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Truth – A Fundamental of Christianity
PG 761
The Centrality of Truth
Today, we are concluding a seven-week series during which we have been
focusing on great and vital New Testament themes. The six already studied
are: Grace, Faith, Confession, Repentance, Baptism, and Faithfulness. The
Bible presents these as basics, as fundamentals of the Christian religion. And
now, we conclude the series with a discussion of TRUTH.
Picture, if you will, the other six themes (Grace, Faith, Confession,
Repentance, Baptism, and Faithfulness) forming a circle somewhat like the
numerals on the face of a clock. Our final theme is in the very center. Truth
is like the stem of that clock. To it, the hands are attached – the very hands
that point to the numerals and reveal the time of day.
It is truth that tells of God’s grace that puts salvation in reach for every one
of us. Truth is the very source of faith, as we will see in a moment. The
truth reveals to us the Savior, the One whom we are to confess. The truth
also identifies and condemns sin and teaches us to repent of our sins. It is
truth that instructs penitent believers to be baptized, thereby reaching the
blood of the Savior and showing through this watery burial that we are
putting away our sinful past and being raised up as new persons committed
to a new life. And, it is God’s truth that reveals what is involved in that new
life of the Christian. Yes, faithfulness is the word we’ve used to summarize
the Christian’s new life.
No Substitute for Truth
The Devil is forever offering us substitutes for truth. He has been most
successful in convincing people to abandon real truth for bogus truth. Some
of these would be traditions, human dogma and theologies, our emotions and
feelings, personal preferences, one’s conscience, and all sorts of rituals and
religious activity. Yet, there is no adequate and acceptable substitute for
God’s truth. There has to be a standard. A standard is necessary for telling
what time it is. We have to have a standard for weights and measures. And.
yes, there has to be a standard when it comes to how we ought to live and
what it requires to please our Maker. The truth He has revealed in the Bible
is that one and only standard.
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Jesus’ Condition for Salvation
Hear Jesus as quoted in Matthew chapter 7.
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many
will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders
in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Come Judgment Day, no small number will have set their own standard or
will have followed false weights and measures in terms of their spirituality.
The Savior proceeds to illustrate our need to comply with God’s truth as He
tells this parable.
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that
house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them,
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the
rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that
house; and it fell. And great was its fall.
Isn’t Jesus teaching that those who enter the kingdom of heaven will be
those who have been serious about doing the will of the Father in heaven?
Doctrines and Commandments of Men
Look at this from the 7th chapter in Mark’s gospel.
He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you
hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
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“For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of
men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things
you do.”
He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God,
that you may keep your tradition.”
Yes, yes, some reject the commandments of God, opting instead to follow
religious traditions that are incompatible with God’s truth.
The Litmus Test
From the 8 chapter of John’s gospel, this:
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Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My
word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.”
The litmus test for true discipleship is what? According to Jesus, it is
abiding in His word. He was talking to those who already believed Him;
and He told them they would really and truly be His disciples IF they abode
in His word. Then, our Savior said that, in order to truly be free (i.e. free
from the captivity of sin), we must know the truth, for, as He explained, it is
the truth that makes us free. Neither tradition, nor error, nor innovation, nor
human preference can free us from sin. Only truth can do so.
Satan has thoroughly infiltrated the modern church with the notion that the
only requirement for abiding in Christ is a profession of faith. The Bible
sings a different song altogether. It is not our profession of faith but our
commitment to His truth that determines our status with heaven.
The Preacher’s Responsibility
Reflecting upon his three year ministry in Ephesus, the apostle Paul, in Acts
20, told that church’s elders,
For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Faithful spokesmen for God do not teach bits and pieces of the gospel or
what the people want to hear. Like Paul, today’s bona fide gospel preachers
deliver the whole counsel of God and take seriously the charge to handle it
honestly and correctly.
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The Indispensable Word
Before Paul concluded speaking to the church elders from Ephesus, he said
this:
So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His
grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
Only the truth of the word of God is able to build us up as Christians and
give us that heavenly inheritance.
God’s Power to Save
At the beginning of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote:
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who
are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it
is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the
Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by
faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness…
Paul lived to teach the gospel. Why? Because he knew that it, and it alone,
is the power of God to save the lost. And, notice what he said will be the
end of those who suppress the truth:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth…
Zeal Minus Knowledge
Just how important is it for you and me to be knowledgeable in God’s word?
Listen to these statements from the 10th chapter of Romans.
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God,
but not according to knowledge.
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Oh, how many today are “in the same boat” as many devout Jews during that
first century A.D.! These have a zeal for God; but sadly this zeal is not
grounded in divine truth.
Only Source of Faith
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Later in Romans the 10 chapter, this well-known statement:
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
You see, the knowledge of God’s truth is the source of true faith which is the
foundation of a Christian’s life. Satan endlessly distracts us with, not only
bad things, but also through a disproportionate amount of time and attention
to good things – things such as sports, music, work, secular learning and
reading. Why, many professing Christians are well-read and well-versed on
nearly everything but the Word of God, right?
Over-communication has become the great distraction of our time. We’ve
become slaves to communication technology. We’re hooked on television,
telephone, texting, emails, Twitter, Facebook, the internet. In all our overcommunication, the essential communication with our Maker and Redeemer
gets crowded out. We feel we’ve just got to stay instantly in touch with
everyone designated as a “friend” in the social media. Meanwhile, our
interest in the Words of Life wanes; and our friendship with the Lord
suffers. Why, we’ve even coined a word for the fear of being out of mobile
phone contact! It’s nomophobia. People get panic attacks when they’re not
with their phones!
God’s word is not called the “Balm of Gilead” for no reason. It is still the
best medicine of all. And, it remains the most important of all
communication links. Again, Romans 10:17 states:
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Only the Scriptures
It is in the Scriptures that you and I can find the true doctrine. It is the Holy
Scriptures that provide us with the blueprint for God's church -- its
organization, its worship, its mission, its message. It is the Scriptures that
provide us with the reproof and correction we all need. It is in the Scriptures
that we have the necessary instruction in righteousness. It is the Scriptures
that can thoroughly equip you and me for every good work. This is
precisely what we are told at the end of Second Timothy chapter 3.
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Paul wrote this to the younger minister Timothy:
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been
assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from
childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good
work.
A phrase that came out of the Protestant Reformation is the Latin sola
scriptura. It means "only the Bible," Yes, only the Bible should be our
authority in religion. There are churches that insist the church itself is the
authority. Most other churches have turned the authority over to human
leadership. Lip service is given to the Bible; and certain scriptures are used
in a "cut and paste" manner in an effort to substantiate the doctrines and
practices of a particular group. All the while, leadership either from within
or outside the congregation is dictating what will be believed and practiced
by that church. Does the teaching of the Bible reign paramount in your
congregation; or has it become "window dressing" to cover the will of man?
In contrast to a church giving uninspired individuals authority to establish
doctrine, consider the following seven slogans. Who could find fault with
these?
"No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible." "Do Bible things in Bible
ways; call Bible things by Bible names." "Where the Scriptures speak we
speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent." "In matters of faith,
unity; in matters of opinion liberty; in all things, charity." "Truth first, union
afterward; and union only in truth." "Be true to the truth, oppose the error,
but bear with humanity." "Back to Jesus, back to the Bible, back to
Jerusalem." "The only way to make progress in religion is by going back to
the Bible."
Truth on the Battlefield
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In the 6 chapter of Ephesians, the Bible talks about the Christian’s spiritual
warfare with the world and then provides us the armor and weaponry we
need for survival. The first piece of equipment is the belt around our waist.
Here’s the quote from that passage:
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Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.
Ancient Roman soldiers used this waist band to tuck in their robes when
they were running forward. That prevented their tripping and falling. This
belt also provided a sheath for the sword. So, the belt enabled both the
soldier’s advancement and attack. The passage tells us that, as Christians,
our belt is God’s truth. We cannot advance and attack our spiritual foes
unless we have girded our waists with truth, that is, unless we’ve equipped
ourselves with the truth of God from the pages of the Bible.
The last piece of combat equipment is the “sword of the Spirit”; and the
Scripture does not leave us to wonder just what that might be. Listen:
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.
Friends, the Christian’s armor begins and ends with precisely what we are
talking about today – God’s truth. Our waists must be wrapped with God’s
truth; and out of that, is drawn the sword of the Spirit – the word of God!
In Conclusion
We close with these words taken from Psalm 19:
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
This message by George Merritt aired on the Power & the Glory broadcast the week of
March 29, 2015. For more information, our website is www.GoodRadioNews.com. Our
email address is George@GoodRadioNews.com. Telephone 334.674.2869. The mailing
address is P. O. Box 946, Troy, AL 36081 USA.
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