Word Studies
Truth
I. Understanding
the Word
A. From the International Standard Bible Dictionary
1. The English word has developed and maintained the broadest, most general
and varied usage, going beyond both Hebrew and Greek, which were already extended
in connotation.
2. It is possible to analyze and classify the special applications of the term
almost indefinitely, using other terms to indicate specific meanings in special
connections, e.g. loyalty (Jdg 9:15); honesty (Exo 18:21); fidelity (Deu 32:4);
justice (Rom 2:2); uprightness (Isa 38:3); faith (Isa 26:2); righteousness (Psa
85:10); reality (Joh 17:19); veracity (Gen 42:16).
3. It is unfortunate that translators have generally adhered to single terms
to represent the original words.
4. On the other hand, they have sometimes introduced words not represented in
the original, and thus unduly limited the meaning.
5. An example is Eph 4:15, where the original meaning “being true,”
i.e. in all respects, is narrowed to “speaking the truth.”
6. No term is more familiar and none more difficult of definition.
B. In the Old Testament, the word translated truth is ‘emeth’, whose
primary meaning is or idea is something that is true, right, certain, trustworthy,
and faithful.
1. It appears 117 times, and is usually used of God, whose nature is truth (Psalm
31:5, Isaiah 65:16).
2. Because God is truth, in Him is found confidence, constancy, and security.
C. In the New Testament the word translated truth is aletheia, which means “true,
truly, truth, verity”.
1. As in the Old Testament, truth in the New Testament points to the nature
of God, and His consistency and response to a universe of which He is the designer
creator, and sustainer.
D. Because of the broad and general use of truth in English, it is easy to go
beyond the use of the Hebrew and Greek terms.
1. Our world recognizes various aspects of truth from ontological to logical,
from moral to religious.
2. But ultimately all truth is religious because it emanates from the person
of God.
3. Anything that is true is the domain of God.
E. The place of truth in salvation is indispensable.
1. The Old Testament cites the necessity of walking before God in truth (1 Kings
2:4), and notes that God’s Word, which is truth, sanctifies (Psalm 119:160).
2. The New Testament asserts that God’s salvation culminates in the Messiah,
Jesus Christ – the personification of truth (John 1:14; 14:6).
3. “The Truth” is further defined as the body of God-given teaching
that the disciple of Christ will learn and follow (John 14:15; 16:13; Acts 2:42;
2 Timothy 2:15).
II. Reading the
Word:
A. When the truth of God is exchanged for a lie (Romans 1:25), man is lost.
1. Only by acknowledging and obeying God’s truth can we be saved (1 Timothy
2:4).
2. Mankind’s adversary the devil traffics in lies (John 8:44), as he knows
keeping us from the truth keeps us from experiencing God’s salvation.
3. Therefore, truth is not merely optional or preferential: it is essential.
4. Paul notes the stark difference embracing God’s truth brings to our
lives in Ephesians 4:15-23.
B. But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is
the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together
by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every
part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love.
2. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having
their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because
of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who,
being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness
with greediness.
3. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have
been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your
former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (Ephesians 4:15-23)
III. Preaching the
Word:
A. Illustration:
1. A church in Little Rock advertises its message on a sign reading: “Truth
Principles That Work For You”
2. But isn’t obvious that for some lying, stealing, murdering, and a host
of other sinful behaviors are an indication that these “truth principles”
don’t work for them”
3. Truth is not relative, nor is it open to interpretation: it is determined
by God.
B. Idea:
1. John 18 records Jesus before Pilate, an interview which reveals two very
different views of truth.
2. Jesus asserts that God’s truth is absolute, and that “everyone
on the side of truth listens to Me”.
3. Pilate cynically dismisses such a fixed view of truth with the question “What
is truth?”.
4. These remain the two possible responses to truth today.
C. Quote:
1. A. W. Tozer observes, “What comes into our minds when we think about
God is the most important thing about us.”
2. Consider the implications of this.
3. Some claim there is no God and live only for themselves.
4. Some see God ass an unreasonable tyrant out to get them and turn toward legalism.
5. Some see God as senile, old, benevolence, and turn toward libertinism.
6. Some see God as a vengeful destroyer and turn toward jihad and destruction,
like ISIS.
7. Believing lies about God leads to despair and death: believing what is true
about God leads to life.
D. Illustration:
1. In a 2003 film, Luther, the religious reformer is called before the Diet
of Worms, where Catholic officials order him to renounce his writings and recant
his beliefs.
2. He refuses to deny what he believes is true, saying: “Here I stand:
I can do no other.”
3. This clip that runs 4 minutes and 44 seconds is a powerful reminder of the
courage and cost it takes to stand for truth.
IV. Free At Last
John 8:32
A. “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
1. As he quoted these words on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
D. C., Dr. Martin Luther King concluded his speech calling for racial equality
and freedom.
2. Today, we do not know first hand the humiliation of not being allowed to
eat a meal in a restaurant with others, having to sit on the back seat of the
bus, attending a segregated public school, or even worse, being the property
of another.
3. While we still have mountains to climb regarding equal treatment of all people,
since 1963 we have made great strides.
4. The journey will continue only if we acknowledge the truth that God “made
from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.”
B. The truth always sets people free!
1. It maybe freedom from punishment by others or freedom from consequences of
our own actions.
2. Whether one is being truthful with his spouse, his parents, his teachers,
or law enforcement officers, dealing truthfully is always the desired course
of action.
C. Nowhere is freedom more precious than the freedom from sin offered by Jesus
to those who faithfully obey His will!
1. Peter says that through Christ we can receive “forgiveness of sins”
(Acts 2:38).
2. John says that Jesus’ blood “cleanses us from all sin”
(1 John 1:7).
3. Paul says, “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Romans 6:23).
D. Clearly, in order to “be set free” by the truth, one must know
the truth.
1. And knowing the truth requires both awareness and acceptance.
2. One becomes aware of the truth through the study of the Bible (2 Timothy
2:15; 3:16) and he accepts that truth by “doing the will of the lord”
(Matthew 7:21).
3. We need to pray to God and ask for help in knowing, living by, sharing, and
enjoying the freedom that results from truth.
V. Tell the Truth
Mark 5:33
A. Many parents have told their children “You must always tell the truth.
1. You will never get into trouble for telling the truth.
2. But, you will be in more trouble if you do not.”
3. Telling the truth is a lesson that must be learned early in life.
B. One day Jesus, at the request of a ruler of the synagogue, is on His way
to the man’s house because his daughter is at the point of death.
1. The father pleads with Jesus to come with him and heal his daughter.
2. While on his way to the man’s house, He is surrounded by a multitude
of people wanting to hear Him and be healed by Him.
3. Suddenly Jesus becomes aware of the fact that power has gone out from Him.
4. A woman who has been suffering from a discharge of blood for twelve years
has made her way through the crowd and touched Jesus’ clothing, upon which
her flow of blood instantly stops.
5. When Jesus asks, “Who touched My garments?” the woman “came
with fear and trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth”
(Mark 5:33).
6. Either she has learned early in life the value of being truthful or being
in the presence of Jesus prompts her to tell the truth, holding nothing back.
7. Her faith in Jesus’ ability to heal and her determination to act on
her faith results in her healing.
C. Undoubtedly, if we were in the presence of Jesus and He asked us a question,
we would answer truthfully.
1. But are we truthful with our spouses, with our employers, with our children,
and with our friends?
2. Are we truthful when filing our income taxes?
3. Are we truthful when pulled over by an officer for speeding?
4. Are we truthful when recording our scores during a game we may be playing.
5. Are we truthful in the normal conversations of life?
6. Telling the truth does not apply only to a conversation with Jesus, it applies
to every relationship in life.
7. Always be truthful, even if it hurts.
VI. Truthful Testimony
John 14:6
A. Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
1. Whether in a courtroom being cross-examined by Perry Mason or in a courtroom
in your local community, these words have been repeated countless numbers of
times.
2. Before one can testify in a court of law in the United States, a vow of truthfulness
must be made by the one testifying.
3. Based upon that truthful testimony, hundreds of thousands of defendants have
either been convicted or released.
4. Truthful testimony is accepted as a fact in a court of law.
B. Jesus understands the necessity of His disciples believing in His Word, that
is knowing that what He says is true.
1. In John 14 He has just promised His disciples that God has prepared heavenly
mansions for His faithful followers and that upon His departure they know where
He is going.
2. Thomas indicates that they do not know where Jesus is going or how to get
there.
3. At that point, Jesus makes the bold claim that He is “the way, the
truth, and the life.”
4. Jesus’ testimony is right: His testimony is trust-worthy: His testimony
is truthful.
C. What a blessing that assurance must have ben to Jesus’ disciples, and
what a blessing it is to followers of Jesus today!
1. In a world filled with skepticism and dishonesty, followers of Jesus can
take comfort in the fact that He is truth.
2. Peter writes to those who share his “like precious faith” (2
Peter 1:1) and emphasizes the necessity of truthful testimony.
3. He says that there have been false prophets among them and that “there
will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies”
(2 Peter 2:1).
4. One can be easily swayed by the persuasive and cunning words of false teachers.
5. Just ask Eve if you need verification (Genesis 3:1-6).
6. Lean on Jesus, trust His Word, and follow His direction!
VII. Helping the
Helpless 1 Kings `17:1-24
A. Have you ever experienced the feeling of true helplessness?
1. Bernadette Bullington and her fellow missionaries traveling to the Philippines
understood it full well.
2. They were told over the Atlantic Ocean that their plane was experiencing
difficulty that they would be unsuccessful in returning to Hawaii.
3. The crew said that an attempt would be made at an emergency landing on the
small Midway Island.
4. Battling a horrific storm, dumping fuel as quickly as possible and gliding
toward an island many thought too small for a commercial airliner resulted in
complete helplessness.
5. Soon, however, the clouds parted, the moon shone down on the runway and the
plane successfully came to a stop at the end of the runway.
B. The widow from Zarephath understands helplessness as well.
1. The three-year famine announced by Elisha is taking its toll.
2. When Elisha comes to her she is preparing what she fully expects to be her
last meal before she and her son die of starvation.
3. But when she obeys Elisha’s word, she and her son live and have food
to spare.
4. Sometime later her son becomes ill and dies.
5. Elisha, by the power of God, raises him to life.
6. It is at that moment that the woman says, “I know that you are a man
of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth” (1 Kings
17:24).
C. The word of the Lord is always true, whether spoken by a prophet of old,
a teacher of God’s Word, or a child memorizing his first verse of Scripture.
1. When a student of the Word communicates the truth of God to those being weighed
down by the helplessness of sin, relief will come from the Lord.
2. In some way, the truth of God will work even in the midst of that helplessness
to bring about His ultimate good (Romans 8:28), and those who feel that they
are being overcome by the storms of life can find relief.
3. Always look for an opportunity to share the truth of God with someone who
is hurting.
VIII. The Sum of
God’s Word Psalm 119:160
A. As a young child, I was clearly not applying myself to remembering the multiplication
tables.
1. There were other things that were more interesting, recess, was at the top
of the list of school periods that I liked.
2. However, the word got back to my house parent that I was not applying myself
to the problems of math and needed more study, with a PS to check my spelling
also.
3. So, guess who got to stay in the dorm every afternoon until I learned the
multiplication tables, and many words were checked for spelling during that
time between memory sessions on multiplications.
4. The importance of knowing the product of two numbers was important then and
it is still important today.
B. The 119th Psalm is not only the longest chapter in the Bible: it is also
the longest treatise on the Word of God itself.
1. Tucked away int 160th verse is a gem of wisdom that hearkens back to a mathematical
analogy.
2. The psalmist wants us to know that if we take all the commandments, all the
prophecies, all the parables, in fact every word of Scripture, and add them
together, “The sum of God’s Word is truth”.
3. God says, “It shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish
that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”
(Isaiah 55:11).
4. Not only is “every Scripture given by the inspiration of god”
(2 Timothy 3:16), but also the sum or total message of God as revealed by the
Holy Spirit is truth.
5. It is therefore trustworthy.
C. Because the “sum” of God’s Word is truth, we must always
be careful not interpret one passage of Scripture in such a way as to contradict
another clear passage of Scripture.
1. Truth never contradicts itself: thus Scripture, when correctly interpreted,
will always agree.
2. It is truly a blessing to know when reading the Bible that we are reading
the “truth of God”.
3. Not one word is false.
4. In fact, every single passage, and the Bible in its entirety, is the truth
of God!
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
By Gary D. Murphy
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