God having the attribute of truth provides a strong foundation for disciples’ faith. This daily devotional looks at how His true instructions lead to godliness and peace.
Nuggets
- God is both the true God and truth itself.
- When God promises to do something — or not do something — He does or doesn’t.
- Following God’s true instructions will bring us to lead godly lives.
- The fact that God cannot lie should give us peace.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Finding Our Center series
I can see this devotion going two different ways. At this point, I have no clue which way the verses are going to take us.
God is the One true God. He is Sovereign God, and there is no other above Him or besides Him.
God only speaks the truth. He does not lie. We can trust Him throughout eternally because He is faithful and unchangeable.
Both are true. Let’s see where the verses lead us.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Jeans wrote, “Truth, in that it is in accordance with promise.” Tillotson wrote, “Of His sincerity, that He deals plainly with us and speaks what He intends, that His words are the image of His thoughts and a true representation of His mind.”
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Truth is the thoughts and representation of His mind as well as His actions are in conformity with God’s previous vows.
The God of Truth
“The Rock —his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true” (Duet. 32: 4 CSB)
God is both the true God and truth itself.
See, Binning agreed with me! He wrote, “This name is clear — He is a God of truth; not only a true God, but Truth itself, to note His eminency in it.”
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Both do apply.
It does seem like we think most about God’s veracity. That is especially accurate when we couple truth with His faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is the constancy He displays in His interaction with mankind based on His character, name, and Word. Those we see as directed with us.
I think we see God as the One true God more when we hook it onto His righteousness. God’s righteousness is the result of His being pure. God’s purity stems from the fact that He cannot sin.
Those are more God’s character traits.
All put together, it adds up to God’s perfection. God’s perfection refers to His unspotted performance of all the other attributes, making Him spiritually whole and complete.
God’s Promises Result from His Mercy
“All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days” (Isa. 65: 16 NLT)
When God promises to do something — or not do something — He does or doesn’t.
Binning said that truth, along with faithfulness, is the avenue on which mercy is given. God’s mercy is an act of sovereign will that produces an unexpected response from God as He responds in love to our needs.
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Think about it. Because God is true, He does or doesn’t do something – but sometimes in a totally different way than we anticipate.
Mercy doesn’t just come out of His love for us. God shows us mercy because of what He says He will do — and He is true to that word.
The Connection between Truth and Godliness
“This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God — who does not lie — promised them before the world began” (Ti. 1: 2 NLT)
Following God’s true instructions will bring us to lead godly lives.
There are two sections of these two verses that inform discussion in this devotion.
- “… to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives” (Ti. 1: 1 NLT)
- “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life …” (Ti. 1: 2 NLT).
Wow! For once, Paul was short and pithy.
Before we start, we are going to look at the Homilist’s definition of godliness. It says that “Godliness is moral likeness to God.”
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The whole purpose of Paul’s instruction was to show conformity with God’s previous vows to help us to redo ourselves for godliness. God receives the glory, and we receive salvation.
South saw the tie between truth and godliness. He wrote, “One, the end of all philosophical inquiries, which is truth; the other, the design of all religious institutions, which is godliness; both united, and as it were blended together in the constitution of Christianity.”
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The gospel is true. Taylor stated that it has to be because God, the Author, is true. Spurgeon said that God is not endangered by the susceptibilities that lead us to lie. The Homilist put it this way: “All truth is of God, natural and spiritual.”
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The gospel truth is, first, the foundation of faith. Then, we use it to grow ourselves.
No, it isn’t always going to be easy. However, even when we think that truth is hard, we see it as being good and lies as being bad.
Following the gospel truth leads to godliness and eternal life. That makes it redemptive truth.
Another thing that South said really informs our topic for this year. He wrote that the product of our declaring and entwining the gospel with our lives is the change [I would add of character] to godliness.
What God wants us to get out of all of this, according to South, is a good life. We do this by serving Him. Taylor said we do that by surpassing human knowledge and obtaining spiritual knowledge.
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God designed the Plan of Salvation for just that — our salvation. South reminded us that knowing God is not enough. We have to change our characters to be holy and righteous like Him.
That is our whole goal this year! We are in a redo for godliness.
God Is Honest and True
“God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Num. 23: 19 CSB)
The fact that God cannot lie should give us peace.
God does not lie because He is wise. This, coupled with His love and faithfulness, negate the need to lie. Spurgeon said that He would gain nothing by lying.
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Because God is immutable, He cannot lie. For some, it can be their tendency to go from one lie to another, changing their opinions – and lies – to match the circumstance. God cannot do that.
Attersoll took God’s immutability one step further. He said that it is irrevocable. This not only speaks to God’s inability to change, but also to the inability to recall a decision. We see that in the fact that once God said something was a sin, it is always a sin.
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See how that does give us peace? We do not have to question whether God is telling us the truth or not – He is. We don’t have to worry about Him changing His mind – He won’t. We know without a shadow of a doubt that we can count on what God has said.
Making the Connections
Tillotson wrote that God’s truth and faithfulness in carrying out His word is the foundation for our hope and trust. We have to have that foundation in order to believe in salvation.
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Don’t just focus on the truth of God’s love and provision for us. Binning reminds us that God has made threats against those who disobey His commands.
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God will make good on those threats. He will even make good on the judgment of those of who have not ABCDed.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
To read a devotion in the Hell Does Have Fury series, click on the appropriate button below.
This devotion more than most, I have been seeing how all of the attributes of God are intricately connected. If one would get busted, they all would be.
The other thing that I have been thinking about is the contrast between God and us. He is perfect, pure, holy, righteous, faithful, and true. We so are not.
How Do We Apply This?
- If God is truth, then we need to be true and honest.
- If God is true, then we need to accept what He is telling us.
- We need to imitate God by being true.
- We, like God, should not lie.
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Taylor sent up a huge flag to make sure he got our attention. He reminded us that we must take the truth that brings us to faith and grow it. If we do not mature in our faith, God will exact a heavy judgment.
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Well, it ended up we looked at God being the God of Truth. That allows us to get a little further down the Sanctification Road on our redo for godliness.
Father God. We thank You that we can depend on You. We can because Your words are true. Your interactions with us are true. Help us as we look to redo our characters to reflect Your godliness. Amen.
What do you think?
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