Don Stewart :: Is God a God of Truth?

Is God a God of Truth?

The Personal Attributes of God – Question 5

Does the God of the Bible always tell the truth? The answer is an unqualified, “Yes.” God is true in all that He does. He is consistent with Himself and with everyone else. Everything that He has revealed about Himself matches up with reality.

The Bible says the following things about God and truth.

1. There Is the Only the True God: There Is No Other

Jesus said that God the Father was the only true God who existed. On the night of His betrayal, He prayed the following to God the Father.

Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. (John 17:3 CEV)

There are no other gods either true or false. Only the God of Scripture exists, and only He is the true God.

2. Jesus Said He Was the Truth

Jesus Christ, God the Son, made the claim to be “the truth.” The Gospel of John records Jesus saying following.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 HCSB)

He is more than merely truthful He is the standard of truth. Indeed, Jesus Christ is “the truth.”

3. God Is Always Reliable

We also find that the God of the Bible is someone who is always reliable. Paul reminded the Romans of this when he wrote,

Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written, “So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging.” (Romans 3:4 NRSV)

God is always proven to be right, never wrong.

4. It Is Impossible for Him to Lie

Since God is a God of truth, it is impossible for Him to lie about anything. Paul wrote to the following to Titus.

My message is based on the confidence of eternal life. God, who never lies, promised this eternal life before the world began. (Titus 1:2 God’s Word)

Lying is something which the God of the Bible is not able to do. It is indeed a comforting thought to know that He always tells the truth.

The writer to the Hebrews also declared that God cannot lie. He explained it in this manner.

God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. (Hebrews 6:18 CEV)

Whenever He speaks, He speaks the truth.

5. He Does Not Make Errors

Because God is a God of truth, there will be no errors in His written Word, the Bible. This is so important to understand. The Apostle Paul wrote,

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NIV)

Since all Scripture is God-breathed, we should not expect to find any errors in its revelation to us. This is because it comes from the God of truth.

6. We Are to Imitate Him in Telling the Truth

Because God is a God of truth, those who believe in Him should follow His example. The psalmist wrote,

Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. (Psalm 15:1, 2 NLT)

Believers are to speak the truth of God with sincere hearts.

There is something else which we must appreciate. God hates lying. In the Book of Proverbs we read the following.

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood... (Proverbs 6:16, 17 KJV)

Notice that lying is second on the list of things that God hates. God wants people to tell the truth. Lying is something which is horrific to Him. We should have the same attitude.

We also read in another place in Proverbs about how the Lord feels about lying. We read the following.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. (Proverbs 12:22 NRSV)

God hates lying; He loves the truth. Lying is an abomination to Him.

There Is Comfort in Knowing That God Always Tells the Truth

There is much comfort for the believer concerning this particular attribute of God. Because God is true, believers can rely on what He has revealed. God will never make any promises that He has to break. His truth will never change in the future. Nothing inconsistent will ever come from Him. Therefore, He can be completely trusted. This indeed is a comforting truth.

Summary – Question 5
Is God a God of Truth?

The God of the Bible is a God of truth. The idea that God is always truth-telling is taught throughout Scripture. We can make a number of observations concerning what God’s Word says on the matter.

God is the only God which exists. He is also called “the only true God.” This does not mean that there is a lying God somewhere. It means that He is the only God, the true God.

Jesus Christ, God the Son claimed to be “the truth.” He is not merely truth; He is the standard of truth. Truth begins and ends with Jesus.

This brings us to our next logical point. Because the God of Scripture always tells the truth, His Word is always reliable. We can always trust what He says. In fact, we never have to be concerned whether or not we can trust what He says. We know we always can rely on Him.

Indeed, Scripture says it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, when He speaks to humanity, such as in the promises recorded in the Bible, we can always trust what He says.

Since God cannot lie about anything, His written Word, the Bible, cannot have errors in it. Indeed, it would be illogical to assume that anything that came from a truth-telling God would have mistakes or contradictions.

Finally, believers are to imitate God in always telling the truth. This is especially important when we search the Scriptures and discover that God hates liars and lying. We should have the same attitude.

In sum, there is much comfort in realizing that His promises can always be relied upon. We can take real comfort in the fact that He will never let us down.