Patterns of truth: how to separate truth from lies

December 22, 2015

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

God’s word is the truth, therefore, we are wise in taking heed to it.

Genesis 2
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Many people say that verse 17 is a lie because Adam lived to be 930 years old. They are only partially right. He did live to be 930 years old.

Genesis 5:5
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

Genesis 2:17
…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God’s word clearly says that in the very day he eats of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he will surely die.

He didn’t die physically, but spiritually. He lost the gift of holy spirit that was upon him because he committed treason against God, which is a crime punishable by death.

Genesis 3:4
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

God’s Truth | Genesis 2:17 | thou shalt surely die
Devil’s Lie |Genesis 3:4 | Ye shall not surely die

This sets a pattern that we often see throughout the bible – God’s truth comes first, and then Satan’s lie contradicts it afterwards.

The gospel of John has a good example of this.

John 9
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

In verse 3, Jesus told the truth first: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents”.

34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

In verse 34, “they” refers to the pharisees, who are mentioned in verses 13, 15, & 16.

So we see the exact same pattern of truth vs lie in John that we first saw in Genesis.

God’s Truth | John 9:3 | “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents”
Devil’s lie | John 9:34 | “Thou wast altogether born in sins”

The Pharisees were one of the main religious leaders in Jesus Christ’s time.

What does God’s word say about corrupt systems of man-made religion?

Matthew 15
1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.