God is described in Scripture as true in two senses. First, some
Scriptures indicate that God is the true and living God in contrast to
false, inactive, idolatrous gods. Of the false gods, Jeremiah
observed, “they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol
is a worthless doctrine. . . . But the LORD is the true God; He is the
living God and the everlasting King” (Jeremiah
10:8, 10; see also John 17:3; 1 John 5:20-21).
Second, many Scriptures declare that God is truthful, i.e., that He
does not lie. A brief review of some of these Scriptures strengthens
our understanding and appreciation of God’s dependability in His
relationships with humanity.
THEISM
Anyone who
receives a promise bases hope for fulfillment of that promise upon the
trustworthiness of the one who made the promise. Therefore, “when God
made a promise to Abraham . . . He swore by Himself . . . determining
to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of
His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set
before us” (Hebrews 6:13-18). Since the promise was made by
God, and since God swore by Himself, then Abraham could be assured
that His promise would be fulfilled. “The gifts and calling of God are
irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
When Moses was at
Mt. Sinai, he wanted assurances that God would be with him as the
Israelites went from Sinai into the Promised Land. When God said, “My
Presence will be with you” (Exodus 33:13), Moses requested,
“Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). To that request,
God promised that Moses could see His back, but not his face (Exodus
33:19-23). On Mt. Sinai, God descended in the cloud and stood
before Moses (Exodus 34:5). Not only did God present His glory,
He also proclaimed His own character, saying, “The LORD, the LORD God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, . . .” (Exodus
34:6-7). Previously, God had described Himself to Moses as “I AM
WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), i.e., the “Self-Existent One,” but now
He reveals to Moses (probably for the first time) His own character
attributes – attributes that could evoke trust at a time that was
especially significant because the Israelites were then entering into
a covenant with God. Among those character attributes, God Himself
mentioned that He was “abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus
34:6). When people enter into a covenant relationship with God,
they can depend upon God to abide by His agreements.
When King Balak of
Moab requested that Balaam curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:6)
Balaam initially rejected the king’s request (Numbers 22:13).
However, Balak persisted and offered great riches. Although Balaam
went to do his bidding, he insisted that he could speak only the words
that God put into his mouth (Numbers 22:38). When Balaam arose
to curse Israel, he spoke only words of blessings upon Israel, which
angered Balak (Numbers 23:7-11). When Balak again requested
that Balaam curse the Israelites, Balaam answered, “God is not a man,
that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He
said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it
good? (Numbers 23:18-19). Balaam sought to make Balak
understand that God’s declarations are truthful and that His promises
cannot be changed.
When Moses was about
to die, he realized that the stubborn and rebellious nation of Israel
would forsake God after he was gone. Therefore he wrote a song (Deuteronomy
31:30) to remind the Israelites of God’s nature. In this song, he
admonished, “Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His
work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and
without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy
32:3-4). Whenever people continue to believe that God’s ways are
just and true, they will surely want to abide faithfully in their
associations with God.
When Samuel charged
King Saul with disobedience, because he had not destroyed King Agag
and the possessions of the Amalekites as God had commanded, Saul at
first denied any wrong doing (1 Samuel 15:16-21). Only after
Samuel had informed Saul that because he had “rejected the word of the
LORD He also has rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23)
did Saul acknowledge his sin and ask for pardon. Samuel repeated that
“the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel” (1 Samuel
15:26) and denied Saul’s request for pardon. Samuel then declared
that “the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent, for He is not a
man, that He should relent” (1 Samuel 15:29). People need to
understand that a just and truthful God cannot be persuaded to change
His judicial sentencing for wrong doing.
When the Israelites
were in Babylonian captivity, the prophet Daniel acknowledged in a
prayer that “all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made
our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our
iniquities and understand Your truth” (Daniel 9:13). Through the
prophets, God had instructed Israel, “‘Turn from your evil ways, and
keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I
commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the
prophets.’ Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their
necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the
LORD their God” (2 Kings 17:13-14). Moreover, Jeremiah had prophesied,
“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My
words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the
north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My
servant, and will bring them against this land, against its
inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly
destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual
desolations” (Jeremiah 25:8-9). When Daniel prayed, he understood that
God had been true to keep His word.
When the Apostle
Paul wrote to Titus, he described himself as “in hope of eternal life
which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:1-2).
This promise was declared “through His prophets in the Holy
Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans
1:2-3), “who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 2:10). The promise of life is for
those who are in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:1). Eternal life is
promised to those who believe and obey God (John 6:47; 11:25-26).
Believers are assured that God will bring back to life all those who
have been redeemed in Christ Jesus (John 6:54; 1 Corinthians
15:12-20). On the other hand, a “second death” (Revelation 21:8),
i.e., everlasting condemnation, is reserved for all who do not believe
and obey God (2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17; see also Matthew
25:46; Romans 2:3-11).
In Scripture, God is described as the “LORD God of truth”
(Psalm 31:5). “All his work is done in truth” (Psalm 33:4). His ways
are true (Revelation 15:3).
Since
“the truth of the LORD
endures forever (Psalm 117:2;
146:6), “to all
generations” (Psalm 100:5), then to not believe God or fail to
abide by God’s statutes is not just to risk God’s displeasure for
disobedience or failure to obey, but rather to bring on oneself the
absolute certainty of God’s condemnation. Jesus, as God in the form of
the Son, said, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I
will liken him to a wise man . . . But everyone who hears these
sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man . .
.” (Mathew 7:24-27 NKJV).
______________________________________________________________________________
Copyright ©, April,
2007, by Robert L. Waggoner. Permission is granted to copy and
distribute this document for non-profit educational purposes if
reproduced in full without additions or deletions. Why not distribute
this document to others? For other essays about God and additional
information regarding biblical theism, go to the website
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