WHAT IS GOD'S VIEW ON THE SUBJECT OF TRUTH?

INTRODUCTION-- A truthful God is important to our salvation, and the consistency of truthful words from Him gives us confidence.

1. God always speaks truth.
   
   1. Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?"
      
   2. Isaiah 45:19 "(God said) I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right."
      
2. God's word is Truth. John 17:17 "(Jesus prayed for His disciples) Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth."
   
3. God's Holy Spirit is always the truth. 1 John 5:7 "And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth." (ASV--Vs. 6 in others.)
   
4. To give men more confidence in His word, God would sometimes add an oath. Hebrews 6:13-18 "For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, 14 saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. 17 Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:"
   
5. In perfect contrast, the Devil always lies. John 8:44-45 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 45 But because I say the truth, ye believe me not."
   
6. Truth is vital to salvation.
   
   1. Jesus tied the two together. John 8:32 "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
      
   2. The truth must be obeyed. 1 Peter 1:22 "Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth."
      
7. The truthful God wants a truthful follower.
   

LESSON-- In both the Old and New Testaments, truth is demanded of mankind.

1. In using men to bear the message of truth, God expected truthfulness.
   
   1. Prophets.
      
      1. When the word of prophets came true, it would be recognized. 1 Kings 17:24 "And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth."
         
      2. Being inspired of God, who always spoke truth, true prophets could speak only truth. (Consider Balaam, who tried to curse and failed.)
         
      3. False prophets only spoke lies.
         
         1. Jeremiah 14:14 "Then Jehovah said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto them: they prophesy unto you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart."
            
         2. False prophets were answering the whims of their hearers. Isaiah 30:9-10 "For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of Jehovah; that say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits."
            
   2. Apostles.
      
      1. They were given only truth. John 16:12-13 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come." (Remember Jesus' prayer in John 17:17?)
         
      2. Paul, as an example of all the Apostles, was devoted to truth. Romans 9:1 "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit." (Other examples support this one.)
         
   3. Christians. Ephesians 4:14-15 (We should be) "...no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 15 but speaking truth in love, we should grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;"
      
2. As God is truth, and His word is truth, and his prophets speak truth, it is to be expected that He would want all of His people to be devoted to speaking truth.
   
   1. God understands that by the exercise of free-will, some will be liars, and others will speak truth.
      
      1. Liars.
         
         1. Psalm 52:1-4 "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God [endureth continually. 2 Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3 Thou lovest evil more than good, And lying rather than to speak righteousness. 4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue."
            
         2. Jeremiah 9:3-5 "They bend their tongue, as it were their bow, for falsehood; and they are grown strong in the land, but not for truth: for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith Jehovah. 4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders. 5 And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies;"
            
         3. God's remedy for liars. Zechariah 8:16 "These are the things that ye shall do: speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates;"
            
         4. But what if the remedy is not taken? Revelation 21:8 "But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and for-nicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."
            
      2. The truthful need to be devoted to it.
         
         1. Proverbs 8:7 "For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips."
            
         2. Psalm 15:1-2 "Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh truth in his heart;"
            
         3. Ephesians 4:25 "Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another."
            
         4. Colossians 3:9 "Lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings."
            
3. But what about oaths?
   
   1. In the Old Testament, God's Law showed the way they were to be treated.
      
      1. Exodus 22:10-11 "If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: 11 the oath of Jehovah shall be between them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution."
         
      2. Numbers 30:2 "When a man voweth a vow unto Jehovah, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth."
         
      3. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 "When thou shalt vow a vow unto Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it: for Jehovah thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed unto Jehovah thy God, a freewill-offering, which thou hast promised with thy mouth."
         
   2. Even rash oaths had to be fulfilled, and the sin connected with it expiated.
      
      1. Judges 11:30-36 "And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Am-mon, it shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand......34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth..." (And he did!)
         
      2. What did the Law say? Leviticus 5:4-6 "If any one swear rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter rashly with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these things. 5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned: 6 and he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin."
         
   3. The New Testament put its priority on simply speaking truth.
      
      1. Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the hea-ven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nei-ther shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and what-soever is more than these is of the evil one."
         
      2. James 5:12 "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment."
         

APPLICATION-- We have recently witnessed the perversion of justice in high places, because of the lack of respect for speaking truth. Justice and truth are tied together by God. Isaiah 59:14-15 "And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. 15 Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice."