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Jesus Lover of Truth (4/5)

Jesus' love for truth, or perhaps more accurately His love for humanity that could be saved by truth, prompted Him to promise His apostles that they would be guided into all truth. (John 16.13). After His departure, Jesus fulfilled His promise by sending the Holy Spirit to reveal the truths of the gospel to His holy apostles and prophets. The remainder of this installment will examine some of what these inspired men said about truth as it related to their message.

The apostle Paul stood condemned by his own countrymen because he openly preached the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. During his period of confinement and hearings, he stood before Agrippa and Porcius Festus, the Roman Governor of Judea. Festus belittled Paul by saying, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!" (Acts 26.24). Note Paul's response as to relates to truth: "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason." (Acts 26.25). On another occasion, Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren saying, "As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia." (2 Corinthians 11.10). The message of the apostles was both truthful and reasonable.

Peter also wrote about truth and its relationship to salvation. Consider these words and their implications: "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because 'All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you." (1 Peter 1.22-25). Truth can be known; it can be preached; it can be obeyed; it is instrumental in the new birth; it lives and abides forever; it is the word which was preached by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Finally we will consider a passage from the pen of the beloved apostle John. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4). Jesus loved truth and so did His apostles. John is frequently referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved but it should also be noted that John is the disciple who loved what Jesus loved, i.e. truth! To walk in the truth, the truth must be known, it must be discernable, and it must be a feat that can be achieved by mankind. When John wrote these words, he affirmed all these implications regarding truth. John's highest joy was directly related to truth and how it was received by others. The truth in which John's spiritual children walked was the truth that was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets.

Jesus promised the Spirit of truth to the apostles and prophets; they, in turn, claimed to have received the Spirit of truth. Without reason to think otherwise, this promise and the claims of these men ought to stand. The evidence that the early church witnessed was compelling, so compelling in fact, that they readily accepted the written and spoken words of these men as equal in authority with that of Jesus Himself. Their written words now comprise what we call the New Testament; when one obeys the gospel, he obeys the truth, the very word of Christ.

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

Longing For God