Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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Dear Pastor John,
I’ve never really thought about this just because I’ve heard the phrase my whole life but what do we mean when we say, “I’m in the truth”? Drew brought it to my attention a few weeks ago, and every time I read it in an e-mail now I think about what we are saying.
I know you should worship God in spirit and in truth. I can see that God has let us understand a lot about Him and has given us the holy Ghost, and if we walk in that and keep it stirred up, we can have a better understanding of His ways. So is all of that what we are saying when we say “I’m in the truth?”
Sorry if this seems deep. It doesn’t seem like it in my head. I hear it a lot from Christian students - “the truth” and I just didn’t know if saying that phrase was just another part of the religion of Christianity.
Love,
Maleah
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Hi Maleah:
There is nobody “walking in the truth” unless they are living a pure and clean life before God, even when nobody is watching them. Listening to somebody else teach you true doctrine is not “walking in the truth”, but that is probably how you heard that phrase used when you were growing up, especially from certain people closest to you in the assembly you grew up in. We both know about that. Some there in Louisville claimed to be “in the truth” simply because they were there, thinking they were getting by with their secret sins.
Walking in the truth is walking in the Spirit. That is all. Whether a person understands the true doctrine or not, he can walk in the truth if he stays in the Spirit, and I believe God has many children all over the world who do that, even though they are taught wrong things by their teachers. They are the kind of people I hope Jesus allows me to spend eternity with. I have met many saints through the years who were ignorant of the true doctrine but whose spirit was clean, and I can remember wishing that everyone who attends the meetings in my house had the kind of spirit those dear people had.
“The truth” is much more than true doctrine; it is the will of God, and it is always with holy love. To walk in the love of God toward people is to walk in the truth.
Hope that helps clear things up.
Pastor John