The Voice of Truth

There is a battle going on in the world for the control of the minds and hearts of man. This is a spiritual battle and centers on the issue of truth verse the lie. The Greek word translated truth is aletheia and it means that which is true or real, “the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance” (Zodhiates Complete Word Study). Truth is a matter that rests on authentic facts to reveal that which is real. Truth originates with a person, Jesus Christ (John 14:6) and then testified to by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). Truth is also the language He uses in speaking to His followers, the voice of truth. When Pilate was interrogating Jesus in John 18:37, Jesus told him, “for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." In John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”.

There is another voice which is brought contrary to the truth. Its intention is to distort the truth or modify it, thereby removing its distinct sound. Jesus tells us this other voice comes from the devil in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Jesus teaches that all lies originate with the devil who “does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him”. His agenda is to lead people away from the truth. When Jesus spoke these words, He was addressing the Pharisees, who did not believe Him because they were not of the truth (verses 45-47).

What is truth?

There are so many examples of the devil twisting the truth to lead people astray. In fact, it happened at the very beginning of man’s existence when he deceived Eve and then Adam to their fall from the garden of Eden in Genesis 3. He also tried to deceive Jesus in Matthew 4 by twisting Scripture, but Jesus clearly understood what the evil one was doing. Jesus’s response was to quote Scripture accurately. The devil continues to represent the lie as truth, illustrated by the story below.

A story is told about a man who was walking through a forest when he saw a tree with an arrow embedded in the exact center of a target. Impressed, the man took note but continued his walk only to find another tree a few yards away, again with an arrow exactly in the center of the target. As he continued on, he saw another tree with a perfect hit, and then another, and still another.

After about ten trees the man decided that he must find the talented archer and recruit him for the king’s army. After searching, he found a man shooting arrows. “Are you the man who has shot the arrows at all the trees in this forest?” asked the traveler. “Indeed, I am,” replied the archer. “How did you become such an expert archer?” inquired the man. The archer explained, “It was easy. I simply shot arrows at the trees. Then I drew the targets around the spot that I had hit!”

The devil redefines truth according to his own agenda; he disguises himself as an angel of light (2Corinthians 11:14). Truth is eternal and cannot be changed. Anyone who adds to God’s Word will be reproved and proven to be a liar (Proverbs 30:6).

The Word of God and the truth

The primary vehicle that God employs to deliver the truth to His people is His Word. In John 8:31-32, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’”. The Word of God is the truth (John 17:17) and is not intended to be treated casually. To continue in His Word is to dwell there, to remain there, to live richly there. The true believer is not just passing through the Word of God, he is taking up residence there.

Truth is not just something one agrees with, but it defines the way he lives. It is the avenue by which the believer fellowships with God, hears His voice, and testifies to others. In 1John 1:6, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Practicing the truth means that it defines one’s lifestyle and proves his motives, that “his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:21). He hears the voice of truth clearly.

Buy Truth 

The psalmist prays to the Lord to, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation” (Psalm 25:9). The Holy Spirit is our guide into the truth by the Word of God and we are enabled to discern the lie because of the richness of the truth resident in us. When the FBI trains its people to identify counterfeit currency, it emphasizes all aspects of the characteristics of a legitimate bill. The best way to identify a lie is to be an expert in the truth. Solomon writes in Proverbs 23:23 to buy, acquire, possess truth and do not give it away or sell it since it brings wisdom, instruction, and understanding. Truth has a voice.

“For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth”.  3John 3-4

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