TRACTS: TRUTH! TRUTH!! TRUTH!!!

TRUTH! TRUTH!! TRUTH!!!

Many people often argue that there is no absolute TRUTH just as there is no absolute right way of doing things.

These people asserts that what might be right for you may not be right for another(relativistic view). This idea has gained grounds in our political and acadamic institutions and has finally crept into Christanity and produced disorder or confusion.

The common example about truth and confusion is what is observed in Christendom. So many churches with different doctrines and names. I am very sure anyone from another religion who decides to become a christian will pretty be confused about the divisions and confusion in christianity; why so many churches?

Also one can turn to our political organisations; where each one blames the other. It will be very difficult to detect what the truth is

It is so with all other instituitions like marriage, business, government, etc.

My concern in this article is directed toward, Truth among Christians. Not only to speak of truth but How truth was spoken in time past and how Christians should speak the truth.

Speaking of truth

God Himself is a God of truth Isa 65:16

He who has received his(Jesus') testimony has certified that God is true

These and other verses tell us countless times that God is true. He is of truth.

Jesus said to him,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6

However, when He, the Spirit of truth...

John 16:13

Psalm 119:160; the entirety(sum) of your word is truth....

All these are verses that tells us the relationship between God and truth.

No wonder Jesus said that:John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Jehovah, requires truth, because He is true. But the truth of God is absolute. By absolute, i mean there is one objective truth.

Now if the above statement is true, and of course it is the case. Then how would one perceive God's truth in light of these different churches with different doctrines(not just different but conflicting teachings) and names?

God is indeed true

There is one true teachings(doctrines)

And there is indeed one true body(church) of Christ.

Let us seek truth, like the noble Bereans and defend it like Paul, the apostle to the gentiles.

How was truth spoken in time past by God's people?

So many people in history spoke the truth without fear or doubt. In the Bible, talk of non-writing prophets like Elijah, Elisha,Noah, Nathan, etc and writing prophets like, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah etc. They spoke truth publicly and privately. They spoke it as it was

Jeremiah 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

Isaiah 30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

Hosea 4:1, 6 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

What about Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos...etc

My point is that, do we think it was pleasant for the prophets to say to their own people 'woe to you'?

Was it easy for those prophets to say Israel was disobedient? Was it easy for them to say 'you are doomed' or 'God'sjudgement would come upon you'?

It is clear that it was not easy at all. Considering how they were reviled, persecuted, and became dejected.

What about the early Christians,

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Huh? Peter is accusing those Jews gathered on this pentecost occassion of killing Jesus.

This a very great occasion, where Peter was blaming them publicly.

What about Stephen?

Acts 7:51-53 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Stephen said this in the presence of the council. Was it easy?

And Paul?

Speaking to the mob at Jerusalem, defending the truth in the presence of the Sanhedrin, telling to Peter's faith the truth...

What about the master defender of truth himself?

Yea, i am talking about Jesus.

He said He is the truth, ... John 14:6 can you imagine how the leaders of the Jewish community would take this?

"I am the bread which came down from heaven"

Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

The point is that all these people spoke truth relentlessly. Of course they were persecuted here and there. But yet that did not prevent them from speaking the truth. The spoke the truth forcefully.

What about their audience?

In most cases these audience did not take time to accept these messages of truth. They reacted with anger and hatred for those speakers of truth.

On other occassions too, they were pricked by these truthful word yet they accepted and obeyed. A typical example is how Peter's audience accepted his message.

Acts 2:37-38 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

They accepted their error and asked for a solution to the problem. This should be the attitude of every Christian.

What do we see today?

Those who are supposed to speak the truth forcefully, are afraid to do so. They are afraid because they would be described as narrow minded, politically incorrect, arrogant, offensive, legalistic, intolerant etc

Some afraid because:

they will lose their jobs, they will lose friends, they will infringe the rights of others etc.

Notwithstanding all these conditions,

The Bible commands us to speak the truth. The Bible spoke about truth so many times. The Bible itself represent truth.

Let us consider this:

Zechariah 8:16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

And what about;

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Also,

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:15 | NIV

James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Let us love truth and seek diligently for it(Heb 11:6).

2nd Timothy 3:16-17

And when we find the truth, let us defend it also.

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

And do not forget: "better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie"

I believe not everything on this subject of truth was tackled and so if you have any question or comment, you can send it to

http://kasukose.blogspot.com

TRACTS

TRUTH! TRUTH!! TRUTH!!!

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