Biblical Conduct - Part 7 What is Truth
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover what God has to say about how we as believers in Jesus Christ should conduct ourselves both inside the church and outside in our public and private lives. You will discover that the Word of God has much to say about our conduct.
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)
After reading the previous articles on the heroes of Biblical Conduct (“Biblical Role Models”, Parts 1 & 2) , you may be thinking, “Well, that’s all very well for John the Baptist, and Isaiah, and Joseph. But I’m not called to be a prophet!” We are not all called to be apostles, evangelists, pastors, or even teachers. We are not all called to be prophets or martyrs. But all believers are called to “speak the truth in love.” In Ephesians Chapter 4 Paul explains the importance of this step, for both the development of godly conduct and for building up the Body of Christ.
If we are to understand Biblical Conduct, we must have a solid grasp of truth and love, especially since our culture has distorted and materially altered the meaning of these two vitally important words.
“What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we have.” (Oprah Winfrey)
Our Postmodern culture is imploding because it doesn’t know what truth is, or how to find it. Many famous philosophers have wrestled with Pilot’s question from John 18:38, “What is Truth?” Some people believe that science or mathematics establishes truth, or that truth is based on Reason. Some hold that the majority opinion, or the powerful few in authority determine what is true. Another take is that there is no real truth at all, or at least, that truth cannot be definitively known. But the current fashion of today holds that truth is established by each individual — each person creates “their own truth” according to their circumstances and character, leading Oprah to extol the virtues of “your truth.” The modern person believes “truth comes from within me.”
So, what does the Bible say? Is truth something that can be known with certainty? Does it exist apart from any individual’s opinion?
“These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” (Zechariah 8:16-17)
First of all, we see that God’s Word instructs us over and over again to speak the truth and to not lie.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)
God’s character is the basis for right and wrong, and because He never lies, He commanded His children to speak the truth (Titus 1:2). Unlike the devil, who speaks his native language when he lies (John 8:44), God hates lies and cannot lie.
So we are commanded to “speak the truth.” But what does this mean? What is truth?
“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 18:30)
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Both the Old and New Testaments affirm that the Word of God is the truth.
Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defined truth as: “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be.”
This is why every word of God is definitive truth. Because it matches the universe that really is. It matches what really happened in the past, it accurately describes the present, and it accurately foretells what will happen in the future. Absolute truth. True truth. Truth for all people, in all places, at all times. Not just accuracy in historical details, but also in morals, theology, and every other subject upon which it touches.
“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.” (I Kings 18:21)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
The Bible also teaches that Truth is objective, that is, it exists apart from our ever-changing opinions and feelings.
“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
According to Scripture, Truth is immutable, which means it never changes.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” (Revelation 19:11)
Truth is expressed most perfectly in Jesus himself.
This Biblical view of truth is dramatically different from what we read on the internet, what we hear on television, and what we are taught in general culture. Truth is not something that varies from culture to culture, or even from person to person. Truth is not something each person determines for themselves. Truth must match the reality of the universe that exists. It must match the spoken words of God, which are not changed by human opinion, ravaged by time, or altered by individual circumstances.
God’s truth is objective, eternal, absolute, truly true, immutable, and expressed in Christ Jesus. It stands the test of time, stands the test of opinion, and stands the test of culture. It is wisdom from God and the foundation for all godly conduct.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)
But God doesn’t want us to keep His truth to ourselves. He wants us to speak it to others, to use it for teaching, reproof, and correction! We’ll look at that in our next article.