What is the Present 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
Jesus was the "Truth" in living flesh when HE walked this earth. Most religeous leaders of that day were not ready for His arrival. In fact they had a theology that was developed from scripture but the truth was twisted by the fables and philosophies of man. Could this happen again? Could we be fooled? We should search the scriptures like those early Christians of Berea.
Act 17:10-11
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming [thither] went into the synagogue of the Jews.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
By what are men sanctified?
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.
Would God have all men come to the knowledge of the truth?
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:4.
After receiving a knowledge of the truth, what must one do to be sanctified?
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
And what is necessary besides believing it?
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." 1 Peter 1:2.
What effect does obedience to the truth have?
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." 1 Peter 1:22.
How must worship be rendered to God, that it may be acceptable?
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24.
How should the truth ever be cherished?
"Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." Proverbs 23:23.
Is there in the Bible what may be called "present truth?"
"Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." 2 Peter 1:12.
What was the special message to be proclaimed in Noah's day?
"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." Genesis 6:13,14.
Well,... Did Noah build the ark? and why?
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Hebrews 11:7.
How many were saved in the ark?
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." 1 Peter 3:20.
What special message was given to Jonah for the people of Nineveh?
"So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:3,4.
What saved the people from the predicted overthrow?
"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them." "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said He would do unto them; and He did it not." Jonah 3:5,10.
What was the special mission of John the Baptist?
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." John 1:6,7.
What answer did he return to those who asked him about his mission?
"He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." John 1:23.
John's baptism was something new and startling to his generation. What did those do for themselves who rejected his doctrine?
"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." Luke 7:30.
And what did those do who were baptized of John?
"And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John." Luke 7:29.
And again, I ask ... Did the reputed people of God receive Christ when He came?
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." John 1:11.
What reason did they give for not doing so?
"We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is." John 9:29.
What did the people say when Christ referred to how their fathers slew the prophets?
"And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." Matthew 23:30.
What was the result of the Jews' not accepting Christ?
"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke 19:41,42.
Is there to be a special message and work for the last generation?
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?" Matthew 24:44,45.
What is pronounced upon those who are found doing such work?
"Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Matthew 24:46.
What will be the burden of that proclamation?
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
How earnestly is this work to be prosecuted?
"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:23.
Jesus was the "Truth" in living flesh when HE walked this earth. Most religeous leaders of that day were not ready for His arrival. In fact they had a theology that was developed from scripture but the truth was twisted by the fables and philosophies of man. Could this happen again? Could we be fooled? We should search the scriptures like those early Christians of Berea.
Act 17:10-11
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming [thither] went into the synagogue of the Jews.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
By what are men sanctified?
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.
Would God have all men come to the knowledge of the truth?
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:4.
After receiving a knowledge of the truth, what must one do to be sanctified?
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
And what is necessary besides believing it?
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." 1 Peter 1:2.
What effect does obedience to the truth have?
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." 1 Peter 1:22.
How must worship be rendered to God, that it may be acceptable?
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24.
How should the truth ever be cherished?
"Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." Proverbs 23:23.
Is there in the Bible what may be called "present truth?"
"Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." 2 Peter 1:12.
What was the special message to be proclaimed in Noah's day?
"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." Genesis 6:13,14.
Well,... Did Noah build the ark? and why?
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Hebrews 11:7.
How many were saved in the ark?
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." 1 Peter 3:20.
What special message was given to Jonah for the people of Nineveh?
"So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:3,4.
What saved the people from the predicted overthrow?
"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them." "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said He would do unto them; and He did it not." Jonah 3:5,10.
What was the special mission of John the Baptist?
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." John 1:6,7.
What answer did he return to those who asked him about his mission?
"He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." John 1:23.
John's baptism was something new and startling to his generation. What did those do for themselves who rejected his doctrine?
"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." Luke 7:30.
And what did those do who were baptized of John?
"And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John." Luke 7:29.
And again, I ask ... Did the reputed people of God receive Christ when He came?
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." John 1:11.
What reason did they give for not doing so?
"We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is." John 9:29.
What did the people say when Christ referred to how their fathers slew the prophets?
"And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." Matthew 23:30.
What was the result of the Jews' not accepting Christ?
"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke 19:41,42.
Is there to be a special message and work for the last generation?
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?" Matthew 24:44,45.
What is pronounced upon those who are found doing such work?
"Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Matthew 24:46.
What will be the burden of that proclamation?
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
How earnestly is this work to be prosecuted?
"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:23.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Sunday, June 19, 2005
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