Embracing the Truth

Posted: 19 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed" (Eph.1:13).

After stating salvation from God's perspective in verse 12, Paul here states it from man's perspective. Faith in Christ is your response to God's elective purpose in your life. Those two truths--God's initiative and man's response--co-exist throughout Scripture.
Paul rightly called the gospel "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John17:17).
Yet as profound and powerful as God's truth is, people have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed it for centuries. Some, like Pilate, cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away.
Perhaps you've heard someone say, "Jesus may be true for you but that doesn't mean He has to be true for me." That view assumes that belief somehow determines truth. But just the opposite is the case. Truth determines the validity of one's belief. Believing a lie doesn't make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie.
The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:3).
You enter this day armed with the message of truth and empowered by the Spirit of truth. Truth is your protection and strength (Eph. 6:14). Lost souls desperately need to hear that truth. Represent it well and proclaim it with boldness.
Suggestions for Prayer:

• Thank the Lord that by His Spirit He has enabled you to understand His truth (1 Cor. 2:14-16).
• Ask for wisdom and boldness to speak His truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

For Further Study:
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and Acts 17:30-31.

• What key elements of the gospel does Paul list?
• What is the relationship between Christ's resurrection and God's judgment on sinners?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.