LOVING THE TRUTH
IT IS MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
THE QUESTION THAT PILATE ASKED - WHAT IS TRUTH?
by Arthur W. Arnup
The word Truth - the old orthographer's spelled it Troth. The
word Truth appears many times in the Bible. We measure success by
accumulation. This measure is false. What is Truth should be our
aim. The true measure is appreciation. He who loves most has
most.
How foolishly we train ourselves for the work of life! We give
our most arduous and eager effort to the cultivation of those
faculties which will serve us in the competitions of the forum
and the market place. But if we were wise we should care
infinitely more for the unfolding of those inward, secret, and
spiritual powers by which alone we can become the owners of
anything that is worth having.
Surely God is the great proprietor; yet all His works He has
given away. He holds not title deeds. The one thing necessary is
perfect understanding, the perfect joy, the perfect love of all
things that He has made. To share in this high ownership, He
welcomes all who are poor in spirit, this is the earth which the
meek inherits. This is the patrimony of the saints in light. Our
Lord's birth and mission is established as an historical verity,
and the whole world ... commemorates it, To Wit:
No document, covenant, lease, bill of lading, or commercial
correspondence is legal or complete without the ending "In the
year of Our Lord". Further all historical works designate the
date as Anno Domini or A.D. and B.C. before Christ.
Truth is like a statue in the desert forever threatened with
burial by the shifting sands, and willing hands must for ever
work to keep it clear and shining in the sunlight, and what we
need most is a deep and personal sense of God.
The centre which ever hovers around the truth is our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ for "He is the Way, the Truth and the Life".
We must therefore accept and believe implicitly Jesus Christ is
our Lord and Saviour, a fact which necessitates our belief
absolutely (in the inspired Word of God written) in all its
details as regards our lives present and future.
In searching out this truth we must be as bold as free, and
honest in facing these realities, as in Science - we must be
logical.
Let us now answer for ourselves the question "What Is Truth" and
may the answer we give enrich and energize our lives, our
actions, and our work for the extension of the Kingdom of God.
Pilate put this question to our Lord, and it will be interesting
to review the surroundings at that time. The whole of the details
can be read in John 18, v.37, to John 19, v.16.
In verse 37 Pilate asked "Art thou a King?" Jesus answered "Thou
sayest I am a King, to this end was I born, and for this cause
came I into the world, that I should bear witness to The Truth.
Everyone that is of the Truth heareth my word."
Pilate said, "What is Truth?"
Pilate heard this statement but did not wait, Pilate went out and
told the Jews. "I find no fault in him at all." I think Pilate
wanted to know the truth, and speak it. In the 14th verse we read
"When the Jews had put a crown of thorns upon his head Pilate
went out again and said: "I bring him forth to you that you may
know I find no fault in Him." Again in the 6th verse Pilate said
"Take ye Him and crucify Him for I find no fault in Him." In
verse 7, "The Jews told Pilate that Jesus ought to die because He
made Himself the Son of God."
Pilate was wavering, for in the 8th verse we read "Pilate was
more afraid" and in verse 12, "Pilate still sought to release
Him." Then came that Satanic shaft, "That if thou let this man go
thou art not Ceasar's friend!", verse 16 reads, "Pilate therefore
delivered Him to be crucified."
Pilate failed at this crucial test. How do we stand in this? Have
we also failed like Pilate? Because he could not give up wealth,
position and power ....
Here then we should ask "What is Truth?" To answer this question
correctly requires that we search the Scriptures, this will bring
into evidence that we are a people of free-will. And that is the
serious part of it, we can accept it or reject it as Pilate did.
Studying the Scriptures means action on our part, it must be
approved by us, accepted by us, believed by us, we must work, we
must live the life, we must skew forth the truth. "Christ the
Word" to the world.
In considering this desire for truth we present many aspects. You
know material gravitation presses us earthwards; man's natural
proclivities therefore are downwards, but truth which in its
purest essence is God, the Word Jesus Christ - The Holy Spirit,
and the gravitation of the Spirit is upward, it leads the finder
up from the degradation of material gravitation - ever onward and
upwards, verifying the words of Our Lord. "If I (the truth) be
lifted up I will draw all men unto me" out of sin into "the
glorious liberty of the Sons of God."
Yes, Truth will make us free, therefore standfast in that which
is good. Remember also Satan's attack from the creation onwards,
it is a fight going on today. In Phil.2, part of verse 2, we are
told "to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. . ."
In I Thess.5:21, "Prove all things hold fast to that which is
good." In Romans 12, verse 2, "And be not confirmed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds that
ye may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect Will of
God."
In John 14:6; Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life;
no man cometh to the Father, but by Me." In John 1:1, "In the
beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God." This is shown more clearly in Rev.19:13, "And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called
The Word of God." How significant this appears in conjunction
with Isa.55:11, "So shall My Word be, that goeth forth out of My
mouth - it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it."
In Deut.32:4, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His
ways are judgment - a God of Truth." Psalm 25:1, "All the paths
of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His Covenant
and His testimonies."
Where should Truth be found? In our hearts, David says in Psalm
51:6, "Behold Thou desireth Truth in the inward parts, and in the
hidden part Thou shalt make me know wisdom." Psalm 91:4,5, "His
Truth shall be thy shield and buckler, Thou shalt not be afraid
for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day."
Psalm 119:142, "righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and
Thy law is Truth." We here discover the Truth is the Law of God.
John 1:12, "But so many as received Him to them gave He the power
(or the right) to become the Sons of God even to them that
believe on His name."
John 1:14, "And the Word (Christ our Lord) was made flesh, and
dwelt among us ... full of Grace and Truth." John 8:31-32, "Then
Jesus said unto those Judeans who believed on Him. If ye continue
in My word then ye are My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the
Truth and the Truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
Meanwhile the most direct means open to the Christian of helping
to improve the world is to improve and deepen his own spiritual
life. If we once grasp the realization of what the Truth really
is; we should be dedicating ourselves to the end that
civilization will survive and go forward to the achievement of a
new splendor in the time to come. The true interpretation of the
Kingdom Message is ours to fulfil.
To concentrate on this task is not to be self-centred, even our
Lord found it a means of helping His Disciples; for their sake He
said, "I sanctify myself." Those who feel that character and
obedience to God must be the basis of any reconstructive process,
by making their own lives of a kind that will witness more
clearly for the Truth.
Just as we deduce the value of medicine from its effects, so we
appraise the quality of our faith from its moral effect upon
ourselves and society. If we have grasped this Eternal Truth we
must shew it forth to the world. It was said by the late Lord
Lothian:
"Mankind has lost sight of the Eternal Truth ... that the true
foundation for happiness and success is the Spiritual Life." It
is the God-filled mind, and sympathetic heart that will play the
greatest part in these critical times. John 4:15, "Whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him
and he in God."
John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath Eternal Life."
We have discovered from Biblical records where Truth is to be
found. When our Lord went away He promised to send us the Holy
Spirit, the Comforter, we must therefore pray always for this
Spirit because He will lead us into all Truth. John 14:26, "But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Sprit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 1 Cor.
6:19, "For know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy
Spirit which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your
own."
Robert Firebrace says truly:
"Without the realities of Life and Truth and fellowship our
Christianity is but an empty shell.
One of the outstanding consequences of the coming Pentecost will
be just this. The brotherhood of man without distinction of race,
creed, caste, sex or color will be lifted out of the ideal sphere
into the actual."
Let us open our heart and mind eagerly to the Spirit of Truth and
Grace, therefore let us rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in
the Truth.
..............
End Note:
To find truth one must have a mind that hungers and thirsts after
truth and righteousness. You must love it more than anything,
more than friends, relatives, wife, husband, children, your job,
your ambitions, money, fame, popularity, and anything that would
prevent you from wanting and loving the truth. To be led into
truth by the Holy Spirit you must be ever ready to be corrected,
to admit error, to change your thoughts and actions. Many at the
end time will be DECEIVED by the many deceptions of Satan who can
come as an angel of light, and with power, signs, lying wonders,
and deceivableness of UN-righteousness.
Most will fall prey to the Devil because they received NOT the
"love of the truth" and so he can deceive the whole world.
Because the human heart and mind is often set on NOT wanting and
seeking the truth, God will send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a LIE, and that all might be damned who believe
NOT the truth, but have pleasure in Un-righteousness (2 Thes.
2:9-12, with 2 Cor.11:13-15 with Rev.12:9).
Jesus has promised to you that if you will hunger and thirst
AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS you WILL (not maybe), but WILL BE FILLED
(Mat.5:6) - Keith Hunt
