[Biblical] Reformation

The older I get, the more I appreciate the fact that God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, always tell the truth.  In fact, Jesus identified himself as “The Truth”.[1]  He readily told the truth and made sure it was known that he did.[2]  The Holy Spirit is also known as “the Spirit of Truth”.[3]  God is known as the “God of truth”.[4]  In fact, his very word is truth.[5]  The truth also characterized the Prophets and the Apostles.[6]

Truth is a premium with God.  Thank God!  For, men are liars.  As it is written: 

“’Their throats are open graves;
      their tongues practice deceit.’
   ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’
    ^‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’”[7]

Jesus recognized this, and was yet wise.  He discerned what came out of men’s mouths, since he knew their hearts.[8]  And Jesus perceived exactly what was in the hearts of men, namely lies and deceit (of course, his own heart was pure, true, and sober).  He knew the Old Testament, and he knew about the flood; yea, he was present there.  So, he recognized that with a typical man, “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” and that “every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.”[9] 

As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus understood humanity and the psalm which underscored its evil skill at injustice:  “Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning”.[10]  Jesus comprehended how easily “the heart of fools blurts out folly”.[11]  He grasped man’s perversity and deceit[12], his lethal pride[13], his folly and rage[14], his malice and deceit[15], his hardness[16], his corruption[17], his proclivity to curse others[18], his dangerous manipulation[19], his inner idolatry[20], his arrogance[21], his uncleanness[22], his stubbornness[23], his evil nature[24]. 

Therefore, Jesus’ attitude toward man is summed-up as follows:  “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.  He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.”[25]  What a wise man Jesus was, and is!  Men are determined betrayers; Judas is the ultimate example[26].  Men are also sudden disowners; the “devoted” Peter proved emphatically the disloyalty of man despite his “certain” profession[27].  And Stephen faced personally man’s betrayal:  how they had betrayed the Lord Jesus to death, and then these same—his own countrymen—betrayed him to death also.[28]

God knows we are all dishonest.  Isaiah prophesied the same of Israel, and it is no less true of us today: 

“So justice is driven back,
       and righteousness stands at a distance;
       truth has stumbled in the streets,
       honesty cannot enter.”[29]

Jeremiah encountered the same sad conclusion.[30]  As mentioned, Jesus experienced this dismal state of man as well.  Again, it is our unfortunate situation today.  However, amidst all the dishonesty and lies of man, we can find a Truth-Teller, someone on whom we can rely completely.  At least one voice in this universe never resorts to falsehood or deception, but rather maintains scrupulous honesty.  God himself always tells the truth.  Jesus always did.  Our Lord upheld the very words he prescribed to us.[31]  Surely, this must be one reason why his Heavenly Father was so pleased with him.[32]

Sometimes the truth is painful.[33]  Yet, Jesus told—and still tells—the truth, even when it is hard for his audience to hear.  And one of the most reassuring qualities of our Lord is his faithfulness to us in this regard of truthfulness at all times.  He will never deceive us; he is so dependable.  His word will never fail us, mislead us, deceive us, trick us, or destroy us.   His words may hurt at times, but he will never harm those who belong to him, who listen and heed.  Even if we’re stricken by something he says, we know that it is said with immense love and care. 

I guess I’ve been burned enough by the lips of my fellow man—and I suppose I have burned my fellow man enough, also—to have reached this somewhat skeptical point in my life.  Now, for the record, my own lips have burned me, too; I am too easily self-deceived, proud, boastful, irrational, or just plain unrealistic.  But I can’t help but relish the thought that the Holy Spirit is a Comforter[34]—the best Comforter.  His counsel never fails to inform, to guide, to heal—rather than to deceive, mislead, or destructively wound.  The LORD will wound our pride and stab our sin, of course; we need this blessing, too.  But in all, we must rejoice that we can put our full trust and confidence in his Word, the Scriptures, knowing they will not disappoint or dissatisfy us in the end.  Positively, our God is a wise, trustworthy, and faithful Friend.

Doubtless, to new Christians these facts resonate strongly with your hearts, for the novelty of trusting Christ and his word have rung true so recently and vividly at your conversion.  Perhaps, for many other “older” Christians, what I post here may simply sound overly obvious to you, even far short of profound or helpful.  I urge you “stronger spirits” to wait and revisit this post five or ten years (or more) down your Christian road, after experience has been to you the strange teacher that it is.  Perchance this notice will garner its due attention after you pass by enough sham souls on the walkway of life, or when you finally stand nervously upon the welcome mat of death’s door.

Yet, maybe, just maybe, a significant segment of readers—those who have weathered already their share of lies, or even survived one mighty humdinger of deceit—will identify with my point and be freshly consoled.  For this, I pray.  Know as the Lord Jesus made clear:  his words are rock solid.[35]  And standing upon them, as it were—trusting in them, and living by them—we can without any doubt expect to be rightly and lovingly directed and upheld, for our blessing and our good.  We can always count on this.  We can always count on him!  God bless.  And bless God who is so good, trustworthy, faithful, and true!  Amen.

Jesus is all the world to me,
And true to him I’ll be;
Oh, how could I this Friend deny,
When he’s so true to me?
Following him I know I’m right,
He watches o’er me day and night;
Following him, by day and night,
He’s my Friend.[36]

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[1] John 14:6

[2] John 3:5; 13:21; cf. John 4:23-4

[3] John 14:17, just eleven verses later; and then again in 15:26; and then again in 16:13; cf. Acts 28:25; 1 John 4:6; 5:6

[4] Psalm 31:5

[5] John 17:17

[6] Luke 11:49; 24:44; Acts 3:18, 21, 24; 28:25-27; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:2; Revelation 10:7; Romans 1:2; 3:21; 9:1; 16:25-27; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Ephesians 1:13; 3:2-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13

[7] Romans 3:13-14

[8] Matthew 12:34; 15:16-20; Luke 6:45-46

[9] Genesis 6:5; 8:21

[10] Psalm 64:6

[11] Proverbs 12:23

[12] Proverbs 17:20

[13] Proverbs 18:12

[14] Proverbs 19:3

[15] Proverbs 26:24

[16] Proverbs 28:14

[17] Ecclesiastes 7:2

[18] Ecclesiastes 7:22

[19] Ecclesiastes 7:26

[20] Ezekiel 14:3

[21] Ezekiel 28:2

[22] Matthew 15:18

[23] Mark 3:5

[24] Luke 6:45

[25] John 2:24-25

[26] Matthew 26:14-16, 21, 23, 24, 25

[27] Matthew 26:31-35, 40-41, 42-25, 50-55, 56, 69-75

[28] Acts 7:51-60

[29] Isaiah 59:14

[30] Jeremiah 5:1-5

[31] Proverbs 12:17; 24:26

[32] Proverbs 16:13; Matthew 3:17; 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17

[33] Job 6:25

[34] John 14:16, 26

[35] Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49

[36] Will L. Thompson, “Jesus is All the World to Me”, third verse.