BS28 Do you live the Truth or Lies? is a tract about the Christian’s relationship with truth and lies. We should seek to tell and live the Truth, and not falsehoods.
. Contents
- Under which Flag do you March?
- Christians practice the Truth
- The “truth” is Moral Principle
- Jesus is the example of this Truth
- To be the son of … is to imitate such a person
- A hypocrite is to say that you are something, but you live in a different way
- Embracing Life is the only way
- More Tracts under Bible Student Category
Under which Flag do you March?
By David Cox
[bs28] v1 ©2014 www.coxtract.com
You may freely photocopy and reproduce this tract
Psalms 60:4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.
The idea of ”marching under a flag” is to say that in war, who is an ally and who is an enemy is identified by their flag. By identifying the flag, one immediately knows who is who. Because we are children of God, we must identify ourselves with the truth. It means that we live the truth, or in other words we practice the truth. Ps 119: 142 Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your law (is) truth. God’s principles, what pleases him, are the truth.
Christians practice the Truth
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
The Bible proposes that if one is saved, then he walks in the light, that is, he has a life that reflects this communion with God. In this case, the saved “practice the truth“, otherwise, we live without demonstrating “the truth of God” (spiritual principles that please God), and then, John says that “we lie.” The lie is how we live. The principles of the devil are seen more favorably in your life than the principles of God. Which one best describes your life? Do you currently live the truth, or do you live the lie?
The “truth” is Moral Principle
Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psalms 26:3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
The Bible treats “truth” as a path one walks on. It is a way of living life, and not just whether something is true or not.
Psa. 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. 13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
God’s plan is that when He has mercy (on us), it is because He sees the truth “IN US”, that is, we live the truth as our way of being, sincere and real. One is saved because this truth exists and springs from our lives, and we are like that, because we are saved. The two things coexist within us, and this is essentially salvation. Salvation is believing that Jesus died for your sins. That truth in you, living in you, you walking in that truth is what makes you saved.
Jesus is the example of this Truth
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
This verse, first, declares that Jesus is the perfect and complete representation of this, the truth of God. Investigating the life of Jesus, we find the truth (moral principles) that is in the essence of God. Jesus is these moral principles exemplified or exposed in the life of a human being (Jesus Christ) completely. In other words, to deal with the life of Jesus, you are dealing with how God wants things.
Second, there is the human desire to go to heaven. Going to heaven is to be with God. This is salvation, living with God there in heaven. If you go to heaven (that is, you are saved by God), then how can you be with God if you are not of the same mind as He is? If you don’t want to be like Him? Jesus is how we go to heaven. Jesus is the Savior. By embracing Jesus, we are saved. There is no other way to go to heaven or to be saved. Everything is focused on Jesus, and we love Jesus, we love Jesus.
But at the same time, Jesus is the end of salvation. To be saved is to “receive Jesus Christ.” Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Salvation is represented as “receiving Jesus“, and it is also represented that this is walking in life or “in Christ” or in his way of demonstrating moral principles.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Receiving Jesus Christ and being saved is something that God responds to by using spiritual power for us to live life using God’s principles (God’s truth).
To be the son of …
is to imitate such a person
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Jesus observed that whoever identifies himself (calls his father, or who you make your “father”), is the same one who you imitate.
John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Jesus’ point is that you define whether you are saved or unconverted by what you do, by your “father” or by who is the “boss” of your life, who you let control your life.
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
So, we ask the question, do you live by the truth of God which is represented in Jesus Christ as the moral standard for your life? Then you are saved. If you cannot say strongly yes, then you are deceived, and you follow the Deceiver, Satan, because he will be your moral pattern, deceiving, and being deceived himself.
A hypocrite is to say that you are something, but you live in a different way
Matthew 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
To define what a hypocrite is, a hypocrite is a person who expresses a correct way of living (and it may well be the way that God also indicates), but in indicating this way, the hypocrite does not actually embrace and live this way of living to their own life (or use these spiritual principles or moral standards). A hypocrite is a person who DOES NOT LIVE THE TRUTH THAT HE CONFESSES, even if he knows it well, and can explain it very well.
In addition, a hypocrite is a person who does not promote the truth, that is, does not cause others to understand what this truth is, nor does he guide others in it. He is a person who speaks of God’s principles, but when it comes to actually practicing the truth personally, he just does not do so.
Embracing Life is the only way
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
There are many people who think they are saved Christians, but these people don’t really put a lot of effort or energy behind living the moral standard that we see in Jesus Christ. These people are hypocrites because they speak well of this path of life, they tell others that this is what they do, and what they embrace as their moral standard, but the truth is that it is simply “not true in their case.” They have not embraced this path, and when it comes to the nitty gritty of how they actually live, they have done nothing, and they are not doing anything about Jesus Christ.
The Apostle John says that by his actions, it can be seen if the person is saved or not. A saved person can sin, but it is something that destroys him emotionally. His conscience is very strong that sin is not what he follows, it is not what he imitates, and it is not the pattern he seeks for his life. Repent and change to prevent it for the next time are the order of the day.
A hypocrite is like the adulterous woman in Proverbs.
Proverbs 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith,
I have done no wickedness.
He clears himself from the situation temporarily, but there is no recognition of what he has done is wrong, there is no confession, there is no restoration to those who have done wrong, and there is no change in his life (repentance). He is a hypocrite.
Which one best describes your life? Do you live the truth, or do you live the lie?
eb28-cox-Do-you-live-truth-or-lies-v1.doc (994 downloads ) eb28-cox-Do-you-live-truth-or-lies-v1.pdf (1021 downloads )This tract in Spanish: eb28 Bajo Cuál Bandera Marchas
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