God is Truth
J.I. Packer gives the following definition of truth in his book, "Knowing God."
"Truth in the Bible means stability, reliability, firmness, trustworthiness, the quality of a person who is entirely self-consistent, sincere, realistic, undeceived. God is such a person: truth in this sense, is his nature, and he has not got it in him to be anything else. That is why he cannot be other than true."
“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5
“That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes." Isaiah 65:16
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” Exodus 34:6
“For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.” Psalm 108:4
“For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.” Psalm 57:10
“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Psalm 119:160
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17
"And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:” 2 Samuel 7:28
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29
“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:18
Brother Packer goes in to state:
"That is why his words are true. They are the index of reality: they show us things as they really are, and as they will be for us in the future according to wether we heed God’s word or not.
God is King; we his creatures, are his subjects. His word relates both to things around us and to us directly: God speaks both to determine our environment and to engage our minds and hearts.
Torah from God the King has a threefold character: some of it is Law (in the narrow sense of commands, or prohibitions, with sanctions attached); some of it is Promise (favorable or unfavorable, conditional or unconditional); and some of it is Testimony (information given by God about himself and people - their respective acts- purposes, natures and prospects).
1. God’s commands are true.
“Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.”
Psalm 119:151
Why are they so described? First, because they have stability and permanence as setting forth what God wants to see in human lives in every age; second, because they tell us the unchanging truth about our own nature. For this part of the purpose of God’s law: it gives us a working definition of true humanity. It shows us what we are made to be, and teaches us how to be truly human, and warns us against moral self-destruction.
2. God’s promises are true, for God keeps them.
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” Hebrews 10:23
“Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” Psalm 36:5
“Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” Psalm 119:90
“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23
True Christians are people who acknowledge and live under the Word of God. They submit without reserve to the Word of God written in “ the Book of Truth” (Daniel 10:21), believing the teaching, trusting the promises, following the commands. Their eyes are upon the God of the Bible as their Father and the Christ of the Bible as their Savior."
May all who profess the name of Christ in word, shine forth the Truth revealed in the Scriptures before the watching (and perishing) world, to the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.
