He Himself is the essence of truth
TRUTH is the HIGHEST
Virtue,
over
every Kind, and What could be
more Kind?
An untrue word spoken kindly,
is not kind
kindness to is only kindness if it is spoken in
Truth
Kindness can only
be effective under the realm of
truth
When we pursue truth, we experience kindness.
A kind word that is not of truth may appear well for a time,
But will eventually smother life… just as allowing a
whining toddler to drink 40 cans of soda for breakfast
my seem kind to the toddler, in truth, it is unloving and reckless
Truth
is Loving Kindness.
Truth
guides the path of prosperity.
Truth
A scriptural understanding of
truth
encompasses more than simple honesty.
The Bible reveals
truth as a moral concern
rooted
in
God’s character
(Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16).
He is the
“God of truth”
(Isaiah 65:16, NLT),
and
His truthfulness
embraces His steadfastness, trustworthiness,
and
eternal faithfulness
(Psalm 117:2)
Most commonly, discussions of truth have to do with
speaking the truth
(Psalm 15:2; Proverbs 12:17).
Lying is the opposite of telling the truth
(Jeremiah 9:3),
and God never lies
(Titus 1:2).
The Bible says that God is not only truthful, but
He Himself
is
The essence of truth.
The reliability and trustworthiness
of His being
were highly significant to the biblical writers
in expressing God’s truthfulness.
When Scripture speaks of
truth,
it refers to a
completeness of moral integrity
that influences how
one thinks and behaves
(Psalm 86:11; 119:30, 43–44; Malachi 2:6)
God demonstrates that He is truth in the faithfulness and dependability of His words, actions, and dealings: “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19, NLT; see also 1 Samuel 15:29). God’s Word holds true, and we can trust everything He does (Psalm 33:4). He is completely reliable (Psalm 31:5). The Lord is a rock-solid, trustworthy foundation for life because He is entirely reliable and consistent in His character (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:13; 2 Timothy 2:13).
God’s laws and instructions outline the way of truth that is meant to lead people to Him (Psalm 19:7; 119:30, 42–45; Malachi 2:6–7). The Bible says God’s Word is truth: “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160, HCSB)
. As the Logos--
the living, incarnate
Word of God—Jesus Christ
is truth
(John 1:14, 17; John 6:32).
Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the
truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through me”
(John 14:6).
Scripture also says that
the gospel message is truth
(Galatians 2:5, 14; Ephesians 1:13).
That message is the good news of salvation—that
Jesus is the only way
to everlasting life with God
Through Jesus, “we can know the true God.
And now we live in fellowship with
the true God
because we live in fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ.
He is the only true God, and
he is eternal life”
(1 John 5:20, NLT).
Likewise,
The Holy Spirit
is the
“Spirit of truth”
who dwells within believers
and leads them
“into all truth”
(John 14:17, NLT; see also John 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6).
The truth of God’s Word
holds the sanctifying power
for the believer.
In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus asked the Father, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17, NLT). Since the Bible is truth, Christians ought to study it, working hard to understand and correctly apply it to their lives (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16–17). As we deepen our knowledge and insight into God’s Word, its truth will set us free (John 8:32).
God desires His followers to be people of the truth (Ephesians 4:25). He loves those who tell the truth and detests those who lie (Proverbs 12:22; 6:16–19). The Lord underscores the importance of truth by presenting us with “the belt of truth” as the first piece of our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10–17). The rest of our armor is held secure when the truth is wrapped around us. Otherwise, we are defenseless against the lies of our adversary, the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).
The Bible says that
God delights in truth.
“The Lord is close to all
who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth,”
declares the psalmist
(Psalm 145:18, NLT). Because of truth’s high value, Solomon counsels,
“Buy the truth and do
not sell it--
wisdom, instruction and insight
as well”
(Proverbs 23:23).
God takes pleasure in
seeing His truth
reflected in the character
of His children
(Psalm 15:1–5; 51:6).
He calls believers to worship Him in truth
(John 4:24),
love others in truth
(1 John 3:18),
and always speak the truth
(Ephesians 4:15, 25; Zechariah 8:16).
For Whatever is True…
Philippians 4:8 is a well-known
verse that admonishes believers to think about
“whatever is
true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable, . . . excellent,
or
praiseworthy.”
This command suggests that believers can control their
thoughts and that
their thought life should be characterized
by what is good and uplifting.
Philippians might be characterized as a very positive book. There are some rebukes for a couple of individuals and hints that the
church might not be as unified as it should be,
In chapter 1,
Paul speaks of his imprisonment
and his assurance that this will further the gospel,
and he encourages the church
to live in a manner worthy of the gospel,
no matter
what happens to him or to them.
In chapter 2,
Paul points to Christ as the
ultimate example
of one who put
the interests of others
first,
and the Philippians are encouraged to adopt that
same attitude and live it out.
Chapter 3 warns the church to avoid teachers who would attempt to
add works to
the grace of Christ for salvation and
then contrasts false teachers with true believers
who, like Paul,
put no confidence in the flesh.
In the final chapter, Paul gives a list of things he wants the Philippians to do, but this kind of admonishment has been evident throughout the whole letter:
– Stand firm in the Lord (verse 1)
– Rejoice in the Lord always (verse 4)
– Let your gentleness be evident to all (verse 5)
– Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything (verse 6)
– And then, verse 8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Paul could probably have gone on for several more chapters admonishing and encouraging the Philippians to right living, but he sums it up with a catchall that encompasses every positive thing that he could have listed. While it might be valuable to analyze the meaning of each term that he uses in the list of things to think about, the desired effect is cumulative. The point is not to compare and contrast the various categories of things a Christian should think about, but to make a list covering everything good, positive, biblical, godly, encouraging, etc.—and exclude everything that is not.