E
Truth is the contents of the faith (belief), which are the substantial elements of what we believe, as the reality of the full gospel—Eph. 1:13.
F
Truth is the reality concerning God, the universe, man, man’s relationship with God and with his fellow man, and man’s obligation to God, as revealed through creation and the Scriptures—Rom. 1:18-20; 2:2, 8, 20.
G
Truth is the genuineness, truthfulness, sincerity, honesty, trustworthiness, and faithfulness of God as a divine virtue and of man as a human virtue, and as an issue of the divine reality—3:7; 15:8; 2 Cor. 11:10; 1 John 3:18.
H
Truth denotes things that are true or real, the true or real state of affairs (facts), reality, veracity, as the opposite of falsehood, deception, dissimulation, hypocrisy, and error—Mark 12:32; John 16:7; Rom. 1:25.
Ⅲ
The divine truth is absolute, and we must be absolute for the truth and for upholding the absoluteness of the divine truth—3 John 3-4, 8:
A
To be absolute to 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:
１
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.
２
If the truth is not something absolute for us, we do not know God, and we do not know God’s word—2 Thes. 2:10; 1 John 5:20.
３
If we are not absolute for the truth, we will sacrifice God’s truth for ourselves or our own desires—Prov. 23:23.
４
We should honor God’s truth, take the way of the truth, and not compromise the truth in any way—2 Pet. 2:2.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 1:13 In whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation…2 Cor. 11:10 The truthfulness of Christ is in me…
1 Pet. 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned brotherly love, love one another from a pure heart fervently.
First Timothy speaks of the pillar of the truth (3:15)…. A pillar is something immovable. It cannot go up or down…. If we are not sober, the truth will not have any effect on us. The truth cannot be entrusted to a person who walks according to his feelings. This is a great test. A man must stand on the side of the truth to oppose himself. Only by this can he maintain the truth instead of himself. Those who have never been dealt with do not know what the truth is. Some people lower the truth a little when they are wrong, and lift up the truth a little when they are right. This means that they are like elevators. The truth goes up and down with them. Only those who have dealt with themselves are able to maintain the truth. The reason for so much darkness today is that man sacrifices the truth and forces the truth to yield to him. If you can take the truth as the unique standard and if you have the courage to say that since the Lord has done such and such a thing, you admit that you are wrong, new light will come, and a new way will be opened to you. (CWWN, vol. 57, pp. 136-137)
Today’s Reading
According to the New Testament, truth is also the contents of the faith (belief), which are the substantial elements of what we believe, as the reality of the full gospel (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5). This is the objective faith, our belief. The Word is the revelation and explanation of the Trinity, and this Word has contents. In brief, these contents are the contents of the New Testament and also the contents of our Christian faith. Therefore, the contents of the New Testament and of our Christian faith are also the truth, the reality.In the Bible truth is also the reality concerning God, the universe, man, man’s relationship with God and with one another, and man’s obligation to God, as revealed through creation and the Scripture (Rom. 1:18-20; 2:2, 8, 20). We simply need to come to the Scriptures, for in the New Testament we have the truth concerning God, the universe, and man. We also have the truth regarding man’s obligation to God and his relationship with God and others. This truth is revealed partially in God’s creation, and it is revealed fully in the Scriptures.
In the New Testament the Greek word for truth, aletheia, also denotes the genuineness, truthfulness, sincerity, honesty, trustworthiness, and faithfulness of God as a divine virtue (Rom. 3:7; 15:8), and of man as a human virtue (…2 Cor. 11:10…) and as an issue of the divine reality (John 4:23-24…). John 4:23 and 24 say, “But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness”…. In John 4:23 and 24 truthfulness refers to the result, the issue, of God being reality to us. When we enjoy God as our reality, this enjoyment will have a certain outcome, and this outcome is truthfulness, reality. Actually, this outcome of enjoying God as our reality is Christ coming forth from us. When we enjoy the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—as our reality, that is, when the Divine Trinity becomes a reality to us for our enjoyment, this enjoyment issues in a certain kind of virtue. This virtue is the Christ experienced by us, the Christ who is the fulfillment of all the offerings. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 81-83)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 40, “What Shall This Man Do?” ch. 10; Life-study of 2 John, msgs. 1-2; Life-study of 3 John, msgs. 1-2