Truth and Love

NOTE: All scriptures for from the New King James Bible

Two of the most widely known verses in the Bible were written by the Apostle John both speak of love.

The first is one that everyone knows, many can quote it even if they know nothing else from the Bible. It is frequently used on the signs that are put out in front of church buildings. Particularly the first part of the verse.

John 3:16

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The second while not quite as well known is still widely quoted. We have a hymn based on this verse in our hymnal, I can hardly read it without starting to sing the hymn,

John 13:34-35

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

And rightfully so does love take such a center stage in our understanding of God because God's own Word says that God is Love. We can see that in:

I John 4:8,16

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

We all know the numerous other verses where the importance of love is talked about.

But today I want to talk about something else just as important as love.

How does Christ know His disciples?

We know that men will know Christ disciples by love because we read that in John 13:35.

John 8:31-32

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Here Christ says plainly that he will know his disciples if they abide (or continue, remain, persist) in His word then they are his disciples and that the result of abiding in His word is that his disciples will know the truth.

So this is what Christ looks for us to do: remain in His word and know the truth.

And we can see other places in John's gospel that Christ links truth to himself.

John 14:6

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John18:37

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

John 16:13

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

So here we have in the gospel written by John having Christ link himself to truth.

And the words that Christ uses makes it plain that truth is as core as Love to understanding God's Way and in becoming like Christ himself that we are all striving to do

Just an interesting point on John since all the verses I am looking at today come from the books written by John.

We all know that John is commonly referred to as the Apostle of Love because so much of what he wrote about was love which is very true but looking at the four books that he wrote while he uses the word love 68 times, he uses truth 46 times.

And he actually talks about truth more in every book except I John.

Obviously word counts are just a measure but truth was a very important topic to John.

Now that we have looked at the Gospel of John about some of the things that Christ said about how foundational Truth is to him.

Let's look at the letters of John to gain more understanding on the fundamental nature of truth through the words that Christ inspired John to write.

Beginning in I John

I John 3:18, 19, 21, 22

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

So John says that Love, Godly love, must be in the frame of truth. He repeats this in the beginning of each of his other letters:

2 John verse 1 and 3 John verse 1

2Jn 1:1 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,

3 John: The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:

Continuing on in 2 John

2Jn 1:2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

2Jn 1:3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

2Jn 1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

2Jn 1:5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.

2Jn 1:6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

2Jn 1:9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

2Jn 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;

2Jn 1:11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

2Jn 1:12 Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

2Jn 1:13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.

3Jn 1:1 The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:

3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.

3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3Jn 1:5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers,

3Jn 1:6 who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,

3Jn 1:7 because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.

3Jn 1:8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

3Jn 1:9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

3Jn 1:10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

3Jn 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

3Jn 1:12 Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.

3Jn 1:13 I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink;

3Jn 1:14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

Brethren, this is nothing new to us. We have been taught (many of us for our entire lives) that knowing and following God's Word is important. That it is key for us if we are to be true disciples of Christ. The truth of God, the Word of God is why we are here today. You could argue that abiding in his Word following the His ways, His commandments is the only reason we are here today. If not we would all be gathering tomorrow like the rest of Christianity and worshipping God on Sunday not His Holy Sabbath day. But we are not, we are here today.

So, this afternoon I simply wanted to remind us of the importance that the Apostle John and that Christ himself put on truth and how foundational knowing the truth of God by abiding in His Word, is for us in our daily walk of being disciples of Christ.