The manual for my chainsaw tells me a lot of true things.  It tells me some important information about how to start the saw and how to operate it safely.  As far as I have read so far, every word in that manual is true.

• Is it authoritative on all of life’s issues just because it truthfully tells me how to operate a chainsaw?
• Is it the source of all truth by which all other truth is measured?

Just because something contains truth does not mean that it is the measure of truth.

When the Bible talks about God and His word being truth, it doesn’t just say that God says some true things.  When the Bible speaks about God, it talks about God as the standard by which all other truth must be measured.

John says in 1 John 1:5: “  ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all…”

When we says that God is light and in Him there is no darkness, one of the important things John is trying to communicate is that God is the measure of Truth.  There is no darkness in God.  Everything about God is light and truth.

God is Truth

The psalmist writes in Psalm 147:5,

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.”

When we say that God is truth, it is our (somewhat feeble) attempt to express the reality that God’s understanding of everything is “beyond” our ability to “measure.”  God’s wisdom and knowledge:

• It knows no end.
• It knows no bounds.
• It cannot be contained.
• It never runs out.
• It is never wrong.
• It never makes a mistake.
• It is always flawless.
• It is always perfectly informed.
• It always knows the best way.

In a phrase, you could say, “There is no limit on God’s Truth because God’s wisdom is infinite.”

The word “infinite” describes something that has no end and has no limit.  By definition, it defies definition.  It is incomprehensible.

If I spent the rest of my existence in eternity trying to learn about an infinite being, I could never have even the slightest grasp on all that God is or all that God knows.

When I stand before an expanse of infinite knowledge or infinite wisdom or infinite truth, my own grasp of reality is humbling in comparison.

• I have nothing to add to the knowledge of the One who knows all things. God is Truth in utter Perfection.
• I have nothing to say that God has not already thoroughly considered.  (He never says, “Huh?! I never thought of that, Mark.”)

At the end of Romans, Paul calls God the “only wise God.” (Rom 16:27)  If God is “only wise” that implies that in Him there is no foolishness or lack of knowledge.  In God, there is no missing Truth.

He knows every detail, and has every fact, and has examined every scenario perfectly.  His infinite wisdom makes Him uniquely qualified to be the source and measure of all Truth.

• In Titus 1:2, Paul writes that God never lies
• In Hebrews 6:18, the writer says , “it is impossible for God to lie…”

Here’s why it’s important to understand that God is the source of truth:

Simply put, if we live according to the truth of God’s Word, then we can find deeper fellowship with the God of Truth.  As we deepen our fellowship with the God of Truth, we are able to find more satisfaction and more joy in our lives.

Getting back to our text, let’s read our verse today in its context.  The reason for the light of God is to show us the way to have more joy in our lives.  As we read this passage, notice the words “joy” and “fellowship.”  1 John 1:3-7 says,

“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Over in Timothy, Paul makes it clear that the way to live a joy-filled and blessed life is by looking to the principles in God’s Truth-Saturated Word.  He said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and (here’s how we use it…) profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.  (Here’s why) ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Since God is Truth, we have more joy in our fellowship with God when we live according to His Truth

The Greek word for “training” (in 2 Timothy 3:16) usually refers to the elementary education of a child.

In this context, Paul is saying that God’s word covers all the basics for joy in all of life.  The follower of Christ can find great joy in a life-long pursuit of an all-satisfying God!

God’s Word is like the tough coach that pushes hard during training and demands his athletes are eating nutritious food and not junk so that they might enjoy the rewards of winning the game.  God’s word encourages us to feast on good spiritual food and to avoid worldliness so our joy might be complete.

The Bible is not just about cold, hard discipline though.  It’s about helping you and me find joy in serving, loving and growing in Jesus.  God’s Word is vital because it points us to the God of Truth.

Our greatest treasure and deepest satisfaction is found when we are in a right fellowship with God!  In our teaching in Psalms 1, I made the same point in another way.  I said it like this:

God knows the best way and we’ll find real, lasting, eternal and increasing blessedness (or Joy) if we follow Him using the power of Christ in us.