What Is Truth?

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? John 18:38

A selection of Scriptures to answer Pilate's question:

Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth. Psalms 119:151

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4:37

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 

1 John 5:6

My Affirmation:

It is my desire to have a love for the TRUTH.

Blessing The Children

Mark 10:13-16

Jesus was ever a lover of children. He accepted their childish sympathy and their open, unaffected love. The grateful praise from their pure lips was music in His ears, and refreshed His spirit when oppressed by contact with crafty and hypocritical men. Wherever the Saviour went, the benignity of His countenance, and His gentle, kindly manner won the love and confidence of children.

Among the Jews it was customary for children to be brought to some rabbi, that he might lay his hands upon them in blessing; but the Saviour's disciples thought His work too important to be interrupted in this way. When the mothers came to Him with their little ones, the disciples looked on them with disfavor. They thought these children too young to be benefited by a visit to Jesus, and concluded that He would be displeased at their presence. But it was the disciples with whom He was displeased. The Saviour understood the care and burden of the mothers who were seeking to train their children according to the word of God. He had heard their prayers. He Himself had drawn them into His presence.

One mother with her child had left her home to find Jesus. On the way she told a neighbor her errand, and the neighbor wanted to have Jesus bless her children. Thus several mothers came together, with their little ones. Some of the children had passed beyond the years of infancy to childhood and youth. When the mothers made known their desire, Jesus heard with sympathy the timid, tearful request. But He waited to see how the disciples would treat them. When He saw them send the mothers away, thinking to do Him a favor, He showed them their error, saying, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” He took the children in His arms, He laid His hands upon them, and gave them the blessing for which they came.

The mothers were comforted. They returned to their homes strengthened and blessed by the words of Christ. They were encouraged to take up their burden with new cheerfulness, and to work hopefully for their children. The mothers of today are to receive His words with the same faith. Christ is as verily a personal Saviour today as when He lived a man among men. He is as verily the helper of mothers today as when He gathered the little ones to His arms in Judea. The children of our hearths are as much the purchase of His blood as were the children of long ago.

Jesus knows the burden of every mother's heart. He who had a mother that struggled with poverty and privation sympathizes with every mother in her labors. He who made a long journey in order to relieve the anxious heart of a Canaanite woman will do as much for the mothers of today. He who gave back to the widow of Nain her only son, and who in His agony upon the cross remembered His own mother, is touched today by the mother's sorrow. In every grief and every need He will give comfort and help. 

Let mothers come to Jesus with their perplexities. They will find grace sufficient to aid them in the management of their children. The gates are open for every mother who would lay her burdens at the Saviour's feet. He who said, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not,” still invites the mothers to lead up their little ones to be blessed by Him. Even the babe in its mother's arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty through the faith of the praying mother. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth. If we will live in communion with God, we too may expect the divine Spirit to mold our little ones, even from their earliest moments. 

In the children who were brought in contact with Him, Jesus saw the men and women who should be heirs of His grace and subjects of His kingdom, and some of whom would become martyrs for His sake. He knew that these children would listen to Him and accept Him as their Redeemer far more readily than would grown-up people, many of whom were the worldly-wise and hardhearted. In His teaching He came down to their level. He, the Majesty of heaven, did not disdain to answer their questions, and simplify His important lessons to meet their childish understanding. He planted in their minds the seeds of truth, which in after years would spring up, and bear fruit unto eternal life. 

It is still true that children are the most susceptible to the teachings of the gospel; their hearts are open to divine influences, and strong to retain the lessons received. The little children may be Christians, having an experience in accordance with their years. They need to be educated in spiritual things, and parents should give them every advantage, that they may form characters after the similitude of the character of Christ.

Fathers and mothers should look upon their children as younger members of the Lord's family, committed to them to educate for heaven. The lessons that we ourselves learn from Christ we should give to our children, as the young minds can receive them, little by little opening to them the beauty of the principles of heaven. Thus the Christian home becomes a school, where the parents serve as underteachers, while Christ Himself is the chief instructor. 

In working for the conversion of our children, we should not look for violent emotion as the essential evidence of conviction of sin. Nor is it necessary to know the exact time when they are converted. We should teach them to bring their sins to Jesus, asking His forgiveness, and believing that He pardons and receives them as He received the children when He was personally on earth. 

As the mother teaches her children to obey her because they love her, she is teaching them the first lessons in the Christian life. The mother's love represents to the child the love of Christ, and the little ones who trust and obey their mother are learning to trust and obey the Saviour. 

Jesus was the pattern for children, and He was also the father's example. He spoke as one having authority, and His word was with power; yet in all His intercourse with rude and violent men He did not use one unkind or discourteous expression. The grace of Christ in the heart will impart a heaven-born dignity and sense of propriety. It will soften whatever is harsh, and subdue all that is coarse and unkind. It will lead fathers and mothers to treat their children as intelligent beings, as they themselves would like to be treated. 

Parents, in the training of your children, study the lessons that God has given in nature…Take them out into the open air, under the noble trees, into the garden; and in all the wonderful works of creation teach them to see an expression of His love. Teach them that He made the laws which govern all living things, that He has made laws for us, and that these laws are for our happiness and joy. Do not weary them with long prayers and tedious exhortations, but through nature's object lessons teach them obedience to the law of God. 

As you win their confidence in you as followers of Christ, it will be easy to teach them of the great love wherewith He has loved us. As you try to make plain the truths of salvation, and point the children to Christ as a personal Saviour, angels will be by your side. The Lord will give to fathers and mothers grace to interest their little ones in the precious story of the Babe of Bethlehem, who is indeed the hope of the world. 

When Jesus told the disciples not to forbid the children to come to Him, He was speaking to His followers in all ages,—to officers of the church, to ministers, helpers, and all Christians. Jesus is drawing the children, and He bids us, Suffer them to come; as if He would say, They will come if you do not hinder them. DA 511-517

God Is...

A Jealous God

Consuming Fire

Merciful God

My Strength

A Great God

A Mighty God

A Terrible God

The God of our salvation

An Holy God

In thee

One LORD 

Thy Refuge

Gracious

Merciful

Longsuffering

Abundant in Goodness and Truth

Forgiving

My Defence

The Rock of my Refuge

In the Heavens

A Spirit

No Respecter of persons

Love

Light 

Not Mocked

My Affirmation:

Because “HE IS”

That is all I need to know.

Ask And Receive

In the parable, he who asks bread for the stranger, receives “as many as he needeth.” And in what measure will God impart to us that we may impart to others? “According to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7. Angels are watching with intense interest to see how man is dealing with his fellow men. When they see one manifest Christlike sympathy for the erring, they press to his side and bring to his remembrance words to speak that will be as the bread of life to the soul. So “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. Your testimony in its genuineness and reality He will make powerful in the power of the life to come. The word of the Lord will be in your mouth as truth and righteousness.

Personal effort for others should be preceded by much secret prayer; for it requires great wisdom to understand the science of saving souls. Before communicating with men, commune with Christ. At the throne of heavenly grace obtain a preparation for ministering to the people.

Let your heart break for the longing it has for God, for the living God. The life of Christ has shown what humanity can do by being partaker of the divine nature. All that Christ received from God we too may have. Then ask and receive. With the persevering faith of Jacob, with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, claim for yourself all that God has promised.

Let the glorious conceptions of God possess your mind. Let your life be knit by hidden links to the life of Jesus. He who commanded the light to shine out of darkness is willing to shine in your heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will take the things of God and show them unto you, conveying them as a living power into the obedient heart. Christ will lead you to the threshold of the Infinite. You may behold the glory beyond the veil, and reveal to men the sufficiency of Him who ever liveth to make intercession for us. COL 148,149

5T 100

We as a people profess to have truth in advance of every other people upon the earth. Then our life and character should be in harmony with such a faith. The day is just upon us when the righteous shall be bound like precious grain in bundles for the heavenly garner, while the wicked are, like the tares, gathered for the fires of the last great day. But the wheat and tares “grow together until the harvest.” In the discharge of life's duties the righteous will to the last be brought in contact with the ungodly. The children of light are scattered among the children of darkness, that the contrast may be seen by all. Thus are the children of God to “show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The divine love glowing in the heart, the Christ like harmony manifested in the life, will be as a glimpse of heaven granted to men of the world that they may see and appreciate its excellence. 

Holiness is...

Holiness is...

an entire surrender of the will to God; 

it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; 

it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; 

it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; 

it is walking by faith and not by sight; 

it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. 

AA 51

Names of Christ - Foundation

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD,

Behold, I lay in Zion for a Foundation a stone,

a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure Foundation:

he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16

The Trial of Jesus

In the Jewish Legal system no man was ever to be convicted in a single day – always a 2nd trial the following day – time given to think/pray. If a judge proclaimed a person innocent on the 1st day, they could not change the verdict on the second day.  But if a judge found a person guilty on the 1st day, they could change the verdict on the 2nd day.

 In Jesus' trial there was no waiting until 2nd trial/day or final conviction before all smote Him, spat on Him, battered etc – punishment was not permitted like this.  

No Friday trial permitted before the Sabbath- “On eve of Sabbath or a Holy Day”.

No trial was permitted in the hours of darkness.  Must be between morning sacrifice and evening sacrifice.

In the Jewish legal system, only one conviction was to be made per trial.  

In Jesus' trial He was tried 1st for sedition- the witnesses disagreed, inconsistent testimony.  He should have been released then.

In Jesus' trial they bribed the witness/es, which was forbidden.  Exodus 23:8

False witnesses were used.  Under Jewish law they were to receive the same punishment that the accused was to get and the accused was to go free.

At Jesus' trial they had 2 trials all in one session. This was not allowed. 

Under Jewish law they were to seek every avenue to see that an innocent person was acquitted and not condemned.

Under Jewish law no trial was permitted before the morning sacrifice. There was to be a prayer prayed by the priest at the time of this sacrifice and it was to give the individuals time to also seek God's guidance personally in the matter.  Nothing was to be done without prayer.

No man is to be condemned before at least 1 judge says that he is innocent. Caiaphas acted as defence council by himself, not before all the judges.  “All those in favour” is not the true method of that legal system.  He rent his High Priestly robe - the ephod, a capital offence = death.

Witnesses were the only prosecution in the legal system.

In Jewish law every judge was to give his verdict as an individual, not simultaneously, as in Christ's trial.  It must start with the junior judges first, so that they could not be influenced by any other/s.

The trial must be held in the hall of the Temple Gazigh, but Jesus' trial was illegally held in the High Priest's palace.

Judges were to be totally neutral.  There was total enmity against Christ before He appeared – several times they had met to plan His death.

Jewish law stipulated that they not conspire against any person before the trial. In Jesus' trial there are at least 3 previous meetings recorded.

In the legal system, as it then stood, there were improperly elected judges, “privilege for duty”. They purchased their positions/commissions - for the highest bidder received it.

Under Jewish law every effort was to be made to acquit the innocent – but in Christ's case, every effort was made to convict the innocent.

It was a custom before the death of a condemned person for a proclamation to be made that others might bear testimony/witness to his innocence.  No such proclamation was made for our Lord.

No one could bring an accusation on himself – it is not allowed.  Only 2 witnesses can do so.

If a quick decision was made, the High Priest's role was to acquit the person immediately.

If they were unable to decide, they were to go home, fast and pray and come back and even if all 71 accused and a young observer in the rear of the court could find a way to acquit, he was elevated to the Sanhedrin for life.

The 71 were seated in a semi-circle, on cushions, so that all had an equal view of the accused – they all saw the same thing.

Votes were counted by 3 parties (Left ,Right & Centre) plus the High Priest, so that there could be no doubt.

Even up to the point of the death of the accused, if a witness came forward with information that proved the innocency of the condemned, the Sanhedrin were to be called back and then a horseman would be dispatched to have the sentence stopped and the innocent released.

Not one person spoke up in defence of Christ on the day! e.g. Like Eve in Eden & the Israelites at Mt. Carmel.  He speaks up for each one of us each and every day.

The fairest judicial system in history, given by Himself, the Merciful God, was used to illegally condemn Himself, the only innocent Man in this world's history.

He is my Advocate and Judge, in the only Judgement that matters, so, He knows what it is like, from both sides. Now that is really fair. 

***

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Isaiah 59:14

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:10-12

Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32,33

For them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

If the members of the church labor faithfully to build up the cause of truth, they will not escape the tongue of gossip, falsehood, and slander. OHC 359

History testifies of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations; and having gained a foothold, to further her own aims, even at the ruin of princes and people. And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured. 

God's word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution…Courts of justice are corrupt. Rulers are actuated by desire for gain and love of sensual pleasure. Intemperance has beclouded the faculties of many so that Satan has almost complete control of them. Jurists are perverted, bribed, deluded. Drunkenness and revelry, passion, envy, dishonesty of every sort, are represented among those who administer the laws…The same policy of deception has marked the history of the Roman Church. It has professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exalt itself above God and to change His law. Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evildoers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in the eyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals. So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God's law, he will cause them to be accused as lawbreakers, as men who are dishonoring God and bringing judgments upon the world. Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives. GC 581-592.