8-9,  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  This can make it hard for us to understand His truth at times.  But, this is OK because this is an aspect of God that we must take by faith rather than through our own flawed reasoning.  Because God is true and we are not, we must accept His word over our own false thoughts.  This is the way of safety and of truth.

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

Jesus Christ, as the Son of God and God in the flesh, is the way and the truth.  If we would come to the God of truth, we must come through Jesus Christ or we cannot come at all.  The true God whose ways are true has given us one true way by which we can come to Him, and that is through the person of His Son!  This is wonderful and miraculous!

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth and freedom are available to all who will believe on the the Lord Jesus Christ!

God’s Word Is True

John 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

If there is no version of God’s word available that is true, how can we know that God is true?  If we have a true God who is a God of truth He must have a true word and, we can only come to know Him in truth through His true revelation of Himself.  This is one reason that the devil has worked so diligently to corrupt the true words of God.  We believe and are sure that God has preserved His word in the Received Text of the Greek and the Masoretic Hebrew and through a number of translations based upon these texts in various languages.  I do not have time or space to delve into this subject deeply here but one outstanding indication that many of the English, and other language, translations are not true is that they contain lies and/or they make God a liar. [Further reading on this subject.]

When God gave David the promise that his house and kingdom and throne would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16) David replied before God, and part of what he said was, “For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.  And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:”  2 Samuel 7:27-28  David believed that he would receive this promise because he knew that God’s words are true.  We also must believe that God’s words are true if we would receive the promise of eternal salvation.  You cannot call God a liar and know His truth at the same time.

We read in Psalms 19:9,  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

The judgments of the LORD are true and consequently are fully trustworthy. 

“We may trust Him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.”

- Frances Ridley Havergal

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Conclusion

John 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Because Jesus Christ is the Son of the true God,

and because He is the way, the truth and the life,

and because He is the word of God (John 1:1-14) and God’s word is truth,

it is no wonder that He is inseparable from our way to God and that He IS our way to God.  You cannot have the truth without the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the true God and the true God in the flesh.  Your eternal life depends upon it.  John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Let’s meditate upon the the true God and His Son who is the truth, and upon the true word of God through which He reveals His truth to mankind.  If we will focus on the truth, the lies will be self-evident.  As darkness is expelled by light, so lies are exposed by the truth of God – both in our own lives and in our view of the world.  In a world full of lies, this is a profoundly reassuring truth.  And, our salvation depends upon it.

1 John 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.