Speaking the Truth
“For my mouth shall speak truth…”
Proverbs 8:7
Truth is neither hypothetical nor theoretical. Truth brings clarity and definition. Its decrees are non-negotiable. Truth by its very nature will destroy the ambiguity of pretense and religious myths.
When righteousness is presented as a declaration it precludes the essential need of our hearts to become righteous by the power of Christ within. It alleviates the heart from the ministration of godly sorrow by which God’s mercy works its wonder. It allows many in the church to judge the world of its heinous ways while tolerating the same things in themselves The duality of such a mode produces hypocrisy that the world can easily see and creates an environment within that fosters our own deception concerning God’s ineffable Holiness.
“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light…”
John 3:21
The language of the New Covenant is one of statements, not doctrinal suppositions. The above scripture clearly states those who DO TRUTH are those progressing in the light of God. If I do not the truth I become stagnant in my walk with God.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God”
Romans 8:14
Who are the sons of God? Those who are led of His Spirit. This is a simple statement; no clarification, no theological explanation needed to dilute the verity of the Word of God.
The Apostle John pleads with the people of God in His day:
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”
1 John 3:7
John makes this very plain statement regarding the righteousness which is ours by faith; true faith producing a righteous walk in our lives. Those who do and act righteously are those who are righteous. He confronts the ambiguity of the theological perversion of our day in which belief in God is enough; one can disregard the unrighteousness of a person or themselves as long as they confess a right thing. This lie is what has deprived the glorious gospel of its power, its light, and its Life.
“Those who walk righteously are righteous”
If I fail to walk righteously, if I lie, if I refuse to forgive another, if I covet something, if I walk in pretense or manipulate others, I need to repent and turn from such behavior. I cannot embrace the modern gospel which claims I do not need to change my unrighteous ways because I am already forgiven. The misconception of a declared righteousness brings the illusion that my thoughts and actions have no bearing in my standing with God.
John emphasizes the need to confront the growing decay of truth in the community of faith in his day.
“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
I John 3:10
How are we to know if another is walking with God and is truly born of God or if they are in fact the “children of the devil” dressed in sheep’s clothing? By how they walk and conduct themselves. Read the plainness and power of this pure statement of truth. There is no confusion here. The sheer simplicity of the truth cuts a clear line of division between the wheat and the tares, between those who are of the truth and those who live in the pretense of religion.
May God gives us clarity of vision, purity of heart, and the courage to hold our own lives to the standard of His Word and Holiness. Repentance is righteousness in action. The proper response to our own unrighteousness is repentance. By the power of this precious gift, we deal truthfully with God and with one another. To humble ourselves, to go to our brother seeking reconciliation, is “doing the truth”. To speak to another who is walking amiss is “doing righteousness”. Turning a blind eye to either of these is the falsehood of religion.
We cannot deal with the actual truth of God and not be confronted with the untruth of our own nature. Truth reveals our utter need for change. It is here we come to grasp the mercy of God. Mercy breaks our stubborn will to be able to accept His incomprehensible love, and grace enables us to be transformed from “glory to glory”. To the end, we might be a people who walk in truth by which we are then able to speak the truth.
“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light…”
John 3:21
Brian Troxel
