Knowing God Study - Lesson 13 Ý
Copyright 2004-5 by William Meisheid

Chapter 11: Thy Word is Truth

Today’s theme: It is God who defines the nature of truth and He does that for us in His Word.

Scriptural background: Deuteronomy 32:4 "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."

Quotes for the week

"Truth is truth, to the end of reckoning." William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Measure for Measure. Act v. Sc. 1.

"You will find that the truth is often unpopular and the contest between agreeable fancy and disagreeable fact is unequal." Adlai E. Stevenson. Commencement address at Michigan State, NY Times 9 June 1958.

"We seek the truth and will endure the consequences." Charles Seymour, President, Yale. Recalled on his death 11 August 1963.

Concern: Are we wise enough to seek for our truth in God and to let every man be a liar?

1   "For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth." Psalm 33:4  Why is the truthfulness of God so important to everything we are?

2   "The Elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever." 2 John 1-2  What is the truth that abides in us forever?  Why will it be with us forever? (Consider John 14:6)

Interacting With The Text

Goal: To come to terms with the absolute truth of God’s Word (inerrancy)

Paul argues that the whole of our salvation rests on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is correct, but for him and his readers, contemporaries to the actual events, it is the living witnesses who carry so much weight. For us, however, finding our way by the light of God's Word, the trustworthiness and truthfulness of that Word is paramount. It is our only hope, since we must believe that the biblical statement of Paul's argument is true before we can accept the truth it proposes. We begin and end with the truth of God's Word.

1   What two-fold character does Packer say the Bible pictures the Word of God as having? Explain the meaning of these two character traits to our belief.

2   What is significant about the first three chapters (Genesis 1-3) of the Bible in illustrating this two fold aspect of the character of the Word of God?

3   What important fact do we learn about God in the lives of Jeremiah and Isaiah? Are there any New Testament scriptures that illustrate this same thing for you? How does this knowledge affect your life?

4   God's utterances to man generally fall into three categories. What are these categories, where are they found in the Bible, and how do they relate to your life?

5   What other claim does Packer argue that the word of God has on us besides the fact that it comes from our Creator? How does this other claim affect you personally?

6   How does Packer define a Christian? Is his definition biblical? Why or why not? How does this definition relate to you and your concept of what it means to be a Christian?

What To Do Next

Read Chapter Twelve: The Love Of God. Consider the significance of St. John’s great statement in 1 John 4:8, 16 and how easy it is to misuse that statement to justify that which God condemns by twisting its context. Examine yourself in this regard this week.

Goal: To always view God’s word in context and allow it to be the touchstone of our existence.

Make a pledge and follow through on it that from this day forward you will always be a spiritual Berean (see Acts 17:11), a believer who rightly and humbly uses the Word of God as the arbiter of all that is true and right.