@ LibertyGal
2025-03-26 15:58:59
I’ll admit that God’s truth is something I am passionate about. I love God’s word and I trust every word in the Bible as absolute truth. I hate when people compromise God’s word. I can’t understand Christians that don’t want to know God better through His word (maybe partially because I read a stack of books to solve any and every problem or to fulfill any interest).
Lately, the vow made in court to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth has been going through my mind. It comes up regarding almost everything, so I figured maybe God was telling me to write a post on the subject, so here we go.
## The Truth
When we are searching for the truth about anything, we need to start with the Bible. Yes, there are many subjects about which the Bible doesn’t speak or doesn’t speak in detail, but the principles on which everything is built start with the Bible.
> All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Especially when we are trying to learn what God wants from us and our lives, we need to search the Scriptures. We need to study the Scriptures. We need to memorize the Scriptures.
> I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)
It is much more useful to have read the Bible many times and to know its contents cover to cover, so we have it available to us during that debate with a fellow believer, or the discussion with a proud atheist, or when put into a situation of temptation. Having God’s word “hidden in our heart” enables us to deal with every situation, just as Jesus did when tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. Jesus’s most common response to every challenge was “As it is written …”
> Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)
If we want to know the truth and be ready for whatever life throws at us, we need to be like Ezra:
> He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. **For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.** (Ezra 7:9-10) {emphasis mine}
Are you known for devoting yourself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws?
## The Whole Truth
Obviously there are God hating atheists who will lie about God’s word and totally contradict His word. As believers, we are more likely to bend God’s truth. (Satan does this, too, because it is frequently more effective than an outright lie). There are two primary ways to bend God’s truth. We either leave out some parts or we add to it. In this section we will focus on telling the whole truth and not leaving out part of the truth.
The error of lying by omission is rampant today. We see it in news reports by the media. We see it in the history taught to our children. We see it in many churches. There are some very uncomfortable truths in the Bible. People don’t like to hear that some people will be punished in Hell for all eternity. They don’t want to hear that they are sinners and their desires are sinful. They don’t like to hear that there is one and only one way to Jesus.
> Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)
Many believers don’t like any conflict. They are afraid that speaking the truth is being judgmental and will hurt relationships and feelings, so they hold back and don’t speak the whole truth.
> Deal bountifully with Your servant,\
> That I may live and keep Your word.\
****Open my eyes, that I may behold\
> Wonderful things from Your law.**\
> I am a stranger in the earth;\
****Do not hide Your commandments from me.**\
> My soul is crushed with **longing\
> After Your ordinances at all times.**\
> You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed,\
> Who wander from Your commandments.\
> Take away reproach and contempt from me,\
> For **I observe Your testimonies.**\
> Even though princes sit and talk against me,\
> Your servant meditates on Your statutes.\
> Your testimonies also are my delight;\
> They are my counselors. (Psalm 119:17-24) {emphasis mine}
The psalmist begs God not to “*hide Your commandments from me*.” Should we hide God’s commandments from ourselves or others because they are uncomfortable?
> He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” (1 Samuel 3:17)
Eli put the harshest curse on Samuel if he didn’t speak the full truth communicated by God. We need to truly know and believe God’s word, so we communicate it fully with others and do not hide it from those whose very heart and soul need God’s truth.
Many of us may feel like we are not lying because we didn’t not explicitly speak an untruth, but withholding part of the truth, so that another is misled, is as much of a lie as speaking an untruth. Both are intended to mislead the other person, usually for our benefit or comfort and to the long-term harm of the other person.
> Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—**if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things**. **Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me**, or seen in me—**put it into practice**. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9) {emphasis mine}
We need to think on, speak, and put into practice all of God’s word. Picking and choosing which parts of God’s word we want to believe, speak, and put into practice is akin to the original sin, “*You will be like gods, knowing good and evil*.” Only God gets to decide what is true or false and what is good or evil. When we choose to pick which parts of the Bible to obey and to share, we are taking the role that belongs solely to God.
## Nothing But the Truth
The other error regarding truth is to add to God’s word.
> The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
>
> ‘This people honors Me with their lips,\
> But their heart is far away from Me.\
> But in vain do they worship Me,\
****Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’\
> Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men**.” (Mark 7:5-8) {emphasis mine}
So often we let tradition, culture, or “science” guide us instead of the Bible. Whenever there is a contradiction between any source and the Bible, we need to put the authority of God’s word as the highest authority. Although it is possible for us to be mistaken by the meaning of God’s word and the truth to be more in line with culture or “science,” it is so much more likely that tradition, culture, or “science” are wrong. We need to use the Bible to interpret things like science rather than to use “science” to interpret the Bible. The Bible is always the higher authority.
Sometimes we add to God’s word intentionally. Sometimes we are just influenced by the people around us, especially supposed authority figures, and are led astray unintentionally.
> Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, **a worker who does not need to be ashamed and** **who correctly handles the word of truth**. (2 Timothy 2:15) {emphasis mine}
We need to truly study the whole Bible and test every one of our beliefs against God’s word.
> **I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one** who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are **turning to a different gospel**— **which is really no gospel at all**. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:6-9) {emphasis mine}
We need to use God’s word to test every idea.
> Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22)
and
> Dear friends, **do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world**. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3) {emphasis mine}
God’s word is truth. It never changes. It doesn’t change with the times, the culture, or new scientific discoveries. The truth is the truth whether anyone believes it or not.
There are many who will lead you astray and sound like they know what they are talking about. Make sure you do not follow these false teachers in their error (whether the error is intentional or accidental), but even more, make sure you don’t spread the error and lead others astray.
> **See to it that no one takes you captive through** philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8) {emphasis mine}
I think this phrase perfectly describes how error effects us, “See to it that no one takes you captive through …” Error can be subtle, but can take us captive, lead us astray, and cause us to lead others astray. Only through detailed knowledge of the Scriptures can we defend against it.
> **Don’t be deceived**, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, **who does not change like shifting shadows**. He chose to give us birth **through the word of truth**, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:16-18) {emphasis mine}
May the Lord of heaven guide us to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and to obey His word in all things to His glory, forever.
Trust Jesus