When I first saw this, I thought you had to be wrong. I was certain legalism was condemned in the Bible, but it's never mentioned. How many other things have I believed that are wrong? you know, when we come to the place when we realize man may be telling us something they may think is true... but its not. man may be telling you something that he was even taught in seminary or some bible college. once we arrive on the shores of desperation for truth. when we realize we are barren, and empty... there is only One source. only one we can fully trust, and His name is The Word of God. He was in The beginning with God, and He was God. We can know that because God will never sin, and that He Is Holy Holy Holy... we can trust every single word. and so we must seek Him for truth. We must be humble in our request. we must acknowledge that we are void of the truth, we are unlearned. But most importantly.... if He dont give us the truth we may never have it... Oh God give me the truth! please let me have that.... show me what is truth. If you dont... i may never know the truth.
but be warned... there are many things taught and believed that as The Holy Ghost begins to show us we discover we were in error. we learn even our teachers were in error. it is these things that are untrue that must be fully abandoned. if not, He may stop showing us, and then we never know the truth.
but once He begins to show us the truth, its so beautiful as His very words are life to us. and its so very important to continue in this... even as He has told us to continue.
it is His desire to open our eyes with truth... but He also wants us to seek after it like... well not like Pilot. He was unlearned of what truth was, but even in his heart he was fearful of condemning a righteous man. He sought to free Jesus. but the truth is he would not suffer for truth. he feared ceasar more than God. he feared the people more.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
oh now its getting deep... sanctify them thru thy truth. so on this alone we know He Is the source.
and how important is The Truth to God... that we seek it? behold:
Jer 5:1 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.
Jer 5:2 And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
Jer 5:3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Jer 5:4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
Jer 5:5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
Jer 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Jer 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
Jer 5:8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.
Jer 5:9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
if they'd have just sought the truth and walked in that knowledge... He would have given a pardon. forgiven their sin... but like a mother hen with wings spread wide open... and they would not. they wanted to go where... their way... not Gods way... not the straight and narrow. oh this truth thing gets deep dont it?
Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
what can a man know of his own? a created being. with beginning. with an end. and with so few days his life is no more than a wisp of smoke. a vapor. grass that grows, then withers and dies. and all God wants is that we acknowledge Him in all of this... and its His delight to give us the kingdom.
do not trust in man. even when it sounds good... take it to The Throne and ask for just a morsel of truth. even a crumb. is this thing so LORD?
do we not know that we are commanded to believe and love? oh yes. but how deep does this love get? behold:
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
ooooweee man. we are to love God and our neighbor not only in deed... but also in truth. oh Praise God The Holy Ghost is raining down right now!
you see, its this truth in which we judge our own actions and words. we examine our self as in a mirror. we look into The Word. the written word. Is this thing so LORD? How shall i proceed in deed and truth to LOVE. this means if we aint in truth our love is less than genuine.
here is another concerning our neighbor and truth:
Zec 8:16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
Zec 8:17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
God even desires we walk in the truth:
3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
if we believe a lie and walk in that how true can we be? its only God that will never lie to us. whether intentional or unintentionally. there is no guile found in HIS lips!.
and this brings us back to how important it is to continue in the truth He reveals, behold:
Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
in the churches you will find traditions piled high. higher than the steeples. oh but we count all that as dung to know Him more! for just one more crumb.
and there are even warnings for us to know the truth because there are those wolves about, behold:
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
plainly... the truth covers every single aspect of living(zao) for the child of God.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
lets even look at verse 9, the word confess...
G3670
ὁμολογέω
homologeō
hom-ol-og-eh'-o
From a compound of the base of G3674 and G3056; to assent, that is, covenant, acknowledge: - con- (pro-) fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise.
Total KJV occurrences: 24
its a compound word... homo or the same and logos which means something said... hence we say the same thing God does.
God even desires once we get the truth we meditate on it:
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
oh and i cant leave this out:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He didnt say some preacher... but He is The Truth.
oh yes we must seek Him for truth because He Is The God of Truth:
Isa 65:16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
the truth is so beautiful. because once something is the truth, it wont ever not be the truth. the thing is true. no one can tell you any different when you done heard from The LORD. you know they are jacking their jaw. oh its good to be in the truth:
Pro 22:17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Pro 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
Pro 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Pro 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
man cant be trusted. never take anything a man says as truth and build a foundation upon it... even what i say. i am a man. trust in The LORD only. hear from Him and know... there is a difference in believing and knowing. oh to Know Him! nothing can compare.