"THE WORD OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL."
THE above words occur in Col. 1:5. Paul tells the brethren at Colossæ that they heard of the hope which was laid up for them in the heavens in "the word of the truth of the gospel." Here are three terms, every one of which expresses the whole; for God's word is truth (John 17:17), and God's word is also the word of the gospel. The apostle Paul in 2 Timothy solemnly enjoins upon Christian ministers their duties. Among others is the following:— I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. 2 Tim. 4:1, 2. This word is the word of the Scripture, which the same apostle in the same epistle said is able to thoroughly furnish the man of God unto every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. The instruction which the apostle Paul gave to the Christian minister must be the same as that given by Christ; for the apostle declares that the things which he taught were by revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:11, 12. But instead of charging his ministers to preach the word, Jesus charges them thus:— Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway. Matt. 28:19, 20.
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15. Now it is clear from the foregoing evidences that what is called the Scriptures in one passage, the word in another, and the gospel in another, is identical. The Scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 3:15. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes (Rom. 1:16), and many passages declare that it is by the word that we are cleansed (John 15:3), by the word that we grow (1 Peter 2:2), by the word we are built up and given an inheritance (Acts 20:32). The word is the word of the gospel; the truth is the truth of the gospel.34Again: all these center in our Lord Jesus Christ. He declares the word of God to be truth (John 17:17), and likewise declares himself to be the truth (John 14:6), as he is declared to be the Word (John 1:1-3). Through him came all the truth to man; he is truth personified, and this truth has all been given in God's holy word; and, furthermore, that word is the word of the gospel. See Col. 1:23-28. In verse 23 Paul speaks of the gospel which is preached to all men, of which he was a minister. In verse 25 he says he was made a minister to fulfill the word of God, or fully to preach the word of God (margin), which he in verse 23 calls the gospel. This word and gospel he makes in verse 26 to be identical with the mystery of God, and the next verse declares the mystery to be "Christ in you, the hope of glory; whom," says the apostle, "we preach." The preaching of the gospel, the preaching of the word, the preaching of the truth, the preaching of Jesus Christ, are all one and the same thing. And the reception of that gospel, that truth, that word, is the reception of Christ Jesus into the heart; and the reception of Christ in the heart by faith, so that the life we now live is not ours but his, is the mystery of God. If it be asked how much we mean by the word and the truth, we reply that we mean all of God's word, the Scriptures of truth; for God's truth is not many truths, but one. It is not many gospels, but one, even as it is one Lord Jesus Christ. That "the word of the truth of the gospel" will include all of the Scriptures might easily be proved, but we will not now take time to do this at length. Let the following suffice: We are saved by the gospel; all will admit that in it we hope; but the apostle says to us: "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom. 15:3. See also 2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Thess. 2:13. But it is said all the word of God was not preached by Paul, nor was it all contained in the Old Testament. And this is doubtless true; but Paul preached the gospel, and the Old Testament Scriptures are scriptures of the gospel. This brings us to another interesting question. How much of the truth of God, of the word of God, is necessary to save a man? Bigotry would say, Just as much as I believe and hold, and no less. Charity would be content with much less than this. But verity would say that the smallest amount of truth received with all the heart will save, we care not how small. It may be but one verse from God's word, that verse may be a verse of law or prophecy, but, if grasped by living faith as light from God, it will bring the soul to the light of life, Christ Jesus. Were we cast overboard near a boat in which was the personal Christ, and he should reach out a hand to save us, and we could only grasp a little finger of the Mighty One, and our hold on that did not slip, would it not save us? His finger could no more fail than his hand. So with God's word: men may call this part unnecessary; they may say that prophecy is not gospel, that the revelation of God's law is not gospel, that the words which convey to us precious truth are only human, but he who believes God will accept it all as from God, and will find Christ in what he has revealed, just as the woman with the bloody issue found Christ by touching his garment. God's word and truth are one. There is not one single truth revealed in his word but what if traced back, or, rather, traced up, will be found to have its origin and center in God the Father, and in Christ Jesus our Lord, just as the smallest nerve, ending in the finger tips, may be traced back to its great center, the brain. But to save one, that truth, that word, must be received with all the heart, and the soul must "follow on to know the Lord." The soul is responsible only for the light which comes to him, whether much or little. If he rejects a part of much, he shows that under certain, sufficient temptation he would reject all. He makes himself the standard. If he accepts of all that comes to him with all his heart, however, he can do no more, and is accepted of God. Christ is in the little. The smallest truth of God is sufficient if that is all that is revealed. The greatest light is none too much to him who sees it. God requires all to accept all that he reveals to them, and he who does this with all the heart, accepts the word of the truth of the gospel of Christ, and has Christ formed within the heart, the hope of glory. Here are comfort and warning—comfort in laboring for the ignorant, warning lest we reject a single ray of light from God.