by Dennis Strickland<\/p>\n
Down through the years, there has been a lot of discussion regarding truth. Some have questioned what truth is, as Pilate did in John 18:38. In Mark 12:32, the scribe stated the truth, yet we have no record that this man ever obeyed the gospel. He believed, as did the devils in James 2:19, yet there is no indication that he even trembled. Some, per II Timothy 4:4, will “turn their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables<\/em>.” Some are even like the folks described in Romans 1:21-25, who, because they refused to glorify God, were unthankful, embraced vain imaginations, and allowed their heart to become darkened. As a result, they even changed the truth of God into a lie. All sorts of vile activities followed as a result.<\/p>\n Romans 2:8-9 reveals that tribulation and anguish await all who are evil, contentious, and disobedient. From II Thessalonians 2:10, it is apparent that all who receive not the love of the truth will “perish” and if this is not concise enough, II Thessalonians 2:12 tells us: “that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.<\/em>” II Thessalonians 1:7-9 tells us when this will happen, how, and for how long this will be. Those who hate the truth and refuse to obey it will know the vengeance of God as they are sentenced to eternity in Hell.<\/p>\n This is why it is so important to “preach the Word,” as the Spirit instructed Timothy to do in II Timothy 4:2. It is why I Peter 4:11 dictates that the preacher speak “as the oracles of God.<\/em>” It is also why Timothy was charged to take what Paul had preached and “the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also<\/em>” in II Timothy 2:2. This way, the truth will continue to be proclaimed and hopefully, future generations will also hear the truth and can be made free. Jesus, in John 8:31-32, said: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.<\/em>“<\/p>\n Additionally, in John 17:17, as Jesus prayed for His apostles, He asked the Father to “set them apart<\/em>” by truth, and then identified for all what is the only truth. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.\u00a0Christ also, in John 6:33, said: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life<\/em>.” This “life” of which the Savior spoke is eternal life. It is only available to those who are in full accordance with God’s Word. This is why God’s faithful today will “preach the Word<\/em>“, which is the truth. Souls are at stake. Only the gospel, per Romans 1:16, is the “power of God unto salvation.<\/em>” It must<\/strong> be taught, believed, obeyed, and continually followed to be effective in our lives.<\/p>\n Below is a song by my wife’s father, O.D. Wilson. He wrote it in the early 1980s. I am unsure of the tune, but the words certainly apply.<\/p>\n by O.D. Wilson – deceased<\/p>\nI have some things to ask, I’m sure that you don’t mind, Why will you not look into God’s Holy Word, the truth, and see what God says to do to be saved, and to be pleasing to Him? Why would anyone who says they love God not do His Will and seek to serve Him as He directs in His Word? We are told in II Peter 1:3 that we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness.<\/em>” The directions are plain, the warnings clear, the promises grand.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Dennis Strickland Down through the years, there has been a lot of discussion regarding truth. Some have questioned what truth is, as Pilate did in John 18:38. In Mark 12:32, the scribe stated the truth, yet we have no record that this man ever obeyed the gospel. He believed, as did the devils in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[441],"class_list":["post-86905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1698,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/free-agents\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":0},"title":"Free Agents","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ray Baker One of the many things the Scriptures teach with all surety is the free moral agency of men. The Lord did not create robots when He made us, nor did He fashion \u2018puppets on a string.\u2019 He made us creatures of choice, and His desire is that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52160,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-it-mean-to-suppress-the-truth-in-unrighteousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":1},"title":"What does it mean to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good afternoon, Jeffrey. I've been meaning to ask for a while now what it means to \"suppress the truth in unrighteousness.\" It's something that gets said about atheists quite a bit. For the longest, in regards to Yahweh, I've thought it meant pretending He doesn't exist for the sake\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21007,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-we-use-songs-by-writers-who-did-not-believe-the-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":2},"title":"Why do we use songs by writers who did not believe the truth?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The part I am not really understanding is why we choose to use songs by Fanny Crosby or Isaac Watts etc. They didn't even believe the truth. Using the words of false teachers in praise to our heavenly Father? There are other choices. I will be continuing to pray\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84565,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/your-preaching-is-offensive-to-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":3},"title":"Your Preaching Is Offensive to Me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Tom M. Roberts via Truth Magazine, Vol 43, 1999 \"Then His disciples came and said to Him, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?'\" (Matthew 15:12). The history of speaking \"the oracles of God\" (I Peter 4:11) is a history of controversy. There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23442,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/see-if-you-can-find-a-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":4},"title":"See If You Can Find a Man","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Jeremiah 5:1-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The last days of the southern kingdom of Judah \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The people had become very corrupt - Jeremiah 5:20-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God purposed to severely punish His people - Jeremiah 5:26-31 II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But there is one hope - Jeremiah 5:1 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah is told to run through Jerusalem and find a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16194,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-scared-that-god-has-made-me-believe-a-lie-how-can-i-know-his-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":86905,"position":5},"title":"I’m scared that God has made me believe a lie. How can I know His way?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A sister in Christ shared this note with me and decided to try and address this young man's concerns. You showed us that Scripture in II Thessalonians 2:11, \"And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.\" That's made me scared of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86905\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Preach the Word<\/h2>\n
\nAbout so many churches, religions of all kinds,
\nIt really makes me sad to see them so deceived,
\nAnd, risk it ’til the Judgment, and do not yet believe.
\nThey do not want to say, One church alone is right,
\nAs narrow-minded people have not yet seen the light.
\nThey concentrate on love, from human creeds implore.
\nBut will you let them enter, Up Yonder ever more?
\nTheir preachers tell how far, one day, they were in sin,
\nA substituted message, but will it bring one in?
\nThe gospel is the power, for nothing else will do.
\nIt saves all who obey it, the bad and ‘good ones’ too.
\nAnd Lord, what do you do when sinners come to pray?
\nIn every testimonial, they say you saved that way.
\nBut that’s not in Your Book, I read it just today,
\nIn it, You plainly say Lord, a sinner needn’t pray.
\nNow Lord, I know You laugh, but then I know You cry,
\nHow do you sit and listen to those who make You lie?
\nThey seem to think You’re gone, no way You can defend.
\nBut Lord, You’ll have the “last Word”, Gehenna enter in.
\nPreach the Word, Holy Word,
\nThere is peace and saving power in the Word.
\nIn it, God has had His say. It shall be our judge that day!
\nTo be saved, we must obey it, preach the Word!<\/blockquote>\n