Tag Archives: Truth

Speak, LORD, for your servant hears…

9Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:9-10

To begin with, does The Lord still speak in our time?  Yes, He does; in fact, He has never stopped. In the introductory words of the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer states that The Lord has always maintained an active communication with man of all times, and assures that He, and we quote, has spoken many times and in many ways in another time;[1] this knowledge might be novel to those who are used to understand that what The Lord had to say, He already said, and there is nothing more to add; however, since we are moved by the purpose of teaching that the nature of The Lord is to create, and that even He continues to create,[2] we pose the following question to introduce us with it to the subject of The Lord’s messages to contemporary man, in what ways has The Lord spoken? The Lord has spoken sometimes by prophets,[3] sometimes by dreams,[4] sometimes by the “signs of the times“,[5] and sometimes by the Spirit of Truth who establishes occasion and time for everything.[6]  The Lord has always spoken and communicated precise instructions to whole peoples, and at other times, to particular individuals.

So, it is not a question of demonstrating that The Lord speaks, but rather of seeking the reasons why there are believers who have never ‘heard’ the voice of the Lord. We will study the conditions that regulate whether someone ‘hears’ the voice of The Lord.

Hearing the voice of the Lord is not only a matter of spiritual sensitivity; it is heard by those who act according to the Truth, and indeed by those who are willing and able to hearing to His voice.

Spiritual sensitivity and discernment

The first, and perhaps the most outstanding condition of all, is the spiritual sensitivity that the person has to ‘discern’ the voice of The Lord. It is not that The Lord does not speak, but that there are those who do not understand that The Lord is speaking to them.[7]  The purpose in The Lord of ‘speaking’ to a people or a person is to correct their behavior and to lead them to develop righteousness in the integrity of Truth.

What is spiritual sensitivity and discernment? How is it defined? Spiritual sensitivity is not a gift, to the surprise of many, it is the ability in the spirit that each one can develop to ‘tune in’ to the obedience of instruction, everything begins with an instruction; the following texts clearly establish this:

And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

Jeremiah 25:4

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

Zechariah 7:11

Note how both texts emphasize the attitude of not tilting the ear to hear, and even, in the second text, of covering the ears not to hear.

In that sense, spiritual sensitivity and discernment is an exercise, it develops from man’s decision to follow instructions; this is what Jesus referred to when he established the teaching: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.[8]   Jesus was thereby establishing, to paraphrase, that whoever wants to attend to instruction must obey it. Hearing does not mean listening, it means obeying and acting. When the man and woman decide to ‘obey’ the instruction, and follow it, the decision establishes the basis of spiritual sensitivity, and from there the ability to discern is developed, not before.

The subject of spiritual sensitivity is presented in the Scriptures under the term ‘discernment’,[9] and consists of the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and between the holy and profane; it is the spiritual capacity to stand without fluctuation before events where there is apparently a divine manifestation,[10] and to determine when The Lord speaks, and when The Lord has not spoken. The apostle John presents it as the ‘testimony’ that the heart gives about the things that are part of the believer’s daily life, to know how to distinguish between what is from The Lord, and what is not from Him.[11]  The apostle Paul defines it as the “guidance” that a person receives from the Spirit to develop his or her life of faith.[12]

As can be verified in all the texts noted, spiritual sensitivity and discernment develops at the will of the person, and depends on his or her ability to follow instructions.

We should not take lightly the fact that The Lord wants to speak to man; His messages are not information for personal use, they are instructions to establish order and life in the regions; the fidelity in attending to His instructions will lead us to develop the dignity to initiate projects of Revelation to awaken entire communities.

Walking in Truth

Walking in Truth is the second condition that regulates one’s ability to hear The Lord.

To walk in Truth is not a life of habits and customs, it does not refer to the moral integrity which religious philosophy preaches; to walk in Truth means to conduct oneself within the express Will of The Lord;

The Psalmist David recognizes in one of his psalms that there is a unique way which contains the Lord’s Will for man, that if man comes to know it he will walk in Truth:

Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Psalm 86:11

The prophet Ezekiel is much more precise because he expresses in detail what is the express Will of The Lord for man:

5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7 and hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8 he that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, 9 hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel 18:5-9

To walk in Truth is to develop the consciousness of establishing no ambiguous word;[13] it is to stand firm in decisions as to faith, and not to allow variation of thought or feeling because of external pressures, even because of persecution;[14] to walk in Truth is not to disguise as righteous that which feeds only pleasure and personal benefit;  To walk in Truth is to renounce all personal planning,[15] whatever man may wish to do for himself under the slogan that it is to serve The Lord, is only the excuse for keeping alive all personal aspiration, The Lord the only thing He needs from us is obedience.

Wanting and being willing to hear the voice of The Lord

Do we really want to hear what The Lord is talking about? do we know the spiritual risks of hearing The Lord’s voice and not agreeing with what He is talking about? On the other hand, what does The Lord speak? what is the purpose of His messages?

To begin with, The Lord does not speak just to ‘inform’, The Lord’s messages to man are not intended to make man aware of what is happening, or will happen; in the account of the serpent’s intervention to bring Adam and Eve into denial of the Creator’s Word, in chapter three of Genesis, the text refers that the argument the serpent used to convince Eve was: ” God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil“,[16] a real and true argument, because in the same chapter it also refers that precisely because of the veracity of such argument is that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden.[17]  The question that arises here is, why did Adam and Eve have no knowledge of that reality? Why did such an argument dazzle Eve so much? The answer is simple, The Lord is not an informer, He speaks only what is necessary for man and woman to keep doing what they were commissioned to do, man exposes himself to the risk of spiritual death when he looks to ‘other’ sources for auxiliary knowledge; The Lord will tell you what you need to know, what He has not told you is because you do not need it, do not look for it outside of Him.

What does The Lord speak?

  • The Lord speaks to establish demands.

To hearing to The Lord is to be willing to meet His demands.[18]  The Lord’s demands are corrections to man’s walk; The Lord’s first demand is addressed to all mankind, and it consists of the call to repentance, it is the demand to man and woman to repent of walking away from His Presence, and to return to Him:

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:

Acts 17:30

The Lord’s second demand is similar to the previous one, except that it is addressed only to the men and women who know him and have decided to walk under his shadow,

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; 21 shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:20-21

And along with this, the demand to stand firm on the vows and promises that man has made,

When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

Deuteronomy 23:21

There are demands of Holiness,[19] not to spill innocent blood,[20] not to eat blood,[21] to maintain sexual purity,[22]  not to eat food from unclean animals,[23] not to eat meat from dead animals.[24]

In general terms, the demands of The Lord are summarized in the following words:

but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24
  • The Lord speaks to bring out the hidden facts of people. The judgments of The Lord.

Hearing the voice of The Lord brings to light the hidden facts of people. Many people do not want to hear The Lord’s voice, because their deeds are evil.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3:19-21

The Light manifests everything; only he who is willing to listen to the voice of the Lord can free himself from the bonds of darkness,

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Ephesians 5:13
  • The Lord speaks to establish order and healing

Hearing the voice of The Lord brings order to the life of one who is willing to hear; many diseases of man are a product of the disorder under which the person walks,

I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Psalm 85:8

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

Psalm 46:6

to him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Psalm 68:33

In conclusion, the Lord is still speaking, it is man who has not wanted to hear his voice, and as a result of man’s neglect of The Lord’s voice, man has fallen into poverty, sickness, madness, crisis, chaos, disgrace; the demand of the Spirit today is to become friends with him.

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Psalm 95:7-8

Come now, and let us reason together,  saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18

The Lord’s demands are in force for us today, His most important demand is to hear His voice, and not to be forgetful listeners,

Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Deuteronomy 13:4

4  save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: 5 only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

Deuteronomy 15:4-5

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1]     Hebrews 1:1

[2]     John 5:17: but Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

[3]     Nehemiah 9:17: and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Isaiah 30:9: that this is a rebellious people, lying children,
children that will not hear the law of the Lord; Zechariah 7:11: But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

[4]     Job 33:14-16: 14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; 16 then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

[5]     Matthew 16: 3: And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Amos 4:6: And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

[6]     John 15:26: But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: John 16:13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. Ecclesiastes 9:11: I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

[7]     Isaiah 42:25: Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Hosea 7:9: Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

[8]     Matthew 11:15 (13:9; 13:43; Mark 4:9; 4:23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35)

[9]     Nehemiah 10:28: And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; Hebrews 5:14: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Leviticus 10:10: and that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 1 Kings 3:9: Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? Job 6:30: Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things? Ezekiel 44:23: And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

[10]   Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Luke 17:23

[11]   1 John 3:20-22:  20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

[12]   Romans 8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Galatians 5:18: But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

[13]   Matthew 5:37: But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

[14]   1st. Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1st. Corinthians 16:13: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Ephesians 6:11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 1st. Peter 5:9: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

[15]   1 Samuel 15:13-15: 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

[16]   Genesis 3:5

[17]   Ditto 3:22: And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever:

[18]   The term in Hebrew is דָּרַשׁ (darash), and in Greek is παραγγέλλει (parangeli)

[19]   Leviticus 20:7: Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.

[20]   Genesis 9:5:And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

[21]   Leviticus 17:10:And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

[22]   Leviticus 15:18: The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. Leviticus 20:18: And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 20:11: And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:17: And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.  Leviticus 20:15: And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

[23]   Leviticus 11:8: Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

[24]   Leviticus 17:15: And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the eve: then shall he be clean.

Everyone who is of the Truth hears my voice…

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

John 18:37-38

Hearing the voice of the Lord is not only a matter of spiritual sensitivity, it is heard by those who act according to Truth. Although Truth is a quality of the spiritual-angelic environment, and also an attribute of Jehovah God, in one of the Psalms of David we discover that Truth is a teachable spiritual knowledge,

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:5

Truth definitely has nothing to do with ‘speaking’ according to verifiable facts and/or with information held to be valid by two or more witnesses; if David demands the intervention of Jehovah-God, and asks Him to lead him into His Truth, it is because Truth then enjoys the very essence of Jehovah-God’s nature, He does not teach about matters inferior to His divinity.

The Truth is then not only a characteristic of life built on integrity, but above all, the necessary requirement to approach the Lord, and hear His Voice. He who does not walk in Truth does not have ‘fellowship’ with the Lord.[1]   With all that is written above we can realize the importance of knowing about the subject.

In terms of the righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven, what is Truth? How is it defined? How is it obtained?

The Truth, אֶמֶת (e-meth) in Hebrew, and αληθεια (alithia) in Greek, is the consciousness that is awakened in a person about the existence of a knowledge-law that regulates the development of the natural order of things initiated by man’s intervention. The Truth does not exist outside of man, the Truth is spiritual support of validation to make the activity of man transcendent.

The best example to illustrate this process is found in the story of when the apostle Peter was sent by the Lord to the house of Cornelius,[2] a Roman centurion, a Gentile for the purposes of the Bible, and therefore a man unpleasant to the Jews; Peter admitted during the meeting with them, from the knowledge which Jehovah-God had communicated to him the day before, that God is no respecter of persons, a truth which to Peter was hitherto unknown; the admission of such knowledge-law opened the door for the Gentiles to become partakers of the Grace of Salvation.

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Acts 10:34

This conception is not a section attached to the Gospel as it may seem, there are evidences that the biblical writers had this knowledge, one of those cases is the one referred by the apostle Paul when in his epistle to the community of faith in Rome he discovers how those people who do not have access to the Law of Moses are evaluated by Jehovah-God,

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Romans 2:14-16

Thus, we verify, that Truth is the recognition in the conscience of man that there is a natural order that regulates the development of all actions; each action has its own disposition, the observation of them leads the person to build a life of straightness and justice. By virtue of this, Truth is the ‘power’ of optimal functioning; actions performed with Truth are prospered,

hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel 18:9

Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Habakkuk 1:4

Truth establishes a natural order of priority over all things that man/woman does under the sun,

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

The Words of Jesus before Pilate, …To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth, are the key to understanding how to walk in the Truth; the first thing we must understand is that Truth is pre-existent to the material Creation, that is, Truth is not a part of this world, it is a quality of the spiritual-angelical environment introduced into this world to give support and validity to all human activity; and the second thing, Truth has life in itself, and gives life to him who walks in it.[3]

Let’s go to the Words of Jesus again. Note well, if Jesus came to ‘bear witness’ to it, that is, to validate the transcendence of Truth, it is because it has the very nature of the essence of Jehovah-God; otherwise, why should there be so much effort if its value were inconsequential and/or less than the very nature of Jesus? How can one ‘bear witness’ to Truth if it is an abstract concept? Can one claim something that does not exist?

Truth is not only the attribute of the Sovereignty and Omnipotence of Jehovah-God, it is above all, the very essence of the environment in which He moves. Jehovah-God is Truth,[4] and all that He does, He does with Truth, so Truth is the establishment of wisdom upon which the universe was built,

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

Job 38:1-6

Operationally speaking, Truth is introduced and established in this world by/with the Word with which Jehovah-God certified that His work is true: the expression, “and God saw that it was good”,[5] the expression with which He concluded the work of each of the first six days of Creation, means not only that His work is Perfect and Adequate in itself, but above all, that it established the Truth of the reality of things for which He had created it, that is, that each of the elements of Creation would have a definite purpose and action, to break that purpose and that action would provoke an environment of lie.

He confirmed the knowledge that He Himself knew beforehand to be good, and He did so in every one of the days of His Creation until its conclusion, thereby showing that Truth is established upon the foundation that what Jehovah-God does is good, His work is not harmful to man, even though in human eyes it may be an inconvenience.

21 and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 1:21-22

The expression, “and God saw that it was good“, shows that everything that is not of the Truth is opposed to the principle of Creation established by the Lord. The work of darkness establishes ‘rebellion’ to what Jehovah-God does. Truth is absolute.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Truth is associated with counsel, wisdom, intelligence, and the fear of the Lord.

He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

Job 12:20

Truth is discovered when a person moves according to the recommendation of Jehovah-God’s Word, Truth has life (Ζῶν) in itself, and it energizes (ἐνεργὴς) all that where it is established;

For the word of God is quick (Ζῶν: zon), and powerful (ἐνεργὴς: energis), and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Faith is founded on the basis of Truth, hence for faith to prosper, it is not enough just to believe,[6] it is necessary for the person to move in Truth,

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:17 (20; 26)

Truth belongs to Jehovah-God, however, today’s civilizations are civilizations in crisis, in their quest to be progressive societies they have ‘manufactured’ fictional truths that far from turning them into societies of Truth, have led them to be pagan societies that simply feed the ego, greed, and covetousness; is the condition also of many Christian communities, the doctrinal deficiency of what the Truth of the Gospel means,[7] has led many to build a philosophical and scientific faith, where the value of the life of faith consists in what God can, and should, do for the believer, and not in what God demands from the believer to establish his faith as a bond of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven; at first glance the problem is not really serious and does not risk anyone’s salvation, however, when we review the doctrine of the Gospel and compare it with what is preached as the Gospel, we will see that in reality it is about winds of apostasy that have already swept many communities of faith. So, the main task of anyone who is interested in knowing about the Truth of the Righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven is to remove the obstacles that stand in its way.

The first stumbling block we must overcome is the stumbling block of philosophical definition; Truth is not an abstract concept, it is not a relative concept, much less, a concept subordinated to the circumstances and/or situations of the events, all of them attributes that have usually served to impact its definition, at least in the West.

The second stumbling block we must overcome is the stumbling block of moral definition; Truth is not synonymous with good, nor is lie synonymous with evil; Truth does not depend even on the intentions/motivations of people’s hearts; Truth is not a moral concept, does not originate from any of its basic postulates, nor does it receive any input from them.

As for the doctrine of the Gospel, how does one learn to know the Truth?

Truth is the essence of nature that constitutes a person: God is true, man is a liar

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Romans 3:4

Truth is the essence of the nature of Jehovah- God. Surely we have read how the apostle John defines Jehovah-God: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love“;[8] in his definition, John recognizes that the ‘essence’ of the nature of God is love; in the same way, when Jesus expressed: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through me“,[9] He was affirming that the ‘essence’ of his nature is Truth; man was also formed with the attribution of being true, but disobedience to the Word of the Lord degraded him and made him a ‘lying’ being. The presence of Jesus on earth is so that man/woman may find the way to constitute themselves again in truth, and cease to live by the lie,

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Luke 6:43 (see also Matthew 7:16)

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

Matthew 12:33

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:25

Hence, when Jesus stated, “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“,[10]  His purpose was to show that Truth does not consist only in knowledge which is learned, but in Revelation of purpose so that by it we acquire the transformation of nature by faith in Jesus.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:3-6

The only way to acquire the Truth is by faith in Jesus, there is no other way; it is obtained by the transformation that the Spirit of Truth operates in the person when he or she submits to the Lordship of Jesus established in/by the teachings of the Gospel.

Man cannot change by himself, woman cannot change by herself; everyone is born in a state of sin and his/her nature is a lie, man/woman lies by nature, not by habit or manners; in order for there to be transformation man/woman has to subject his/her attitude, intention, motivation, thought and decision to the doctrine of the Gospel; transformation is achieved when the person disposes not to be double-hearted, nor to take personal advantage of situations,

for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee;
but his heart is not with thee.

Proverbs 23:7

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

The different situations to which both men and women are exposed daily are intended to bring out the essence of their nature;

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:21-22

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

It is not a matter of ethics, as presented by religious philosophy, but of understanding that man is a liar by nature, and that the only way to be true is to allow the Spirit of Truth to transform his nature.

Truth is not a matter of verification of facts: a person is true not because he ‘speaks’ Truth, but because he ‘acts’ Truth

A situation is not Truth just because the references fit the reality of how the events unfolded, Truth is the ability to stand in the original line of the Lord’s work. The teaching is established by the case when Samuel goes up to Bethlehem to anoint David as the chosen one of Jehovah-God to substitute Saul; Samuel says that he went up to “offer sacrifice”, which was not necessarily true, he went up to anoint David as Saul’s successor,

4 And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:4-5

Verse one of the same chapter clearly states that Samuel’s purpose was to anoint David;

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

1 Samuel 16:1

The teaching here states that a person is true not because he speaks Truth but because he acts Truth; to act Truth means to stand in continuity with the original work of Jehovah-God according to the operation that the Spirit has initiated in a place, and/or with a person. Samuel saw Saul grow and develop as a king, and it grieved him deeply when Jehovah-God repented of making him king, and he cast him off, yet his appreciation of Saul did not prevent him from continuing with the work which the Lord had entrusted to him of anointing David as Saul’s successor. Truth is established not with/by words, but by actions consistent with the line toward which the Lord’s work is conducted.

Another example that illustrates this is the case of the apostle Peter when he expresses that Jesus is the Christ.[11] Notice how Jesus recognizes that Peter has received from the Father the Revelation that He is the Christ, however, a few verses later in the same story we find Jesus rebuking Peter’s behavior, and treating him as Satan, Why? Peter lost continuity of the Spirit’s operation; Peter was not true to his relationship with Jesus, his duality leading him to deny Him on three consecutive occasions the night he was taken prisoner in Gethsemane. A person exposes the ‘lie’ in which he lives when he acts in double-minded behavior and is inconstant in the actions he initiates.

A person is true not because his words conform to the truthfulness of the information, or of the facts, but because he stands firm acting according to the disposition of Jehovah-God has determined for that fact.

and thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Deuteronomy 28:14

Truth is the understanding that Jehovah-God continues to operate even above the ‘falls’ of man;

In David’s experience when he fled from Saul, David expresses a fact that is not true, yet his words do not detract from the work that Jehovah-God was establishing upon him.

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

1 Samuel 21:1-2

The other case of David that runs parallel with this one, is the case when David incurs in the act of giving orders over Uriah the Hittite, to expose him to death; his act according to the Mosaic Law is considered a sin of death,[12] however, David’s sin was remitted without the mediation of a lamb sacrifice,[13] and eventually, from the union with Bethzabé, Solomon was born,[14]  and Nathan,[15] the latter, from whom the genealogy of Jesus comes.[16]

The knowledge of Truth makes us understand how Jehovah-God judges all things, and how He establishes His Truth among the peoples.

Truth is not measured by how societies define it, it is measured by the Righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven; the Righteousness of the Kingdom is established by the ‘spirit’ of the Law,

A person may have eliminated lying from his/her vocabulary, however this is not necessarily evidence that the person is true; Truth is measured according to the ‘spirit’ of the Law that promotes the Righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven. Joseph’s decision not to infame Mary when he knew she was pregnant is a case that contradicts the way Jewish society had established as correct; although this traditional way of acting was based on the Law of Moses, the biblical text in reference says that Joseph was ‘just man’, how can a man who acts contrary to the Law of Moses continue to be ‘just man’?

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Matthew 1:19

The Law of Moses required that the bridegroom with her denounce her and stone her,

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: 21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

Deuteronomy 22:20-21

How to understand this situation? The ‘spirit’ of the Law stated that the purpose of the Law was not only to punish the offender, but to remove the evil from their midst.[17]

Let’s look at another case. The Bible itself establishes the support of Jehovah God over the civil laws of the peoples, even exhorting to observe and respect them;[18]  yet the apostle Paul denounces that it is not right to bring the cause of the saints before the unbelievers;[19] thus establishing that human laws cannot be imposed upon the Truth of the Gospel, nor upon any operation that the Holy Spirit Has initiated within the Kingdom.  In another section of his writings, Paul states that if a brother has an ‘unbelieving wife’ and she consents to dwell with him, he should not put her away;[20] ‘put her away’ here is synonymous with divorce; the apostle Paul establishes with this instruction that divorce is permitted in the Gospel because one of them is not compatible with faith in Christ Jesus, yet no civil law has it considered as a permissible ground for divorce.

The laws of men, nor their customs, cannot impose actions upon the decisions of the Kingdom, nor impose upon any man of faith labels of offender just because he does not act according to them; everything that the man of faith does in obedience to civil laws, but which contradicts the guidance of the Spirit, is considered a ‘lie’, and the man of faith is a ‘liar’.

He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Luke 11:23

Truth is a subject of Revelation, only he who lives by it is a man/woman of Truth. The lie consists in living by the discretion dictated by religious formation.

Falsehood should not be tolerated because it establishes a lie. If you realize that something is not right, that is to say, that something is not walking in accordance with the stipulation, and you do nothing to correct it, then you constitute yourself as tolerant of falsehood, and thereby establish falsehood. He who establishes falsehood, or gets used to tolerating it, is a liar.

Why so much falsehood? Why so many lies? There are many people who live in an environment of lies, and they allow it, and in doing so they themselves are turned into lies. To each one comes just what he sowed, or what he tolerated.

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

Truth is a daily exercise, only he or she who exercises himself or herself in his or her deeds can reach it; remember, it is not true who ‘speaks’ Truth, but he or she who ‘acts’ Truth. Each of us writes a new lesson of Truth every day, as we discover within ourselves the nature of lie in which we have lived, and eradicate it.

that which I see not teach thou me:
if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

Job 34:32

Truth does not rely on the feelings or emotions a person may feel about something, or even the thoughts he may have; in fact, the best way to identify the ‘degree’ of Truth a person has attained is to evaluate the levels of ‘reaction’ to attacks on him; the liar takes things personally, and reacts with vengeance; the true one does not react at all.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

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Twitter: @pastormontoya

[1] Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. Deuteronomy 15:5 only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. Psalm 85:8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will  speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Jeremiah 6:17  Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Ezekiel 2:5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. Amos 5:23  Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

[2] Acts 10:19-20

[3] 1st. John 5:20: And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

[4] Deuteronomy 32:4: He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Compare this with the words of Jesus in John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

[5] Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31

[6] James 2:19: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

[7] Galatians 2:5; 14; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5

[8] 1st. John 4:8, 16

[9] John 14:6

[10] Ditto 8:32

[11] Ditto 16:17

[12] Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 21:22; 1st. John 5:16

[13] 2 Samuel 12:13: And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

[14] Ditto 12:24: And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.

[15] Ditto 5:14: And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

[16] Luke 3:31: which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,

[17] Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 21:21; 22:21-24

[18] Romans 13:1-7

[19] 1st. Corinthians 6:1-6

[20] Ditto 7:12-14

Cleansing the Ministry of All Filthiness…

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2nd. Corinthians 7:1

Truth is not a concept with etymological value; its use does not lie in the meaning of the root of the word, or in the definition that the dictionary can present.

The concept of Truth arose along with the evolution of humankind to be used as an element of comparison, to bring to light those things that people did in the occult, or to bring to light something that people were not aware of their existence.

The first uses of the word “Truth” in the Bible are related to the action of “verifying” the reality or state of a situation. Something is Truth, or True, when it has been properly verified by witnesses who attest to the state of its existence. The expression, I understand in Truth, attached to a conclusive phrase about something, or someone, represents the assertion of the personal or collective Truth of the communities that verified it; and in many of the cases it was constituted as law within the communities themselves.

This is the basis of where eventually formed the criterion to assess the veracity of a prophet.[1]

Another use of the word Truth is to measure the accuracy of events to come, mainly when someone’s word was in the middle. In the particular case of when someone compromised his word to do this or that thing; Truth was measured in the precise fulfillment of the fact as it had been proposed. Speaking Truth applies to the commitment to fulfill that which has been uttered, and to do it without delay, and without ambiguities.[2] Joseph’s brothers present themselves as men of Truth which indicates the character of commitment that characterized them.[3]

In many cases, Truth is related to the integrity of the person. To do something in Truth means to do it in integrity of heart.

Truth does not necessarily refer to something real, or something existing; a way of Truth, for example, is that process by which someone walks in righteousness guided by divine principles.

Truth does not necessarily have to do with lies, although he who does not act in Truth obviously builds a path of lies in his path. But, the absence of Truth does not necessarily represent the presence of a lie. The Truth in the Bible emphasizes rather the diligence to comply with something, the righteousness of honoring others, and above all, the ability not to be susceptible to bribery.[4]

The conception of Truth has nothing to do with human morality; that is the great difference between the biblical conception of Truth and the moral conceptualization of which feeds Western society, and among it also the contemporary church. Moral truth is philosophical, and subordinates reality to the relativity of facts, and indirectly highlights the lie. Something conceived as a lie today can be a truth tomorrow, and vice versa. The same is not true of Biblical Truth, which, as we have already noted, emphasizes more the diligence to comply with what has been proposed.

And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:   …  33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. Genesis 42:31-34

Modern societies are moral societies, and therefore the conception of truth proclaimed from them is a relative and philosophical truth. The contemporary church is nourished by this conception, pitifully, which is why, although from the pulpits proclaimed the Gospel Truth, many men and women of faith are not really men and women of Truth, tolerate and even cultivate the lie, and reach the height of classify and even justify it.

It is associated with knowledge mostly among academic societies, and many ministerial training institutions echo it; however, Truth has nothing to do with knowledge, it does not need knowledge to establish itself or to operate.

When Jesus proposed: you shall know Truth, it was not the value of knowledge that stood out at any time, but the value of recognizing Truth.

This is demonstrated by the use of the word in Greek to refer to the act of knowing. The term you shall know (γνωσεσθε: gnōsesthe) of John 8:32, is the same conjugated term of I know (γινωσκω: ginóskó) of Acts 19:15, and the same term of knew (εγινωσκεν: eginosken) of Matthew 1:25. The reader will notice in the referred readings that the intention is not directed to the acquisition of knowledge but to the recognition of a value or of a person, being understood as an assent of the treated subject. Thus, for example, in John 8:32, Jesus exhorts to recognize the Truth of His Words, because as is discovered in the dialogue, on four occasions He reproaches them for not recognizing the Truth He speaks to them.

… But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, (vers.40),

… He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 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 of it. (vers.44),

… And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. (vers.45),

… And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? (vers.46).

It is not a matter of knowing in the sense of acquiring cumulus of knowledge, but of identifying that which accompanies the verb, in this case, identifying the Truth and joining it.

Operationally speaking, the knowledge of something is constituted in bond on the person, and motive of fall. This is the teaching that the apostle Paul shared with the community of faith in Rome.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Romans 7:7-11

Knowing about something discovers the ignorance that the person possesses about related matters, and makes him vulnerable and susceptible to the need to feed on more knowledge in order to remain in a position of supremacy.

Thus, Jesus’ recommendation should not be interpreted as a suggestion to acquire knowledge, because such a conception comes from the moral idealization that has been secularly attributed to the concept. Jesus was simply admitting the need for people to recognize the Truth of God, otherwise He would not have said He is the Truth,

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

So how can the knowledge of the Truth set someone free?

It is not the knowledge of Truth that sets a person free. If Jesus is the Truth, and not everyone can recognize Jesus as the envoy of the Father, it means that knowledge per se does not make anyone free, but enslaves them, as we pointed out earlier.

It is the revelation of Truth that makes a person free. We all know the teaching. To the answer of the apostle Peter to the question of Jesus: Who do people say the Son of Man, followed the statement of Jesus that such a discovery is the result of the direct revelation of the Father.

A person may have knowledge of a Truth, but if it is not revealed to his spirit, with all the knowledge he may possess, the person remains a slave to the ignorance of living far from God, even though he is part of a church.

It is clearly established in the teaching of the apostle Paul;

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Ephesians 4:18

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 1st. Timothy 1:13

It is also present in the teaching of the apostle Peter;

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 1st. Peter 1:14

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 1st. Peter 2:15

Thus, we arrive at the medullar point of the freedom that comes as a result of recognizing the Truth. Truth is not Truth by itself, it is necessary to establish it as such, it is not enough to nod to it, nor is nodding to it the way to establish it. A person may be before the Truth but if he does not establish it for himself, and in his environment, the person continues to live in the lie of ignorance of God.

An unestablished Truth is equivalent to a lie. This is the real risk we run of not working properly with the Truth. The apostle James had already established it when he said,

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

The process of formation, growth and perfection of the person of faith is subordinate to the ability that the person has developed to establish the Truth for himself.

To help us recognize the Truth, and how we must establish it properly, it is necessary to understand the types of Truth to which we present ourselves daily.

  • THE TRUTH OF THE FACTS

This is the sphere of the natural world in which humankind moves. The Truth of facts means the reality of things that are true for all.

In this sphere the ideas predominate; the truths are established with ideas, but for a truth to be legitimate it requires two certain ideas for it to be established as such, otherwise it is a false establishment. This principle of operation is satanic and was introduced in Eden by the serpent. Let us observe it in the dialogue between the serpent and the woman:

And the serpent said unto the woman, (1)Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, (2)then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5

The serpent put forward two ideas, one false: You shall not die; and one certain: your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods knowing good and evil. The result of the serpent’s approach was an establishment of lies and death, the lie under which humankind lives without Jesus.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 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 of it. John 8.44

This is the reason why it was introduced into the Law that the trial witness of one person would not be accepted as true, but by the saying of two or more.[5]

Another example is in the case of Abraham when he introduced his wife to Pharaoh:

And yet indeed (1)she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and (2)she became my wife. Genesis 20:12

Abraham made a false establishment that followed him for many years. It cannot be said that it is a half-truth, because such a thing does not exist. His approach was ambiguous, which is why God confronted him and demanded veracity of his deeds.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17:1

Precisely because of the requirement of the presence of two ideas to establish a truth, this sphere is always open to a false door of establishing interpersonal communications with the use of puns, excuses, and justifications for the facts performed. Humankind is accustomed to establishing two ideas, one certain and the other false, precisely because the foundation of life is the same principle that was established in Eden by the serpent.

Unfortunately, many men and women of faith have not been able to recognize this principle of satanic life, and continue to act in the same way as they did before recognizing Jesus as Lord and Christ.

This is the most dangerous sphere, and the most stumbling block for many, because we do not see the spiritual transcendence of mixing truth with lie.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10

  • THE TRUTH OF ONE’S CONVICTIONS

Convictions are a person’s faith in a matter of life that was revealed to him by the Word in the divine interaction of the Holy Spirit. Convictions are constituted in Truths by virtue of the person’s willingness to live by them. They are Truths only for the person, they are the foundation of operation by faith, and they are their bulwark of spiritual growth.

Some biblical examples that illustrate this are the cases of faith in Abraham, when he decided to walk in direct dependence on God,

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:  Genesis 14:22-23

And, when he arranged to offer Isaac in sacrifice believing that God was able to return him from the dead,

And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.  …  14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Genesis 22:8-14

Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Hebrews 11:19

If a person is not able to live by their convictions, such convictions are not Truths, they are only knowledge on the subject, but not a Truth. This is the main characteristic of a Truth of conviction.

The gravity of doing things without having the proper conviction of why they should be done, is exposed in the case of Ananias and Sapphira,

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Acts 5:1-3

The person builds Truths when he disposes to live by convictions. The case of David when he decides to buy the land where the Temple was eventually built, established the Truth that offering to God requires effort, commitment, dedication;

And King David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 1 Chronicles 21:24

Esther’s decision to enter the king’s presence to denounce Haman’s plot, even though it means her death, established the Truth that whoever would save her life will lose it; and whoever loses his life because of the Lord’s work will save it.

… and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. Esther 4.16

When God promulgated the Law, He intended people to live for them, out of conviction, not out of burden or fear of the imposition of punishment.

Convictions are nourished by faith, mainly by acts of faith. Not all people who confess themselves as men and women of faith live by it, and it is mainly because in their life choice they have preferred to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them, rather than live awaiting the instructions of the Spirit.

To act out of conviction demands fidelity in what has been believed, even if this means rejecting the opportunity for development that an external source proposes.

Every day there are situations and opportunities that prove convictions. When a conviction has become a Truth, it determines the way we act, and liberates us.

  • ABSOLUTE TRUTH

Absolute Truths are the spiritual Truths predetermined by God as an expression of His Will, and pre-established in the Word as an instruction of life pleasing to God.

Absolute Truths are not subject to interpretation, do not fall into disuse, never cease to be, and always have the vigor of God’s backing. The New Testament has many absolute Truths.

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, …     1st. John 2:10

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1st. John 2:15

… whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1st. John 3:10

… He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 1st. John 3:14

He that loveth not knoweth not God;  …  1st. John 4:8

If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: … 1st. John 4:20

The Old Testament also has many Absolute Truths, which are ignored by the belief that the Old Testament lost its validity.

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. Proverbs 11:1 (see also Proverbs 20:23; Hosea 12:8; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11)

… lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.  Jeremiah 9:24 (see also Micah 6:8)

… for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6

… Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: Isaiah 59:1

… truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. Jeremiah 3:23

… But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39

Absolute Truths teach us to know God, to know His character, to know His Will; they help us to understand how He operates, but above all, to understand what He demands of our lives.

What is the task?

The task of a man of faith, of a woman of faith, is to establish Truth in the environment where each one lives. It is the Truth to be established that will enable that region to be delivered from the satanic oppression that has plunged it into the curse. The process to do so is,

  • First, to demolish by land all those false establishments that have been established as pseudo truths through music, through customs, through community events, etc. Examples of them are the pseudo date of Jesus’ birth, the pagan customs of celebrating birthdays, the cult of the dead, etc.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. Isaiah 59:4

  • second, establishing the Word that opposes the establishment of falsehood that has prevailed in the region;

He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: … Proverbs 12:17

  • Third, establishing the corresponding Truth of conviction according to the Word that opposes the establishment of falsehood.

And they will deceive everyone his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Jeremiah 9:5

The task of establishing Truth is a task of liberation, a task of spiritual warfare. Only those who learn to establish Truth are the only ones who will be prepared to denounce and combat apostasy. They have the authority to do so.

There is a danger that we want to warn and that eventually we will be presenting the respective study, is a danger that is rising very strong and has already taken lives of many people, mostly young people. We refer to the danger of virtual reality, present in many forms, in video games, in electronic games, in viral challenges, etc., and in recent years, the use of artificial intelligence, very incisive through Internet searches.

 

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Deuteronomy 18:22

[2] Genesis 24:49

[3] Idem 42:11

[4] Exodus 18:21

[5] Deuteronomy 17:6

… And the Truth will set you free.

And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. John 8:32

Truth is not a concept with etymological value; its use does not lie in the meaning of the root of the word, or in the definition that the dictionary can present.

The concept of Truth arose along with the evolution of humankind to be used as an element of comparison, to bring to light those things that people did in the occult, or to bring to light something that people were not aware of their existence.

The first uses of the word “Truth” in the Bible are related to the action of “verifying” the reality or state of a situation. Something is Truth, or True, when it has been properly verified by witnesses who attest to the state of its existence. The expression, I understand in Truth, attached to a conclusive phrase about something, or someone, represents the assertion of the personal or collective Truth of the communities that verified it; and in many of the cases it was constituted as law within the communities themselves.

This is the basis of where eventually formed the criterion to assess the veracity of a prophet.[1]

Another use of the word Truth is to measure the accuracy of events to come, mainly when someone’s word was in the middle. In the particular case of when someone compromised his word to do this or that thing; Truth was measured in the precise fulfillment of the fact as it had been proposed. Speaking Truth applies to the commitment to fulfill that which has been uttered, and to do it without delay, and without ambiguities.[2] Joseph’s brothers present themselves as men of Truth which indicates the character of commitment that characterized them.[3]

In many cases, Truth is related to the integrity of the person. To do something in Truth means to do it in integrity of heart.

Truth does not necessarily refer to something real, or something existing; a way of Truth, for example, is that process by which someone walks in righteousness guided by divine principles.

Truth does not necessarily have to do with lies, although he who does not act in Truth obviously builds a path of lies in his path. But, the absence of Truth does not necessarily represent the presence of a lie. The Truth in the Bible emphasizes rather the diligence to comply with something, the righteousness of honoring others, and above all, the ability not to be susceptible to bribery.[4]

The conception of Truth has nothing to do with human morality; that is the great difference between the biblical conception of Truth and the moral conceptualization of which feeds Western society, and among it also the contemporary church. Moral truth is philosophical, and subordinates reality to the relativity of facts, and indirectly highlights the lie. Something conceived as a lie today can be a truth tomorrow, and vice versa. The same is not true of Biblical Truth, which, as we have already noted, emphasizes more the diligence to comply with what has been proposed.

And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:   …  33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. Genesis 42:31-34

Modern societies are moral societies, and therefore the conception of truth proclaimed from them is a relative and philosophical truth. The contemporary church is nourished by this conception, pitifully, which is why, although from the pulpits proclaimed the Gospel Truth, many men and women of faith are not really men and women of Truth, tolerate and even cultivate the lie, and reach the height of classify and even justify it.

It is associated with knowledge mostly among academic societies, and many ministerial training institutions echo it; however, Truth has nothing to do with knowledge, it does not need knowledge to establish itself or to operate.

When Jesus proposed: you shall know Truth, it was not the value of knowledge that stood out at any time, but the value of recognizing Truth.

This is demonstrated by the use of the word in Greek to refer to the act of knowing. The term you shall know (γνωσεσθε: gnōsesthe) of John 8:32, is the same conjugated term of I know (γινωσκω: ginóskó) of Acts 19:15, and the same term of knew (εγινωσκεν: eginosken) of Matthew 1:25. The reader will notice in the referred readings that the intention is not directed to the acquisition of knowledge but to the recognition of a value or of a person, being understood as an assent of the treated subject. Thus, for example, in John 8:32, Jesus exhorts to recognize the Truth of His Words, because as is discovered in the dialogue, on four occasions He reproaches them for not recognizing the Truth He speaks to them.

… But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, (vers.40),

… He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 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 of it. (vers.44),

… And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. (vers.45),

… And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? (vers.46).

It is not a matter of knowing in the sense of acquiring cumulus of knowledge, but of identifying that which accompanies the verb, in this case, identifying the Truth and joining it.

Operationally speaking, the knowledge of something is constituted in bond on the person, and motive of fall. This is the teaching that the apostle Paul shared with the community of faith in Rome.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Romans 7:7-11

Knowing about something discovers the ignorance that the person possesses about related matters, and makes him vulnerable and susceptible to the need to feed on more knowledge in order to remain in a position of supremacy.

Thus, Jesus’ recommendation should not be interpreted as a suggestion to acquire knowledge, because such a conception comes from the moral idealization that has been secularly attributed to the concept. Jesus was simply admitting the need for people to recognize the Truth of God, otherwise He would not have said He is the Truth,

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

So how can the knowledge of the Truth set someone free?

It is not the knowledge of Truth that sets a person free. If Jesus is the Truth, and not everyone can recognize Jesus as the envoy of the Father, it means that knowledge per se does not make anyone free, but enslaves them, as we pointed out earlier.

It is the revelation of Truth that makes a person free. We all know the teaching. To the answer of the apostle Peter to the question of Jesus: Who do people say the Son of Man, followed the statement of Jesus that such a discovery is the result of the direct revelation of the Father.

A person may have knowledge of a Truth, but if it is not revealed to his spirit, with all the knowledge he may possess, the person remains a slave to the ignorance of living far from God, even though he is part of a church.

It is clearly established in the teaching of the apostle Paul;

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Ephesians 4:18

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 1st. Timothy 1:13

It is also present in the teaching of the apostle Peter;

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 1st. Peter 1:14

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 1st. Peter 2:15

Thus, we arrive at the medullar point of the freedom that comes as a result of recognizing the Truth. Truth is not Truth by itself, it is necessary to establish it as such, it is not enough to nod to it, nor is nodding to it the way to establish it. A person may be before the Truth but if he does not establish it for himself, and in his environment, the person continues to live in the lie of ignorance of God.

An unestablished Truth is equivalent to a lie. This is the real risk we run of not working properly with the Truth. The apostle James had already established it when he said,

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

The process of formation, growth and perfection of the person of faith is subordinate to the ability that the person has developed to establish the Truth for himself.

To help us recognize the Truth, and how we must establish it properly, it is necessary to understand the types of Truth to which we present ourselves daily.

  • THE TRUTH OF THE FACTS

This is the sphere of the natural world in which humankind moves. The Truth of facts means the reality of things that are true for all.

In this sphere the ideas predominate; the truths are established with ideas, but for a truth to be legitimate it requires two certain ideas for it to be established as such, otherwise it is a false establishment. This principle of operation is satanic and was introduced in Eden by the serpent. Let us observe it in the dialogue between the serpent and the woman:

And the serpent said unto the woman, (1)Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, (2)then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5

The serpent put forward two ideas, one false: You shall not die; and one certain: your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods knowing good and evil. The result of the serpent’s approach was an establishment of lies and death, the lie under which humankind lives without Jesus.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 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 of it. John 8.44

This is the reason why it was introduced into the Law that the trial witness of one person would not be accepted as true, but by the saying of two or more.[5]

Another example is in the case of Abraham when he introduced his wife to Pharaoh:

And yet indeed (1)she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and (2)she became my wife. Genesis 20:12

Abraham made a false establishment that followed him for many years. It cannot be said that it is a half-truth, because such a thing does not exist. His approach was ambiguous, which is why God confronted him and demanded veracity of his deeds.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17:1

Precisely because of the requirement of the presence of two ideas to establish a truth, this sphere is always open to a false door of establishing interpersonal communications with the use of puns, excuses, and justifications for the facts performed. Humankind is accustomed to establishing two ideas, one certain and the other false, precisely because the foundation of life is the same principle that was established in Eden by the serpent.

Unfortunately, many men and women of faith have not been able to recognize this principle of satanic life, and continue to act in the same way as they did before recognizing Jesus as Lord and Christ.

This is the most dangerous sphere, and the most stumbling block for many, because we do not see the spiritual transcendence of mixing truth with lie.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10

  • THE TRUTH OF ONE’S CONVICTIONS

Convictions are a person’s faith in a matter of life that was revealed to him by the Word in the divine interaction of the Holy Spirit. Convictions are constituted in Truths by virtue of the person’s willingness to live by them. They are Truths only for the person, they are the foundation of operation by faith, and they are their bulwark of spiritual growth.

Some biblical examples that illustrate this are the cases of faith in Abraham, when he decided to walk in direct dependence on God,

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:  Genesis 14:22-23

And, when he arranged to offer Isaac in sacrifice believing that God was able to return him from the dead,

And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.  …  14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Genesis 22:8-14

Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Hebrews 11:19

If a person is not able to live by their convictions, such convictions are not Truths, they are only knowledge on the subject, but not a Truth. This is the main characteristic of a Truth of conviction.

The gravity of doing things without having the proper conviction of why they should be done, is exposed in the case of Ananias and Sapphira,

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Acts 5:1-3

The person builds Truths when he disposes to live by convictions. The case of David when he decides to buy the land where the Temple was eventually built, established the Truth that offering to God requires effort, commitment, dedication;

And King David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 1 Chronicles 21:24

Esther’s decision to enter the king’s presence to denounce Haman’s plot, even though it means her death, established the Truth that whoever would save her life will lose it; and whoever loses his life because of the Lord’s work will save it.

… and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. Esther 4.16

When God promulgated the Law, He intended people to live for them, out of conviction, not out of burden or fear of the imposition of punishment.

Convictions are nourished by faith, mainly by acts of faith. Not all people who confess themselves as men and women of faith live by it, and it is mainly because in their life choice they have preferred to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them, rather than live awaiting the instructions of the Spirit.

To act out of conviction demands fidelity in what has been believed, even if this means rejecting the opportunity for development that an external source proposes.

Every day there are situations and opportunities that prove convictions. When a conviction has become a Truth, it determines the way we act, and liberates us.

  • ABSOLUTE TRUTH

Absolute Truths are the spiritual Truths predetermined by God as an expression of His Will, and pre-established in the Word as an instruction of life pleasing to God.

Absolute Truths are not subject to interpretation, do not fall into disuse, never cease to be, and always have the vigor of God’s backing. The New Testament has many absolute Truths.

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, …     1st. John 2:10

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1st. John 2:15

… whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1st. John 3:10

… He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 1st. John 3:14

He that loveth not knoweth not God;  …  1st. John 4:8

If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: … 1st. John 4:20

The Old Testament also has many Absolute Truths, which are ignored by the belief that the Old Testament lost its validity.

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. Proverbs 11:1 (see also Proverbs 20:23; Hosea 12:8; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11)

… lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.  Jeremiah 9:24 (see also Micah 6:8)

… for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6

… Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: Isaiah 59:1

… truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. Jeremiah 3:23

… But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39

Absolute Truths teach us to know God, to know His character, to know His Will; they help us to understand how He operates, but above all, to understand what He demands of our lives.

What is the task?

The task of a man of faith, of a woman of faith, is to establish Truth in the environment where each one lives. It is the Truth to be established that will enable that region to be delivered from the satanic oppression that has plunged it into the curse. The process to do so is,

  • First, to demolish by land all those false establishments that have been established as pseudo truths through music, through customs, through community events, etc. Examples of them are the pseudo date of Jesus’ birth, the pagan customs of celebrating birthdays, the cult of the dead, etc.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. Isaiah 59:4

  • Second, establishing the Word that opposes the establishment of falsehood that has prevailed in the region;

He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: … Proverbs 12:17

  • Third, establishing the corresponding Truth of conviction according to the Word that opposes the establishment of falsehood.

And they will deceive everyone his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Jeremiah 9:5

The task of establishing Truth is a task of liberation, a task of spiritual warfare. Only those who learn to establish Truth are the only ones who will be prepared to denounce and combat apostasy. They have the authority to do so.

There is a danger that we want to warn and that eventually we will be presenting the respective study, is a danger that is rising very strong and has already taken lives of many people, mostly young people. We refer to the danger of virtual reality, present in many forms, in video games, in electronic games, in viral challenges, etc., and in recent years, the use of artificial intelligence, very incisive through Internet searches.

 

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.blog

[1] Deuteronomy 18:22

[2] Genesis 24:49

[3] Idem 42:11

[4] Exodus 18:21

[5] Deuteronomy 17:6

You shall know the Truth …

And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. John 8:32

Truth is the foundation of life in Christ. The unique Truth, of course, the Truth established by the presence in the flesh of Jesus the Son of the Highest God, by whom we know and go to the Father, who is the only mediator between God and men, and by whom we also have entrance by Grace into the eternal abodes.

Truth is, therefore, the most attacked point of the doctrine of Christ. We can recognize it in all the pages of the Bible, from the story of the serpent that intervenes with Eve, in chapter three of the book of Genesis, through the many examples of the times that the people of Israel raised altars to foreign gods, to interventions in the New Testament as those of Pilate who questioned, –What is Truth?, or the apostle Paul who reproaches the believers of Galatians who so soon have accepted another gospel.[1]

Truth is the foundation of Eternal Life; the lives of many people, even entire nations, depend on its establishment. Not knowing how to establish it properly exposes its inhabitants to a condemnation of perdition and evil.

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.  …   24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. John 8:21-24

Truth is not a religious message, nor does it consist in the content and quantity of what is preached; the only thing that the prophet Jonah proclaimed was: –In forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed, and the whole city repented; likewise, John the Baptist, the only thing he proclaimed –Prepare the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight, and many came to him to be baptized confessing their sins.

Truth does not consist of knowledge. Truth is not a cumulus of knowledge, it does not depend on how much we know, even how much of the Bible we know.  We can only know one point of the Scriptures, if we live by that one point of the Scriptures, that one point becomes Truth and by it others are affected, some for life, and others for condemnation.

Therefore if the uncircumcision keeps the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? Romans 2:26-27

Truth does not appeal to reason, or to reasoning, or to logic. It is not a theological or philosophical truth; it does not resort to them to take refuge in its establishment. Many people with God’s legitimate ministry are lost from their faith precisely because they came to them and believed they needed them to be effective.

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the Truth; and I will pardon it. Jeremiah 5.1

The things that God demands of us are subject to the laws of the Spirit, not to the laws of logic; it cannot and should not be explained by human reasoning.

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1st. Corinthians 1:17-18

The Truth of God is revelation by the Holy Spirit to accept all things of God, to love what God loves, and to repudiate what God repudiates.

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. Acts 10:15

Truth is established in integrity by faith, as it is written by the prophets, that the righteousness of the Kingdom is revealed from faith to faith.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17

The Truth of God is established to cast down every argument that has been raised against the knowledge from on High, to establish the Glory of the Almighty over the arrogance of man.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 1st. Corinthians 1:27

Truth does not need a lot of words to be established; in fact, Truth does not lie in words. The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian believers and reminds them that when he came with them, he never used human eloquence to lead them to Christ.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 1st. Corinthians 2:1

This principle leads us to understand the spiritual foundation of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Truth is not established only through the active proclamation of the Gospel. It is the means to which we are all accustomed, but not necessarily that required by God Himself; we do not preach to establish Truth, we preach because we have Truth to establish it; Truth is established by obedience to the living Word, that is, the Word not accommodated by the laws of hermeneutic interpretation.

Truth is established by the decision to do and fulfill what God demands, as taught by Jesus from the beginning of His ministry, that he who hears the Word, and does it, is the wise man who builds his house on the rock.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Matthew 7:24

This same message was established in all the communities of faith in the different regions where the Gospel message reached. The apostle James testifies to this in his epistle when he writes,

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25

Philip was not a well-known preacher among the multitudes, but by his preaching before one single man the Truth of God was established among the Ethiopians;[2] likewise, Stephen, chosen to serve among the widows, before he was elected to serve at tables was not a known public figure, yet none of the scholars of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and those of Cilicia, and Asia, could resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke.[3]

The obedience of at least one who lives the Word is more than enough; the Truth of this one is established in the place and becomes the Truth of the inhabitants of the area.

Submission to the Word and the willingness to fulfill it without the intention of accommodating it to personal convenience is what makes it possible for personal Truth to be established as the Truth of many.

Therefore, the only possibility of salvation for a family, for a house, for a region, is through the uprising of one who can set the Truth as a resource of personal life. So strong is this mystery.

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30

The Truth of one becomes the possibility of Truth for the many. This is the revelation of the Kingdom of God.

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:11-12

This principle is evident in the story that the writer of Matthew presents regarding the location of Jesus in Capernaum, the writer says that the arrival of Jesus to the place meant that light clarified them,[4] and not because it was only Jesus, is the principle of the Kingdom of heaven to establish the Truth of God in the regions, the presence of a bearer of Truth establishes the possibility of Truth for the inhabitants of the place.

This message is found in all the accounts of apostolic activity in the New Testament, although in many cases, misinterpreted by those who have not fully seen the Gospel Truth.

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:31

This principle of the establishment of Truth is described in the Bible itself in terms of the operation of divine righteousness. Observe it in the words that the apostle James presents:

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. James 2:10-11

If offending at one point of the Law makes us transgressors of ALL the Law, the proposal opens the possibility that the principle applies in the reverse direction: observing and establishing the Truth of one point makes us doers of ALL the Law.

This is what Jesus meant when he pointed out that the Law consisted of taking care of only two points, loving God above all things, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Observing and establishing the Truth of one point makes us doers of ALL the Law.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40

If we are able to establish the Truth from a single point of Scripture, that Truth not only justifies us, as is well established by the Holy Spirit,

Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Romans 3:30-31

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5

But it also opens the possibility for others to embrace that same Truth.

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, Romans 4:16

It is a principle of the Kingdom of faith and through it we have the key to open the way for others to enter the Kingdom.

We all know the principle of operation: What is certain for one man is certain for all men, so if a single man is able to establish a personal, biblical, spiritual Truth, such Truth is the precedent of action for all men to opt for it. In the same way, what is certain for a woman is certain for all women. The biblical Truth that a woman is able to establish for herself opens the gap for that Truth to become the biblical Truth of all women.

A clear example of this can be found in Esther’s story, in the book with the same name,

For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.   …   20And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small. Esther 1:17-20

Let no one be surprised, then, when we establish as a possibility of salvation for the many, even for an entire nation, that the Truth which a man establishes for himself as his standard of daily life may be established as the Truth of the whole region. The Holy Spirit will lead others to the knowledge of that Truth, for already the opening was given by one’s life.

So, there are places on earth where the Truth of the Gospel is not necessarily established by words, but by deeds, by the deeds of men and women willing to act according to the Word of Truth.

We are not talking about “testifying” of the faith, as in modern years the churches have handled the subject of evangelization, it is not a matter of “testifying”, but to submit to the Word, to live it according to the established demand; in this process of subjection to the Word comes to light the Truth of the Gospel, which is as we already know, what frees people from the government of evil in which they were born.

The example is clear in the case of Abraham when he recently arrived in Canaan; he recognizes that in that land there is no fear of God,[5] however, in the same account, years later, the same people that Abraham found in the land of Canaan recognizes that Abraham is prince of God.[6]

Another example is found in the case of the apostle Peter when he walked through the streets of Jerusalem, the sick were healed only with his shadow touching them.[7] It is exactly what happens with a man and a woman of Truth, as they pass the Truth they bear is established as the Truth of the place, and the Holy Spirit will make shadow of revelation for Life on their dwellers.

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 2nd. Timothy 2:25-16

We are before the greatest teaching of Jesus. It is not only a question of repeating that the Truth is Christ, and that by “accepting Him” we have fulfilled everything. It is about understanding that the call of the Father is “to do” according to the revelation that He gives us, is the teaching that the evangelist Matthew discovers us when he presents the question, who is the Son of man?[8]

From that teaching we learned that it is upon the Truth that Jesus is Lord and Christ that the church of the Lord is built.[9]

Thus, the life in Christ is to live from Truth to Truth, that by the Truth may be established the Kingdom of God on earth, but above all, that Truth make us free, and make free our regions.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.blog

[1] Galatians 1:6

[2] Acts 8:27

[3] Ditto 6:8-10

[4] Matthew 4:16

[5] Genesis 20:11

[6] Ditto 23:6

[7] Acts 5:15

[8] Matthew 16:13

[9] Ditto 16:18