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Isaiah 65:16
“He who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes.”
Continuing our study of divine attributes, we come today to the truth of God. The attribute of truth is interesting because it is incommunicable in one sense and yet communicable in another. God’s truth is incommunicable in the sense that He alone is absolute truth and the standard by which all other truths and falsehoods are measured. He is the Lord, and there is no other (Isa. 45:5), so there is no truth outside Him by which He can be evaluated. The truth of God cannot be shared with us in that way because we will never be the absolute standard of truth. On the other hand, we know that human beings—even unregenerate human beings—are capable of telling the truth, at least on occasion. We are also capable of recognizing truth, even if imperfectly. In our telling the truth and recognizing the truth, we see that the truth of God is communicable, or shared with us in a manner appropriate to creatures.
That being said, today we will focus on the communicable aspect of the divine attribute of truth. Here we must first have an understanding of what truth actually is. Fundamentally, truth is that which corresponds to reality as perceived by God. A true statement describes something as it actually is, and a false statement does not. Thus, a key element of truth is correspondence.
When Scripture refers to God as the “God of truth,” such as in Isaiah 65:16, it assumes this correspondence view of truth. We see this reflected in other passages such as Hebrews 6:18, where we read that it is impossible for our Creator to lie. A lie, of course, is a statement that intentionally does not correspond to reality. God can make a judgment or declaration about the world only as it actually is, as He has really made it. What He says aligns with His thoughts so that He never deceives us. Petrus van Mastricht writes that “God is truthful in all things, and . . . his words always correspond in perfect detail both to the things about which he has spoken and to his own mind.”
God’s attribute of truth is good news. Because the Lord always tells the truth, we know that we can trust whatever He says and that He will do whatever He says He will do. To know that God is the God of truth, John Calvin comments on today’s passage, assures us that God “is faithful to his promises and steadfast to his purpose.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
In a day when so many people doubt whether absolute truth even exists, it is more vital than ever for Christians to be people of the truth, men and women who are committed to telling the truth and living by the truth. Truth is of the very essence of the Christian faith, and if we are not living according to God’s truth, we are violating our calling and not pleasing the Lord.
For further study
- Proverbs 12:19
- Zechariah 8:16
- Ephesians 4:25
- 3 John 1
The bible in a year
- 1 Kings 14–15
- John 1:1–28