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“Buy truth, and do not sell it”—Prov. 23:23a:
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Truth is something that we have to buy, something that has a price—v. 23a:
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Buying requires the paying of a price.
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If we want to please the Lord and stand for the truth, we must pay the price—cf. Rev. 3:18.
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If our hearts are ready to receive the love of the truth and buy the truth at any price, we will be blessed—2 Thes. 2:10-11; Prov. 23:23.
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The divine truth is absolute, and we must be absolute for the truth and uphold the absoluteness of the truth—John 14:6; 18:37; 3 John 3-4, 8:
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To be absolute for the truth means to set aside feelings, to ignore personal relationships, and to not stand for the self—Matt. 16:24-25; 1 Pet. 1:22.
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The truth is the unique standard, and we must stand on the side of the truth to oppose ourselves; upholding the absoluteness of the truth is possible only when we are delivered from ourselves—John 8:32; 2 John 2; 3 John 3-4.
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We should honor God’s truth, take the way of the truth, and not compromise the truth in any way—2 Pet. 2:2.
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For the consummation of the divine economy, we need to be absolute for the present truth—1:12:
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The present truth is the truth that is present with the believers, which they have already received and now possess—v. 12.
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The present truth includes the revelation concerning the eternal economy of God (Eph. 1:10; 3:9), the Divine Trinity (2 Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:4-5), the person and work of the all-inclusive Christ (Col. 2:9, 16-17; 3:11), the consummated life-giving Spirit (John 7:39; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 22:17), the eternal life of God (John 3:15-16), the church as the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), and the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2, 10-11).
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The present truth includes the high peak of the divine revelation—the revelation that God became man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead—to produce and build up the organic Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy to close this age and bring Christ back to set up His kingdom—John 1:12-14; 1 John 3:1-2; Rom. 8:3; 1:3-4; 12:4-5; Rev. 11:15.
Morning Nourishment
Prov. 23:23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom and instruction and understanding.3 John 3 For I rejoiced greatly at the brothers’ coming and testifying to your steadfastness in the truth, even as you walk in truth.
Truth is something that we have to buy; it is something that has a price. If we want to please the Lord and stand for the truth, we have to pay the price. If we are clear about the truth, we have to obey it all the way. Many Christians cannot pay the price because they want to please men; they try to dodge the truth….Truth is like a pillar in a house. A pillar is not like a window or a door, which can be enlarged or reduced at will. A pillar cannot be moved; it cannot be made higher or lower, and it cannot be tilted. In other words, truth can never be changed. If we cannot pay the price to obey any part of the truth, we can only condemn ourselves and confess our weakness; we cannot lower the standard of the truth just because we cannot make it or because it creates dire consequences for us. (CWWN, vol. 37, p. 254)
Today’s Reading
Every worker of the Lord must uphold the absoluteness of the truth. This is possible only when a man is delivered from himself. Many brothers and sisters are not absolute to the truth; they are affected by people, things, and personal feelings. If a man is not absolute to the truth, he will, in the course of his work, sacrifice God’s truth for man, himself, or his own desires. A basic requirement for being a servant of the Lord is to not sacrifice the truth….The problems with many workers stem from the relationship with their friends, intimate acquaintances, and family. The truth is compromised by their friends, immediate family, or relatives…. If the truth is the truth, it should not be compromised, whether by our own brothers, our relatives, or our intimate friends…. [For example], in a certain place a controversy arises. A number of the saints may be favorably disposed toward a particular group of brothers and side with them, whereas a number of others may have a preference for another group of people and line up on their side. Instead of sitting down and counting the cost of being absolute for the truth and of following the truth, they are influenced and directed by their own emotions. This does not mean that the brothers are not speaking about the truth….They have not brushed the truth completely aside; they still have some care for the truth. But they are not absolute to the truth. Being absolute to the truth means that no personal feelings or family relationships are allowed to stand in the way of the truth. In spiritual matters, the truth is compromised as soon as human relationships are taken into account. As soon as human relationships become involved, God’s word and His commandments are discounted through human factors, and the truth is compromised.The Bible contains many ordinances and commandments. These ordinances and commandments are from God, and God’s servants need to preach and announce them….We cannot be a servant of God if we cannot preach beyond what we can practice. This is because the truth is absolute. The standard of the divine Word must not be lowered to the level of our personal attainment. We cannot tamper with the truth in any way in order to justify our own deficiencies….We have to transcend ourselves, our own feelings, and our own personal interest in our speaking. This is a high requirement for the servants of the Lord. We must beware of doing things one way as they affect other brothers and sisters but doing them another way as they are applied to our spouse or our children…. If God’s Word says something, it is so, no matter who is involved….We have to learn to uphold the absoluteness of the truth. (CWWN, vol. 52, “The Character of the Lord’s Worker,” pp. 151-153)
Further Reading: Life-study of Proverbs, msgs. 5, 7; Life-study of Genesis, msg. 33; CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “Basic Training,” ch. 2; CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Life Messages, Volume 1,” ch. 31