I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
Summary: Paul’s affirmation of truth is a statement that triggers a lot of questions. How do we know Paul is telling the truth?
Why does Paul feel the need to convince us, his readers, that he is not lying?
In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he reminds us that “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (2 Corinthians 13:1) This statement harkens back to the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses gives the equivalent of a PowerPoint presentation that reviews the history of Israel and all the commands God had given men.
Paul knows what he is up against. The people he writes to have to decide who to believe. Should they believe what they are being taught by the people with them, or should they believe Paul?
Questioning people is not a new problem. The Book of Lamentations recounts a major cause of Israel’s fall:
“The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” (Lamentations 2:14)
So, how do we know that Paul is not lying?
Paul does have witnesses. In addition to his own testimony, he gives us two others to check with. One is Cephas (Peter), and the other is James. In addition, he gives us a third witness: God.
Interestingly, Jesus used this same logic when he was debating the Priests and Pharisees:
“I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” (John 8:18)
Now, who are you going to believe?
If you have a relationship with God, the Holy Spirit testifies within you. Paul describes how this works in his letter to the Romans when he writes, “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—” (Romans 9:1).
To deny Paul’s words is to deny God’s message. To deny God’s message is to deny God. As Peter points out in his testimonial about Paul’s teachings, “His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16)
That is a line we don’t want to cross.
Application: Decide for yourself if you believe the Bible as it is written.
Food for Thought: How do you tell if someone is lying?
How do you tell if someone is lying?
First We are supposed to not be lying ourselves. And I was told that a persons eyes helps to let you know. Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I was thinking that was simular to a previous question.
OCTOBER 29, 2022
John 8:44
Tim —
Oh my!! What a memory!!
You are absolutely right. I’ll put a link to the date in your comment.
🙂
As to your answer this time, yes, I agree. Being a liar would tend to make a person blind to the lies of others. (That could explain a lot of what we see in the world’s dysfunctionality.)
The only reason I remembered that the older post was Ron and Jeff were being some wise guys.
🙂
A few good ways:
Seek and know the truth yourself
Measure words against God’s truth. What meets the standards of holiness, righteousness, love for God and our neighbor. What is the agenda?
Measure words against the test of time. Do they change? Do they lead to sin? Where does the agenda lead?
This takes patience, and consultation with the Holy Spirit. It also takes kindness, and resistance to self-righteousness, which also requires consultation with the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Ephesians 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Chris,
Three great measuring sticks: Knowing the facts, knowing God, and the test of time.
Thank you!
01-10-2024, How do you tell if someone is lying?
Their lips move?
Actually I like the responses of T and CH. Personally, I focus on my walk with our Lord. I enjoy small talk with my neighbors as well as people I bump into, however very little is retained, or considered life changing truths to be applied. If we discuss maintenance on an automobile, working with wood, or time saving tools, I am all ears.
I become spiritually involved in any conversation or teachings regarding our walk with God and measure every word against what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me as truth. In formal settings, I will have my Bible open and read along as I am being taught. The Holy Spirit will confirm His words, and bells will go off when anything contrary is being taught.
Any words I contribute are as the Holy Spirit tells me to respond.
John 16:13, However when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come.
Romans 9:1, I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Ron.
Reading your words makes me think of the catalog of data that we keep in our minds. At some level, we check what we are hearing against what we know. The trick is to immerse ourselves in the truth so that we have a valid catalog of data to check against.
Exactly, at some point we choose to give the priority to the Word of God, and we begin living spiritually, in but not of this world.
Keep up the Great work Jeff!
Ron
Excellent responses here. I really have nothing to add. Other than if you know someone well enough, through time they will develop a track record of speaking truth or not. Lies tend to be discovered or attempted to be covered. Truth needs no such assistance.
Thanks Rich!
“Knowing” someone from a relational perspective is a powerful tool for knowing if a person speaks the truth or not.