God is a God of truth (Deu. 32:4) and all who worship Him must worship Him in “Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23) It could and has been said that Christ Himself is “the Truth.” (John 14:6) “Grace and truth” came by the Lord Jesus and He is described as being “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 & 17) But the one who is Himself “the Truth” cannot be separated from, known or believed on apart from the “word of truth.” Paul told the Ephesians, “in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the world of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” (Eph.1:13) We cannot believe on Him of whom we have not heard. (Rom. 10:14) Plus, if you notice, the “word of truth” is “the gospel of your salvation.” It comes to sinners as “news!” Good news! To sinners in bondage to sin, Satan and self-righteousness and declares to us “God has saved you!” The truth has to do with something God has done. It is the good news of your salvation through the sufferings and substitutionary cross death of Christ the Savior. When God brings this news to us and gives us faith to believe it, it is good news of our total and eternal deliverance from all our sin, all our associations with Adam and all our going about to establish our own righteousness! The truth is not only about Christ Himself in His glorious person as the GodMan but also what He did in that perfect humanity. He saved us, saved His people from their sins, saved us and now calls us unto Himself for the full enjoyment of His gift, revealing this to us by “the Spirit of truth.” He declares this saying, “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) All His people are set apart and distinguished from the world by this gospel which glorifies Him alone and proclaims to them the things freely given to them in Christ. “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” (John 17:17) Many say some true things but the truth has to do with the Savior and His successful work in saving all that the Father gave Him in that everlasting covenant. It is about redemptive truth, the truth of His worthiness and work as the Mediator between God and men. The peculiar characteristic of the truth is that it glorifies Him alone and abases man. All who preach the truth do so “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” (2 Tim. 2:25)
Gary Shepard
The lost religious man will proclaim his profession, his works, and his associations with other false religionists. The believer will proclaim His Savior and all He has done for him. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.(Psalms 22:3)”
GS
THE IDOLATRY OF FREE-WILLISM
I grew up in free-will religion so I have a good understanding of ts message. It teaches that the Father’s love is toward mankind, the Son died for mankind and the Holy Spirit wills the salvation of mankind, but the effectiveness of God’s love, the results of Christ’s death and the success of the Spirit’s call hinge upon the cooperation of sinners. According to free-willism, salvation is ultimately determined by the sinner, not by the Lord. Free-willism leads to this conclusion: the reason why some enter heaven while others perish in hell is that those in heaven exercised their wills and let God save them while those in hell would not allow Him to save them. Free-willism, therefore, declares it is man’s will, and not the Lord’s, which is the deciding factor in salvation. This is to make an idol out of man’s will. No matter how much some may insist on the freedom of man’s will, the Savior’s words on the subject abide forever. “And ye will not come to me that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Man’s will is in bondage to sin and Satan; it is not free, but enslaved and the Scriptures ascribe deliverance from this captivity to be of God’s will and power, not man’s. “For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:15-16). Concerning those who receive Christ it is written, “which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). It is a fact then, all who receive Christ as Prophet, Priest and King are “made willing in the day of His power” (Psalm 110:3). “Of His own will begat He us, with the Word of Truth” (James 1:18). Isn’t it interesting that those who battle so adamantly for the freedom of man’s will would deny God the very thing they demand for themselves, the liberty of doing whatever He has purposed? Though men bow in homage to the god of free-willism, nevertheless the Lord declared, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?” (Matthew 20:15). “I will do all My pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).