MISAIMING CONCERNING THE TRUTH
After speaking of “cutting straight the word of the truth” and avoiding “profane, vain babblings,” Paul mentions those who “concerning the truth have misaimed” (2 Tim. 2:15-18). Paul likens the word of these people to gangrene, a disease that eats away at the flesh (v. 17).
OPPOSING THE TRUTH
During a time of degradation some will even resist the truth: “In the manner that Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth; men corrupted in mind, disapproved concerning the faith” (3:8). Today such a situation exists.
TURNING FROM THE TRUTH
“The time will come when they will not tolerate the healthy teaching; but according to their own lusts they will heap up to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away their ear from the truth and will be turned aside to myths” (4:3-4). In these verses Paul warns that during degradation some will turn away their ear from the truth to teachings that please their itching ears. They may enjoy listening to messages that are full of evil entertainment but contain nothing of the truth.
WALKING IN THE TRUTH
We have pointed out that in his second and third Epistles John emphasizes the importance of the truth. In 2 John 1 and 2 the apostle John speaks of loving in truthfulness, of knowing the truth, of the truth abiding in us, and of the truth being with us forever. In his third Epistle he again speaks of loving in truthfulness and especially of walking in the truth, saying that he has “no greater joy than these things, that I hear that my children are walking in the truth” (v. 4). The emphasis on the truth in these Epistles indicates that they were written during a time of degradation when many had gone astray from the truth. Nevertheless, there were still a number who were walking in the truth.
In times of darkness we need to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). We have pointed out that truth always comes from the light, for it actually is the shining of the light. Today we need the truth, the shining of the light.
TWO FUNCTIONS OF THE TRUTH
Now we need to see two functions of the truth. The first is found in John 8:32, which says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The first function of the truth is to set us free. To be deprived of the truth is to be in bondage, in slavery, but to know the truth is to be released from slavery, to be freed. The second function of the truth is seen in John 17:17, which says, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” On the one hand, the truth sets us free; on the other hand, it sanctifies us. It causes us to be saturated with the element of God. It is a very significant matter to have the truth, for it frees us from all negative things and saturates us with the divine element. The more truth we have, the more we are released from bondage and the more we are saturated with the element of God. Eventually, the truth will cause us to be thoroughly sanctified and transformed. Hallelujah for the functions of the truth! How we need the truth in these days!