The possession of truth is the greatest possession of all. It does not matter what people say against us. It does not matter if we are forced to stand alone. If the truth is on our side, we can stand tall and with confidence. Never is this more true than when considering the truth of God’s Word.
There is no greater truth than the Word of God. God’s Word is the truth that sets one free from sin and the tyranny of the Devil (John 8:32). It is the truth that purifies the soul and leads to everlasting life (1 Peter 1:22). Sadly, the truth of God’s Word can be abused. Let us notice a few ways in which this might happen.
Truth can be changed into a lie — Regarding the Gentiles, Paul said, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:25). The Gentiles did this by denying the existence of God. The reality of God is seen clearly by the creation of the world. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). In view of creation, only the fool denies the existence of a Creator.
When you see a watch, you know there is a watchmaker. Who would look at something like a car and then conclude it was somehow formed by chance, accidentally? Only the fool! The universe is far more complex than any watch or car; yet, some would advocate that it all came about by chance. Modern atheists are like the Gentiles of old—They hold the truth in unrighteousness by denying God’s existence and, thereby, turning the truth of God’s existence and creatorship into the lie of evolution. It starts with willfully denying truth and ends with an ignorant denial of truth by the offspring of the original deniers. This leads to God’s wrath (Romans 1:18).
Many have turned truth into a lie. The Judaizing teachers of the first century did it by demanding circumcision upon the Gentiles. False teachers do it today by exchanging God’s plan of salvation (hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized) for man’s own plan (faith only). Some members of the body of Christ do it by changing the true gospel into a social gospel. All of these are examples of men perverting and corrupting the Word of God. It is a clear abuse of the truth.
Truth can be disobeyed — A part of treating truth properly is obeying it. Truth is God’s instruction to man, and when one refuses to obey it, he is being rebellious toward God, which can only end badly. Nadab and Abihu refused to obey truth and were destroyed by the fire of God (Leviticus 10:1-3). King Saul refused to obey truth; and, so, God rejected him as King of Israel (1 Samuel 15:1-35). On one occasion, even Moses, a faithful servant of God, abused truth by not obeying it, and as a result, he could not enter the land of promise (Numbers 20:1-12). God deserves man’s respect. To honor God by keeping His commandments is the right thing to do (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To do otherwise is to abuse the truth for which so many have died over the years, giving us free access to it. Is it worth it? To disobey God’s Word is not only to abuse truth, it is to secure for ourselves spiritual death. Why not choose to obey the truth and live?
Truth can be spoken without love — The responsibility of every child of God is to preach truth. Paul said, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). First-century Christians gave us an example of this when the church at Jerusalem was persecuted. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
Preaching the gospel to the lost necessitates contending for the faith (Jude 3) and defending the gospel against error (Philippians. 1:17). However, when we are called to do this, we must still preach the truth with the proper attitude. Preaching truth in anger will not do. Preaching the truth with a “holier than thou” attitude will not accomplish much. Paul said, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). This is not only the right way to preach the gospel, it is the most effective. To preach the truth in any other way is to abuse that truth. The nobility and honor of truth itself demand that it be preached with the proper attitude. Let us always speak the truth with love.
Not rightly dividing Truth — Paul said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). If one does not rightly divide the word of truth, error is inescapable. Some teach error because they fail to rightly divide the covenants of the Bible. The Bible is composed of the Old and the New Testaments. The Old Testament covers two dispensations – the Patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations. Beginning with the Mosaic dispensation, God’s people were under the law of Moses. The New Testament covers the dispensation of Christ in which man is under the law of Christ. When one does not rightly divide the Word and binds the law of Moses on those who are under the law of Christ, the result is error. A person must recognize that the law of Moses has been abolished (Ephesians 2:15), and now the prevailing law is the law of Christ. All men are now subject to Christ, not Moses, for Jesus has been given all power (Matthew 28:18).
Also, one must properly divide the New Testament. To do this a person must always recognize who is speaking and who is being spoken to in a given text. Not knowing these things will also result in error. Many other examples could be given. Some passages apply exclusively to elders, women, or parents. Some teaching is only applicable to men, husbands, or wives. One should be able to see, then, that the word of truth must be rightly divided or else it will be abused.
Nothing is more valuable than truth, especially God’s truth. It can have a great impact on our lives, but to really benefit from it, we must obey it. Let us develop the attitude that David had toward truth. He said, “For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth” (Psalms 26:3). Let’s walk in truth. After all, only the truth can set us free (John 8:32).