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Scripture Reading: John 1:17; 8:32; 14:6, 17; 17:17; 1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:15
The word truth is used repeatedly in the two Epistles to Timothy (1 Tim. 2:4; 3:15; 4:3; 6:5; 2 Tim. 2:15-18; 3:8; 4:3-4). Many Christians think that truth is simply doctrine. However, in verses such as John 1:17; 8:32; 14:6 and 17:17, it is clear that the word doctrine could not be used in place of truth, which is sometimes rendered “reality.” We need to see the difference between truth and doctrine.
Truth is reality. John 1:17 gives a comparison between the law and reality. This verse says, “The law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.” The law was given, but reality came. A thing is given, but a person comes. The word law indicates a large portion of the Old Testament, which is called the Law and the Prophets (Acts 13:15; Matt. 5:17). The Law is the first section of the Old Testament, from Genesis through the Song of Songs; the Prophets is the second section of the Old Testament, from Isaiah through Malachi. The law was given as a shadow, figure, or type, just as a photograph of a person may be sent before the person comes. The law is the picture, and the reality is the person. Christ is the reality.
Let us consider a few examples of the types in the Old Testament and the reality in the New Testament. Genesis 1:26 says that man was made in the image of God. The reality of the image of God is Christ (Col. 1:15). Christ came as the real image of God. Genesis 2:9 mentions the tree of life. Christ came as the reality of the tree of life (John 14:6; 15:1). Genesis 3:15 prophesied that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. The reality of the seed of the woman came when Christ was born of the virgin Mary. Christ is the real seed of the woman who bruised the head of Satan (Heb. 2:14).
Exodus 12:3-10 describes the passover lamb that was slain for the salvation of the children of Israel. When John the Baptist saw the Lord, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The lamb in Exodus 12 is a shadow, a picture, of the real Lamb, Christ. Such pictures are found throughout the Old Testament. In Exodus 25 through 30 God gave Moses the pattern for the Israelites to build the tabernacle. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Christ in the flesh was the real tabernacle. Christ is the reality of all the things mentioned in the law.
Leviticus describes all kinds of offerings — the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. All the offerings are shadows of Christ. When Christ came, the reality of the offerings came. He is the real burnt offering, the real meal offering, the real peace offering, the real sin offering, and the real trespass offering for us. The offerings in the Old Testament are only shadows; Christ is the reality.
Christ is the real light and the real life (John 8:12; 14:6). He is also the real power, holiness, righteousness, kindness, love, humility, long-suffering, endurance, submission, and every divine attribute and human virtue.
Truth is not doctrine but reality, and the reality of every positive thing, even human beings, is Christ. Without Christ we are empty, having no reality. When we receive Christ, we are no longer empty, for we have the reality, which is Christ, as our real person. Paul says, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). To him, to live was not Paul, which would have been empty, but Christ, who is the reality.
Doctrine is the description of the truth, and it conveys the truth. The truth is the reality of what is described in the doctrine. The doctrine of God’s image is in Genesis 1:26; the reality of God’s image is Christ. Apart from Christ, God’s image in Genesis 1:26 is merely a doctrine.
Justification by faith is the main doctrine of the Lutheran Church. I knew a pastor of a Lutheran congregation in China who strongly preached justification by faith but who had not been justified himself. Although he preached justification by faith, he was secretly smuggling opium. Then a Norwegian missionary went to China to preach not the doctrine of the gospel but the reality — regeneration. Whenever she finished speaking a gospel message, she would stand by the entrance as the audience went out and ask each one, “Have you been regenerated?” One day she visited the town of that Lutheran pastor, and after preaching a message on regeneration, she asked the pastor in front of several members of his congregation whether he had been regenerated. When he replied that he had, she said that she could tell by looking at his face that actually he had not been regenerated. He was greatly offended by this and began to hate her. That night he planned how he might kill her. While he was planning, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Look, how evil you are! You are planning to kill a lady evangelist. Have you been regenerated?” He was enlightened and immediately repented. The next day he came to the meeting to make a public repentance and to testify of what he had experienced. By hearing his testimony, many others were led to be regenerated.
The doctrine of regeneration and the reality of regeneration are two different things. We need to be saved not according to doctrine but according to the truth, the reality. We should not have the doctrine of something yet miss the reality.
First Timothy 3:15 says that the church is the pillar and base of the truth. In ancient architecture a building was supported by a pillar, which rested on a base. The church is the pillar and base that bears the truth. The pillar and base of the truth are not the elders but the church, which includes every brother and sister. Every member of the church is part of the pillar that bears the truth. Whenever a new one or a young one asks a question related to the truth, we should all be able to answer. Someone may ask what holiness is. We not only should know that holiness is Christ, but we also should be able to find the verse that proves this (1 Cor. 1:30) and expound it.
However, many saints know a certain amount of truth, but their knowledge is not thorough or adequate. In order for the churches to be strong, every brother and sister must bear the truth by learning the truth, experiencing the truth, and being able to speak the truth.
Another test of whether we adequately know the truth may come if someone questions us concerning who the leader of the church is. In Matthew 23:10 the Lord said, “Neither be called instructors, because One is your Instructor, the Christ.” The Greek word translated “instructor” may also be rendered “guide,” “teacher,” or “director.” This word clearly indicates that Christ is the unique Leader. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey the ones leading you.” The elders are the leading ones, but Christ is the unique Leader. First Peter 5:3, a word written to the elders, says, “Nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock.” The elders should not be rulers of the church but should be examples. We are all under the headship of Christ, and we need to see the truth of His headship.
The truth of the leadership in the church is that Christ is the unique Leader. The elders should exercise to be examples while giving the full headship to Christ. This is contrary to the worldly concept of leadership. If one comes saying that God has appointed him to be the leader of the local churches, none of the saints should accept this speaking, for it insults the unique headship of Christ. All the saints need to know and practice the truth to prevent error from coming into the church. Everyone should know that Christ is our unique Leader. To consider any man other than Christ as the leader of a local church or the Lord’s recovery damages the truth. There is no leader other than Christ. The Lord said, “Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 20:26). The concept of a man being the leader of the churches leads to hierarchy, which is a great insult to the headship of Christ.
In the New Testament age Christ’s leadership has been fully established, and His headship has been fully completed. Ephesians 1:22 says that God subjected all things under Christ’s feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church. Those who take the lead in the churches must be very careful not to consider themselves to be the leaders. The unique Leader is Christ. We must practice this truth.
We also need to be careful not to build up a hierarchy among the local churches. No church is higher than any other church. It is crucial that we know and practice this truth. If the church in our locality submits to another church, making the other church higher, this is hierarchy. All the churches are on the same level. If we do not practice the truth, the churches will suffer from confusion, dissension, and disharmony.
While the Lord delays His return, we need to know the truth for the practice of the church life. The Lord’s recovery can withstand any kind of attack, because the foundation of life has been solidly laid, but we also need to adequately know and practice the truth. When the pillar of the truth is added to the foundation of life, the building of the church in the Lord’s recovery will be solid. As long as the church upholds the truth, nothing negative will be able to come into the church. Thus, all the saints need to know the truth so that the church would be built up as the pillar and base of the truth.
In order to know and practice the truth, we all need to come back to the Word. While we are reading, studying, or praying over the Word, we need to remember that the truth is in the Word. Second Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth.” The Bible is the word of God, which conveys the truth. We saw in the previous chapter that the elements composing the Bible are Christ, His death, and His resurrection. These three elements are the truth, the reality, of the Bible, and this reality is now the Spirit. The Spirit is the reality of Christ, the reality of Christ’s death, and the reality of Christ’s resurrection. Therefore, the Spirit is called the Spirit of reality (John 14:17). This means that whenever we come to the word of God in the Bible, we need to exercise our spirit to receive the Spirit. Eventually, the Word without and the Spirit within will become one in our experience. Christ, His death, and His resurrection are in the word, and they are also in the Spirit. When we take the word into us, it becomes the Spirit. When the Spirit is spoken out from us, it becomes the word. When we read the Bible, we should exercise not only our mind to deal with the printed matter but also our spirit to contact the Spirit. Then the written word will become the living word, and we will receive not doctrine but reality. If we exercise only our mind to read the Bible, we will receive only biblical knowledge and no spiritual reality. However, if we exercise our spirit to contact the Spirit while reading the Bible, the doctrine will become the truth to us.
Some Christians know the Bible well but neglect the Spirit. Christians of another category tend toward the other extreme, caring only for the Spirit and neglecting the Word. Neither category of Christian is balanced. We should not be on either of these extremes. We need the Word without and the Spirit within. We need to know the doctrine, and we need to possess the truth within the doctrine. This will enrich the church life and safeguard the Lord’s recovery from death or anything improper. The Word gives us the doctrine, and the Spirit gives us the reality. When we have the doctrine and the reality, we are balanced, enriched, and safeguarded.
