THE TRUTH MADE EFFECTIVE

J. C. Gray

John 8: 30–32, 38–40, 43–45; 2 Timothy 2: 15; 3: 16, 17; 3 John 1–8

I count on the Spirit’s help to say something about the truth. God has established a great standard and it is set out in Christ for us. The Lord in John 8 is seeking to have true disciples, and it seems from the whole passage that there are those who oppose, persons who do not accept the standard as set out in Christ. It is a wonderful thing to come to Christ and find the truth. It says that as the Lord spoke these things “many believed on him”, and that is a start.

Then a test comes in as to reality. The Lord says, “If ye abide in my word, ye are truly my disciples”. Now that is a test for all of us at the present time. It is a test for every Christian, of course, and indeed for everyone, for the truth is for all. Thank God that we are among those who listen to Christ and to the Holy Spirit and follow the truth. We need to be encouraged in that. Many persons have sought to define what the truth is. I like what Mr Raven said, ‘the truth is the expression of right things as they are’. That is quite brief, but if you consider it you will find, if you look at Christ and the life of Christ, that is what it was; the expression of right things as they are.

Now in this chapter, some are holding on solely to things they know already, about Abraham, for example. I think for us, that means we may not be ready to listen to what the Lord says presently, and that involves His word, “If ye abide in my word”. That is the ‘logos’. The

‘logos’ is the mind of God brought into expression here in Christ. The question is whether I accept that and abide in it. Then He says something further, “ye shall know the truth”. Now that is objective, as the note says. We could never practise the truth unless we know what the truth is. And so all of us, from oldest to youngest, have

to learn the truth. That involves the teaching and the greatness of the glad tidings in its fulness as it has come from Christ on high, through Paul especially, and through the twelve too, bringing out the fulness and richness of the truth. The richness of what comes from God is expressed in Jesus as “the truth”—a divine standard to go by. The expression of right things as they are. We are all constantly challenged as to whether what Jesus set out as a standard is what I know and what I practise. This verse deals with what I know, what I learn.

Young people should understand that you must have an objective before you can work anything out. That is quite clear even in the ordinary things of life. When I did a job when I was young, my father had a simple statement about it—‘Plan your work, then work your plan’. So the plan comes first, “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. Oh, you say, Sometimes when I read the Scriptures and ministry it is very difficult. But it is not to be difficult because we see it in Jesus, and we pray to Him about it, and pray to the Holy Spirit about it, that we might know and understand it, and that it might liberate our spiritual being, and keep out the ‘old man’ in us.

Later in the chapter He says, “but now ye seek to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you”. I wonder if we all know Jesus in that way as “a man who has spoken the truth to you”.

He has set out God’s mind and His standard, involving all the attributes of God, the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, the grace of God, and His nature, the love of God.

All that is in the mind of God is set out in Jesus, and that is what I am to know and to follow.

Then the question comes whether I do it. In this chapter, sadly, there were those that were against it. Let me not be one of those who are against what Jesus is saying, Whether in the homes of the saints, or in the local meetings, or in any meeting, if I am going to be free in relation to the truth I must know the truth. We come later in Timothy to the knowledge of the Scriptures, but here it is, “ye shall

know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. The Lord says, “I speak what I have seen with my Father”, that was the truth set out and exemplified in Him. Then He says a serious thing about those persons who were still not believing Him, “ye then do what ye have seen with your father”. He goes on to speak of Satan as their father. They did not like that; that is what I am after the order of sinful nature. What is the natural tendency in me? To save my skin and tell a lie. That is how Satan deluded man. The Lord says that he is “a liar and its father”. How solemn that is. That is in the world. Satan is the prince of the world. Let us keep away from it because it is falsehood. The Lord’s word is, “When he speaks falsehood, he speaks of what is his own”, that is it is Satan’s realm and domain. That is not to be the Christian’s domain. The Christian’s domain is to know the truth and be set free. If I am in falsehood I am in bondage. Let us be set free by what Jesus is and what He says.

How great it is to be occupied with the Man, who has spoken the truth. They had every opportunity; and we have great opportunities. Let us seize them, beloved brethren. Let us not let them go but let us maintain the truth as it is in Jesus. He says later, “Why do ye not know my speech? Because ye cannot hear my word”. They did not understand the words, or the speaking of Jesus, because they did not accept His authority as the word, the ‘logos’, the mind of God coming into expression in this wonderful Person. What a Man He is, a Man who has spoken the truth to you. What a standard to go by, and keep; not to let it slip. That is why the Spirit has maintained a testimony until now, and may we be preserved in it. When you come to Ephesians there is another lovely expression, “according as the truth is in Jesus”, Ephesians 4: 21. How am I to find it? I do not find it in the old man. Paul says, “your having put off according to the former conversation the old man ... and your having put on the new man”, Ephesians 4: 22–24. And so the truth becomes expressed in me in a new order.

In Timothy we find that we have to “Strive diligently to present thyself approved to God, a workman that has not to be ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth”. The Authorised Version says, “rightly dividing the word of truth”, but Mr Darby uses this very interesting expression, “cutting in a straight line the word of truth”, that is, the Scriptures are to be held as they are. They are not to be used to try and bend the truth, or to deviate from it.

They are to be used as they are, the living “word of truth”. What power is in the Scriptures.

Do I know them? Let us be encouraged! This has been called the workman’s working material, and while this is addressed to Timothy in relation to the work he was to do as a workman, we all have work to do; everyone can do something. We were speaking through the week about the Levites, that David reduced the age so that there would be more of them available to do more work, so that the service of God would be augmented. So this is the material, just as the joiner has his wood and the bricklayer his bricks, the believer has the Scriptures. But “cutting in a straight line the word of truth” means that I do not use them to excuse myself, or do something different, because the mind of God is expressed in them. So we are to strive diligently to present ourselves approved to God. I suspect very often that there is a striving to be approved to the brethren, but we have to be approved to God. Do not worry, young friend, if you are going on in secret in the study of the Scriptures, and you find that there is not very much approval given publicly. Just make sure that you are approved to God.

How important the Scriptures are. It is important to read ministry too. I am not saying that we should not read ministry because the ministries of the recovery explain the Scriptures, but we go finally by what the Scriptures say. They are authoritative and infallible. Our conversation should be in relation to the Scriptures, and I feel tested that there needs to be an increasing movement by all of us, not only that we read the

Scriptures, but that when we come across something that we are not too clear about or something that we are unsure of, then we should make enquiry in the homes.

Ask older brethren. That is a better conversation than some of the conversations that proceed.

It is the kind of conversation that makes for piety, and sanctification, that will help us to understand the truth and to understand what God is saying, and thus be “approved to God”.

So the call is that the conversation might be in view of bringing Christ to bear on the situation, bringing the Scriptures in, bringing what would be profitable and according to the divine standard.

There is this lovely touch at the end of 2 Timothy 3, “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching ... that the man of God many be complete, fully fitted”. Now if you did a college course, you would feel rather foolish if you did not complete it, would you not?

Similarly, in the Lord’s things, the Spirit of God is set that our instruction might be complete, that our understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures is complete so that the truth has a place with me in my life; not that it is incomplete, or half-hearted, or has a piece missing, but that it is complete so that the workman is not only going to be approved by God but he is going to be “complete, fully fitted to every good work”. Beloved brother or sister, do you feel fitted? Are you fitted for the service of God and fitted for what labour is to be done? That is what Paul is striving to bring about in Timothy.

Finally there is this touch in 3 John as to our walk. John brings in a fine touch as to Gaius,

“whom I love in truth”, and that is a challenge to each of us. It is not ‘truly love’, but “whom I love in truth”, because he goes on to say, “I rejoiced exceedingly when the brethren came and bore testimony to thy holding fast the truth, even as thou walkest in truth. I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth”. That is the practical side of it. John 8

brings in the objective side to know the truth, but then we have to walk in the truth. But this is a lovely touch, “whom I love in truth”. It means according to the truth or because of the truth.

Because the truth is in you, and because it is in me, we love one another; and so with all the saints. John was writing to this brother, holding things no doubt in smallness, because things were probably declining. Yet here is a person, and some with him, so quite evidently the assembly principle was working, and John says, “whom I love in truth”. Can I say that about every brother and sister in my locality? Can I say it about brothers and sisters in every locality, “whom I love in truth”?

Then this is a very challenging matter, “I rejoiced exceedingly when the brethren came and bore testimony to thy holding fast the truth”. Now that is parallel to Paul, because he repeatedly tells Timothy that there was a need for holding fast, that is, holding to what is right, keeping a hold of the truth, and not saying, Well the scripture says this, but if you do that it will be all right. That is not holding fast the truth. Gaius evidently stood to what was right all the time. That is the way in which we will be blessed by God because He is looking for persons who will walk in the truth. And then you see the brethren find joy in it. What a joy it is to find young people walking in the truth. Maybe we have been accustomed to finding older persons, or middle-aged persons, going on and walking in the truth, those who have stood faithful to Christ in the testimony for many years. But what a joy it is to older ones, like John here, to find that young people are holding fast the truth and walking in accordance with it; that is that they are walking like Jesus. Walking in the truth would be that you are now putting on the new man and walking in the features of Jesus. You remember it was said about Mr Coates, ‘a man like Jesus’. That is a wonderful thing to come to. I feel tested about that. Walking in the truth involves that. Thank God for every one that continues to maintain the standard of the truth in our day, because

so many have said, Well what does it matter? I will just go to the Baptist Church, or some other church, a violation of the principle of the Spirit’s liberty because it is where a minister operates. Yet in those churches, and in other places too, sadly, there are so many true believers who have the light of the assembly. That is a warning to all of us that the standard should be maintained and that we should hold fast to what God has entrusted to us. The expression comes in in the Lord’s word to Philadelphia, “hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown”, Revelation 3: 11. Philadelphian’s crown was Christ.

I want to finish on the fellow-workers. He says in verse 8, “We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth”. Now this is because Gaius had received brethren, helped them, no doubt entertained them, and then set them forward on their journey worthily of God; “ for for the name have they gone forth”. Persons who are standing for the name of Christ in the present course of the testimony deserve to be treated well. So Gaius had treated them well, and John says, “We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth”. Would you like to be allied alongside of the truth as a worker,

“fellow-workers with the truth”? I think that involves the activity of the Holy Spirit; how He strives, how He operates, how He moves in sensitivity that there might be this answer to the truth, that there might be in us the representation of Jesus as He walked here, that which God finds pleasure in. How attractive it becomes, and how touching it is that we can be aligned as fellow-workers with the truth. May we all be encouraged to go on, beloved brethren, and that the standard that has been set by Jesus will be seen in each one of us, the expression of right things as they are. May the Lord help us.

Address at Kirkcaldy
12 June 1999