p. 50 | What is Truth? by Alvarez Pierce

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 12, 1856

What is Truth?

By Alvarez Pierce

"Truth is the gem for which we seek."

It is often stated, and that too by very zealous religionists, that if we are only sincere it will fare well with us at the day of judgment, and that it matters very little what we believe if we are only honest in that belief. From this sentiment I am a dissenter; for when we look around on the world and even on the professed churches of the different sects, and see many of them act as though they were candid in their belief, would we, with the Bible in our hand, be willing to take their position? Certainly not. We may go to Paganism or to the Catholic Church, and for devotedness and sincerity, their equal cannot be found; but have they the truth of God on their side? We answer, No.

Paul exhorts Timothy, "Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." And to the Ephesians he says, Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. To the Corinthians he writes, Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. Paul did not believe in dividing the church into sects and parties: he says, "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you?"

Truth is a principle, and though there are many truths, yet it is the truth of the gospel that we want, and unless we have that truth it will avail us little in the great day of the Lord; for Christ told his disciples that many should come to him in that day and say, Lord! Lord! open unto us! Have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence and in thy name done many wonderful works? But he will profess unto them that he never knew them.

Truth is also consistent in all its parts. It does not pull down with one hand what it builds up with the other. It is always in order. Thus the truths that are necessary for us to believe are always first presented; for instance, a sinner is commanded to repent and believe the gospel before he can enjoy its privileges. The First Angel must give his message before the Second; the Second before the Third; else all would be perfect confusion; but God is a God of order and not a God of confusion.

I have even known some Adventists who have to all appearance come out and embraced the Third Message with joy, and after a while deny the Second; or that the nominal churches constituted the Babylon of the Revelation. This is certainly inconsistent, and is not holding fast the form of sound words, and is setting ourselves up as judges of the whole Advent body; and it is also, I believe, assuming a fearful responsibility before God. Babylon means confusion; and the churches are certainly a confused mass; for while one declares, Death is the gate to endless joy, and it is, The voice that Jesus sends, another asserts, Death, he is the king of terrors, and a terror to all kings.

The truth, the Bible truth, is what we want; and, as a whole, I believe the Advent body have the truth, though there may be other truths yet to be developed; and if we are ever to come within the number of those for whom Christ prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth," we must all walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, that we may be presented faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

It is now a little over two years since I first heard an Advent lecture; and in reading the Bible for more than a year before that time, I was well satisfied that the churches of our land had all departed from the faith; since to all appearance they were seeking the applause of men more than the praise of God. They had become lovers of the world, and instead of coming out from the world and letting their light shine, they walked openly hand in hand with the ungodly, and were standing in the way of sinners, and were sitting in the seat of the scornful; therefore I believed that the Spirit of God had left them.

O brethren, what fearful times we are living in! Then let us "buy the truth and sell it not." Let us ever be on our watch tower, and be living as though we soon expected the coming of our long-absent Lord. How solemn the thought to suppose that we are on the eve of time, and the last notes of warning are being given to a fallen and corrupt church and a guilty world! and how heedlessly they walk on! but the day of vengeance is near and the year of God's redeemed will soon come; for the redeemed shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, and sighing and sorrow shall flee away.

Our great High Priest will soon leave the heavenly Sanctuary, lay off his priestly attire and put on the garments of vengeance. Then he that is filthy will be filthy still, and he that is righteous will be righteous still.

Finally, brethren, let us all have on the wedding garment, watching unto prayer that that day overtake us not as a thief, but that we can hail it with joy and exclaim, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him."

ALVAREZ PIERCE. Hardin Co, Iowa, May 12th, 1856.