Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Happy Sunday, and thanks for clicking on this truth-filled Bible Study about Truth. Today, in the last of this three-part series, we discuss highlights from the Epistles.
The Epistles are chapters in the New Testament. They were letters written to churches or individuals when Christianity was a new, fledgling faith whose persecuted followers worshipped the resurrected Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah prophesied about in the Hebrew Bible. These “letters” offered recipients advice, instruction, and clarification about His teachings and how to incorporate the Truth of Jesus into their lives.
If you missed the “Truth” in Part One/Old Testament or Part Two/New Testament Gospels, please review because these studies build upon each other and lead us to today’s Epistles. Loyal readers know what comes next: A musical interlude while we “wait” for the others to catch up. Since this is an interactive Bible study, I read and learn from your comments. Therefore, instead of some classic rock “wake you up” song, a commenter named “Recovering academic” suggested, “If you want music to wake you up, go to Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel from the Nathaniel Dett singers.” So, here it is. Thanks!
Now, let’s rock on with the Truth. But first, a requote from last week providing context for what follows: “Ultimately, truth will prevail and be revealed through our continually growing and loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That truth, by which we must live, means abiding by the Word of God, as reflected in His teachings.”
Let’s begin with verses from the Apostle John, who wrote the self-named gospel. He knew and loved Jesus and cared for His mother, Mary, after Jesus ascended into heaven. John taught about the nature of truth and sin:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Why do we want the truth in us? Because living a truthful life without sin brings us closer to the Lord Jesus. “Living the truth” and “belonging to the truth” are John’s recurring themes in his Epistles. He writes from first-hand experience, having known that Jesus was and is the embodiment of the truth:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence...” (1 John 3:18-19).
Next, John spoke to the followers of Jesus and said, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God...” And then John taught about recognizing truth:
“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (1 John 4:6).
What is the Spirit of Truth? I like the NIV Study Bible footnote: “In essence and in action, the Spirit is characterized by truth. He [Jesus] brings people to the truth of God. All three persons of the Trinity are linked with truth.”
The next verse sounds like Jesus is speaking when John responds to his friend:
“To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.” Then, upon hearing good news about a church in the province of Asia, he writes:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). And that is how we please the Lord; we walk in His truth because He Is Truth.
Let's turn to the letters of St. Paul, who had a life-changing encounter with The Truth on the road to Damascus. If you are unfamiliar with this, read Vol. 60. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote:
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
In Paul’s time, “seals” indicated marks of ownership and protection. Thus, believing in Christ marked you accordingly. Moreover, the message of truth embodies the essence of believing in Christ and the heavenly rewards that follow.
Continuing with Ephesians, Paul’s famous “Armor of God” passages (see Vol. 81) mentioned “the belt of truth.” In Vol. 81, I quoted a pastor who said, “To put on the belt of truth means to put your full trust in God’s truth and in what He says.” The verse reads:
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place..” (Ephesians 6:14). But for more context, read the entire Armor of God in (Ephesians 6:10-20).
Paul was the most prolific New Testament writer, with 13 out of 27 Bible “books” traditionally attributed to him. While imprisoned under the Emperor Nero, Paul wrote “2 Timothy” a letter to his friend:
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
The “word of Truth” means the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ — His teachings that guide our life until we are home with Him. Jesus speaks truth and is truth. That is the takeaway from this study.
Paul’s “truth” passage is most famous and often heard at weddings. I would wager many who listen to it don’t know that it is from the Bible and think it’s flowery poetry — which it is, but much more:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).
That “truth” is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is love.
To conclude this three-part series and to requote for the third time, here is the “ultimate verse” of Truth and all you need to know about Jesus:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Amen to that!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit recently hosted a four-day exhibit (with a VIP guest) at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Contact: MyraAdams01@gmail.com