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In this chapter we will devote our attention to the definition of the truth. As we all recognize, truth is the opposite of falsehood. Many also regard truth as meaning certain true, reliable principles, such as the principle that honesty is the best policy. After speaking recently on the subject of the truth, I was approached by a learned man who said that truth referred to principles. As an illustration, he said that John 3:16 is a standing principle. This understanding of truth is worldly, an altogether natural concept different from the understanding of truth presented in the Bible. If we would know the meaning of truth in the Bible, we need to get into the depths of the Word.
In John 8:12 the Lord Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” and in 14:6 He said, “I am...the truth” (KJV). John 17:17 tells us that the Lord’s word is also the truth. According to the Bible, the Lord is the light, the truth, and the Word. The Word, which is also the truth, gives light, for in the Word there is light. Therefore, the Word, the light, and the truth are one.
John 1:14 speaks of the Word becoming flesh and tabernacling among us full of “grace and truth,” and verse 17 speaks of the law being given through Moses, but “grace and truth” coming through Jesus Christ (KJV). When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we receive grace and truth. In his first Epistle, John says that God is love and that God is light (4:16; 1:5). When God comes to us, we receive grace; but when we go to God, He is love. Grace is the realization and expression of love. Love is the source, and grace is the expression. Likewise, truth is the realization and expression of light. Light is the source, and truth is the expression. The expression of light is the shining of the light. When light is concealed from us, it is merely light, but when it shines upon us, it becomes truth.
Many Christians think that the word truth in the Bible denotes doctrine. But if we change truth in the Gospel of John into doctrine, it sounds absurd. Let us take several examples. “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us...full of grace and doctrine.” “Grace and doctrine came through Jesus Christ.” “I am the way and the doctrine and the life.” “You shall know the doctrine, and the doctrine shall set you free.” “Sanctify them in the doctrine; Your word is doctrine.” “When He, the Spirit of doctrine, comes.” How absurd! Truth does not denote doctrine. It first means the shining of the light, the expression of the light. In other words, truth is light expressed. God never comes to us without shining upon us. When God comes to us as light and shines, we immediately have the sense of truth, of reality.
Television is a very good illustration of this. Suppose there is a parade in Washington, D.C. Without television you could not be on the West Coast and receive a vision of the parade. Although you could read about the parade the next day in a newspaper, the newspaper account would not make the parade real to you. Many Christians today use the Bible like a newspaper, but they do not have the vision of what is written in the Word.
For example, the pastors of the Lutheran Church in China believed strongly in justification by faith, and they trained others to preach and teach this doctrine. However, some of these very pastors were not themselves justified by faith, and consequently they were not saved. One such pastor was a man named Ai. Although he fought for the truth of justification by faith, he was an opium smuggler. He had the doctrine of justification by faith, that is, the newspaper account of it, but he did not have the reality. He had never received justification by faith through believing in the Lord’s redeeming blood. One day this pastor heard a Norwegian missionary named Miss Monsen preach on regeneration. Miss Monsen preached not merely the doctrine of regeneration but the reality of regeneration. After her message she greeted Pastor Ai at the gate and asked him if he had been regenerated. He angrily asserted that he had. But Miss Monsen replied that by the tone of his voice and by the expression on his face, she knew that he had not truly been regenerated. Pastor Ai was insulted by having such a word spoken to him in the presence of members of his congregation. That night, filled with hatred for this Norwegian missionary, he plotted to kill her. As he was making his evil plans, the Holy Spirit said to him, “See how evil you are!” The Holy Spirit worked upon him, and he repented with tears, even rolling on the floor as he made confession to the Lord. That night Pastor Ai did not have merely a newspaper account of regeneration; he saw a vision of regeneration by means of the heavenly television. The vision was televised into him, and he was regenerated. The next morning he was happy, and he praised the Lord. In the meeting he stood up to give a testimony of his experience. Through that one testimony, given by a pastor who had been an opium smuggler, hundreds of students turned to the Lord.
Through the experience of Pastor Ai we can see what truth is. Many preachers give messages that are nothing more than newspaper reports. Such messages do not convey the heavenly vision. But thank the Lord for the speaking that televises a vision to us! The vision that is televised into our being is the truth, the reality. In the New Testament truth denotes this kind of heavenly television. Truth is not merely a report, not simply words written in the Bible; it is a heavenly, spiritual vision televised into our being. We all need to learn to differentiate the speaking that gives merely a news report from the speaking that televises a vision into us. Most of the sermons preached in the so-called churches today are like newspaper reports. Because many preachers use the Bible like a newspaper, there is very little of the heavenly vision.
Every vision is a reality. Suppose a meeting of the church in Anaheim is televised to Taipei. The saints in Taipei would not receive a news report; they would see a vision of what is taking place in our meeting. In God’s economy there are many visions. For example, when Christ died on the cross, He shed His blood for us. If this is merely a doctrine to us, we cannot be saved. But as soon as the reality of the death of Christ is televised into our being and we see it as a vision, we are saved. When I was a child, I was taught that Christ died on the cross for my sins and that He shed His blood for me. This was nothing more than a doctrine to me until I was nineteen; then the heavenly vision of Christ’s death was televised into me. At that time I could see Christ dying on the cross for me, shedding His blood for my sins. When I saw this, I wept, I worshipped, and I thanked the Lord. That experience was the vision, the truth. We all have had experiences similar to this.
Take the example of Christ as our holiness. Perhaps you have heard many messages about holiness, but as far as you are concerned, these messages are only news reports. Therefore, you have the knowledge of holiness but not the vision of holiness. But one day, perhaps during morning watch, you have a vision of Christ being holiness to you, and the vision of holiness is televised into your spirit. Because we all need to see the heavenly vision, in Ephesians 1 Paul prayed that we would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Actually, such a spirit is simply the vision televised into our being by the Spirit.
The difference between a newspaper and television is that with the newspaper there is no light, only printed letters, but with television light and electricity are required. Through light and electricity the vision is televised into us.
Now we can understand that, in the Bible, truth refers to the shining of the light. The Bible contains many doctrines. However, when light from the Father in the heavens shines upon the words in the Bible, these words immediately become truth to us. First we have the doctrine in printed letters, and then the heavenly light shines upon the words of the Bible to show us the truth. Many read the verses about Christ dying for sinners merely as a newspaper report; they have nothing more than a doctrine about the death of Christ. But when, by the mercy of God, the light shines on these verses, they see the truth of Christ’s death and are saved. Once they had the doctrine; now they have the vision and the reality.
Reality is the realization of what is real. The way to have such a realization of spiritual things is by heavenly television. Therefore, truth in the Bible can be compared to today’s television.
There are a great many facts in the Bible. However, it is not adequate merely to read about these facts. By reading you receive doctrine, information, or news. Along with this, you need the heavenly light to shine upon the facts. When the light shines, the doctrine is immediately changed into truth. In this way you realize the real thing, the reality. Therefore, to know the truth we first need the facts and then the light that televises the vision of the facts into our being.
According to the Bible, the Spirit is called the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of reality (John 14:17). The Spirit of reality is the heavenly electricity by which spiritual things are televised into our being. The Bible also says that the Lord’s word is truth (17:17). All the spiritual facts are contained in the Word and conveyed by it. Christ is our holiness, Christ died for our sins, Christ is our life, the church is the Body of Christ, Christ is the Head of the church—all these are facts contained in the Bible. However, without the enlightenment from the divine electricity, these facts are mere doctrines. But when the Spirit shines upon these facts recorded and conveyed in the Bible, they become truth, reality.
Christ, His person, His redemptive work, and all His accomplishments are facts contained in and conveyed by the Word. The Spirit seeks the opportunity to shine upon the Word. When He does so, we receive the truth. In knowing the truth, we thus have the facts, the Word, and the Spirit. The incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension have all been accomplished. The wonderful Christ who is God and man is now the life-giving Spirit. These are facts, and not even Satan can deny them. We have not only the facts but the fact-conveying Word. Furthermore, we have the Spirit. If we have the Word without the Spirit, we will not have the vision. This means that we will not have the truth, because the truth comes only when the Spirit shines. If we read the Word without the shining of the Spirit, we may have doctrine or news reports but not the truth, the reality, or the vision. Thank the Lord that the shining Spirit is always within us. Whenever we open ourselves to Him, the light shines. As the light shines on the Word, certain things stand out and make a deep impression upon us. This is the truth, the vision transmitted by the heavenly television.
In the last chapter I pointed out that among us the foundation of life has been firmly laid. This foundation is unshakable. However, we have been short of the light of the truth. Doctrinally speaking, we have all had knowledge concerning the headship of Christ, hierarchy, the ground of the church, and the constitution of the church. But what we had was mainly the newspaper report, not the televised vision. Thus, when a hierarchy was strongly formed and began to assume its evil power in certain places, hardly anyone was aware of it. If we had been under the televised vision concerning hierarchy and concerning the headship of Christ, someone would have immediately spoken out against this, pointing out that such a hierarchy is an insult to the headship of Christ. Because there was such a lack of the vision, there was no practice of the truth. Instead of the shining of the light, there was thick darkness.
Although by the Lord’s mercy we have had the foundation of life, we have not had the adequate shining of the light. This made it possible for someone to claim that he had been charged to administrate all the churches. But such an administrator is a pope, and we have no such thing in the Lord’s recovery. Throughout the years that the Lord’s recovery has been in this country, I have always been cautious regarding the exercise of authority. According to the truth, every local church has its own jurisdiction and administration. No church or person can administrate the affairs of all the churches. Nevertheless, someone void of the truth claimed to be the administrator over all the churches. The fact that so many could receive his word shows either that they did not know the truth or that they were not practicing it.
We must not accept anything contrary to the truth, no matter who says it. Even if the apostle Paul were to speak differently from the truth in the New Testament, we should refuse to accept his word. Rather, we should say, “Paul, when you wrote the Epistles, you were right with God. But now that you are speaking something different, you are like the Peter who was rebuked by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16.” We should not allow anyone, not even the apostle Paul, to deceive us. Because we have been lacking in the shining of the light, the undermining of the ministry became more and more evident, and an attempt was made to change the nature of the Lord’s recovery. While this was going on, if a brother had stood up for the truth, he would have been a hero in practicing the truth. From now on, every church in the Lord’s recovery must be the pillar and base of the truth. Furthermore, every church must be a police station, and every saint must be an active, functioning policeman, knowing the truth and practicing the truth.
Suppose a certain brother, much used of the Lord in His recovery, stands up in a meeting and demands that the saints worship him. Immediately, someone, even a teenage sister, should tell him to stop speaking and say, “We cannot receive this man’s evil speaking because he is making himself an idol and asking us to worship him. In the past he has been a help to the Lord’s recovery, but now his speaking is the speaking of Satan. I love the Lord, I love the recovery, and I love this brother. But I am under the shining of the heavenly light, and I have received the truth that we must not worship anyone, even the one who has helped us the most. Such a thing is not according to the truth but according to the falsehood of Satan.”
The church in the Lord’s recovery must be full of life and strong in the truth. The church as the pillar is composed of all of us. Therefore, even the young sisters must know the truth. This is the reason that I encourage everyone, especially the young people, to get into the Word. All the divine facts are contained in the Word and conveyed to us through the Word. When the Spirit shines upon the Word, we have the heavenly television. The light shines upon the facts in the Word, and we know the truth. Then we should always be ready to rise up and practice the truth. From now on, the whole church must be armed with the truth. If we are all under the heavenly television regarding matters such as the constitution of the church, the headship of Christ, and hierarchy, the church will be strong. It will be not only a house of life but also a pillar of truth.
In 1 Timothy 3:15 the apostle Paul says that the church is not only the pillar of the truth but also the base of the truth. A pillar, which is a standing column, needs a solid base. The Greek word for base in this verse actually means a bulwark, a solid structure that upholds the pillar. As the pillar of the truth, the church must also have a solid base, a strong bulwark. A bulwark affords protection and defense, especially during a time of war. The church must be so solid in the truth that it will be a bulwark of the truth during times of fighting. This bulwark should be so solid that nothing, not even the “bombs” of the enemy, can shake it. The pillar rests upon such a bulwark. In order to be the pillar and base of the truth, we all must be solid, strong, clear, and rich in the truth. Every local church must be a solid bulwark and a high pillar. In every locality the pillar must be built up higher and higher to testify the truth to the whole universe.
Although the apostle John was absolutely for life and the Spirit, in his last two Epistles he did not emphasize life and the Spirit; instead, he emphasized the truth. In 2 John 1 he speaks of loving in truthfulness and knowing the truth. In the next verse he says, “For the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.” If you compare these verses with John 14:16 and 17, you will see that truth is the Spirit. John 14:16 and 17 say that the Spirit of truth will be in us and that He will abide with us forever (KJV). Then 2 John 2 says that the truth abides in us and will be with us forever. Therefore, the truth is actually the Spirit. Hence, 1 John 5:6 says, “The Spirit is truth” (KJV).
We must have both the Spirit and the Bible. Without the Bible the Spirit cannot be the truth. We need to get into the Word so that we may have not only the Spirit but also the Spirit of truth. Eventually, this Spirit of truth is the truth itself.
In 3 John 4 the apostle John says, “I have no greater joy than these things, that I hear that my children are walking in the truth.” In Galatians 5:16, however, Paul tells us to walk by the Spirit. Actually, walking in the truth and walking by the Spirit are one. When we walk by the Spirit, we are walking in the truth; and when we walk in the truth, we are walking by the Spirit. Never try to separate the Spirit from the truth, for these two are one.
Remember, apart from the Bible, the Spirit can be only the Spirit. Only when the Spirit is one with the Bible is the Spirit the Spirit of truth. How we thank the Lord that in His economy He has given us both the Spirit and the Word! Together these two constitute the Spirit of truth that sets us free and sanctifies us.
