Determining Truth

Determine Truth

What is truth:

John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

Jesus is talking about His teachings, instructions and commands which are taught in the whole Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and all of the scriptures are truth. The Scriptures will determine deception in one’s life. The Word of the Living God is what the believer uses in order expose a false teacher. It is the only tool that the Believer is to use to discern good and evil.

The Bible says:

Matthew 7:15-23 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are starving wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ’Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

What are fruits?

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Eph. 5:9 “for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.”

Love is the greatest fruit according to 1 Cor. 13.

The 2nd half of the passage is works. You cannot know a Christian by his works because works are deceiving.

False teachers: 2 Cor. 11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

The Spirit of Truth: 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.”

Uses a sword called the Word of God: Eph. 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

The Word of God is powerful sword of discernment:

Heb. 4:12 “ For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The main attribute of love is obedience.

John 21:17 “He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep."

Obey me and show your love to me.

If you love me keep my commandments. JN. 14:15, JN 15:10

If you love me keep my word 1 JN. 2:5 “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

True test of truth and error:

1Jn. 4:4-6 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

2 Thess. 2:9-10 love the truth.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Obey the truth 1Pet. 1:22 “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”

Test the spirits:

1 John 4:1-3 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”