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THE TRUTH

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Apr 10, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 15.

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THE TRUTH.

By C. L. Taylor

"Thy law is the truth." Ps. 119:142. "I am . . . the truth." John 14:6.
THESE two scriptures introduce us to the wonderful fact that the expression "the truth," is more than a mere allusion to some abstract principle of goodness. Certainly, all will admit that our Lord Jesus Christ in proclaiming Himself "the truth" places truth before us as a most specific and concrete fact.
At first thought it may not appear that Ps. 119:142 and John 14:6 are but different ways of expressing the same great thought, but it is nevertheless true. "The truth"—the law of Jehovah—and "the truth"—Christ—are identical; for rightly understood, the law is Christ, and truly known, Christ is the law personified.
What is the law in the last and only true analysis? The entire 119th Psalm is a vivid setting forth of the character of the law, but in verse 172 it is expressly declared to be "righteousness." "All Thy commandments are righteousness." The commandments of God are nothing less than the very righteousness of God Himself, His character pictured in human language.
To see that this is a mild statement of truth, let the reader note again what has often been referred to in the columns of the SIGNS; namely, that the inspired writers in alluding to the law use the same terms which are enlisted when speaking of the Father. For convenience, let the words stand in parallel lines.
GOD THE LAW
Is holy. 1 Peter 1:16. Is holy. Rom. 7:12.
Is just. Isa. 45:21. Is just. Rom. 7:12.
Is a Spirit. John 4:24. Is spiritual. Rom. 7:14.
Is light. 1 John 1:5. Is light. Prov. 6:23.
Is perfect. Matt. 5:48. Is perfect. Ps. 19:7.
Is truth. Deut. 32:4. Is truth. Ps. 119:142.
The law of God, then, is the transcript of the divine. It stands before man as the God-life which it is, that man may be blessed by its nature. It is, therefore, the very summing up of all perfection. "I have seen an end of all perfection," says the Psalmist, "but Thy commandment is exceeding broad." Ps. 119:96.
And now take the Saviour's statement, "I am . . . the truth." Who and what was Jesus Christ? Ah, He, too, was the revelation of God, the character of God written not in human language, but in human flesh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" "and the Word was made flesh." John 1:1, 14. "They shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God-with-us." Matt. 1:23. He was the living law of God in human form. He brought into the actual life of men what before had been only in the language of men. He was the law of truth made into the life of truth. As we sometimes sing of Him, so it is: "In thy life the law appears Drawn out in living characters."
"The truth," plainly, is the law of God as written in His word and so clearly exemplified in the life of our Lord. And when He said, "I am . . . the truth," He was simply saying, I am My Father's law. It was to "magnify" that law (Isa. 42:21), to obey that law (Ps. 40:7, 8; John 15:10), to teach others to do the same (Matt. 19:17), and by His sacrifice on the cross to make it possible for all men to know the righteousness of the law (Rom. 8:3, 4) that He came into the world.
The law of God is "the law of truth." Mal. 2:6. It is the summing up of all truth. There is no moral obligation not comprehended within itself. The entire Bible has been written and given to man that man may understand how he came to be out of harmony with that law, and how he may again be brought into harmony. Paradise was lost because the law of God was transgressed; and Paradise will be restored to man because thru Christ he is again made obedient to its requirements.
Yes, "the truth" of the Bible is the law of Jehovah. There is no other "truth." It is "the truth" of God's law as given to men in the life of Christ that makes man free. John 8:32, 36. And how beautifully simple is this!
To know the truth is to know the law; to know the law is to know Christ; to know Christ is to know God; and to know God is to enjoy life eternal. See John 17:3. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus frees man from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), and with the law of truth in the heart (Heb. 8:10) he walks in everlasting liberty (Ps. 119:45).
And that same law of truth is in him a sanctifying power. John 17:17; 1 Peter 1:22. Truth is the beginning and the end of all righteousness, the alpha and the omega of Christian experience. At the last day "the truth" wrought into character will constitute man's card of admission to the joys of the better world. Isa. 26:2. The keeper of truth is he who obeys God's commandments and enters in thru the gates into the city of the King. Rev. 22:14.
It is high time to know "the truth," to be "free," to "walk at liberty," to be sanctified and prepared for the hereafter. Would to God every reader of the SIGNS could join heartily in all the experiences brought to view in the 119th Psalm. C. L. TAYLOR.