Thy Word Is Truth

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” — John 17:17

We are living in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is real.

Artificial intelligence can now create convincing faces, voices, photographs and videos. It can produce people who have never lived, speeches that were never given and songs that were never sung. We are entering an age where appearances can be remarkably persuasive, yet completely false.

Recently I came across an online country and western singer called Arthur Hayes. There are videos of him singing gospel songs with warmth and conviction, playing the guitar with remarkable skill and even appearing before television talent show judges. Thousands have listened to his music.

There is just one problem.

Arthur Hayes is not a real person. He is an artificial intelligence creation—a carefully generated digital character with no life, no history and no existence beyond a computer algorithm.

When I discovered that, it made me stop and think. If technology can imitate reality so convincingly, how do we know what we can trust? We live in a world where deception has become increasingly sophisticated.

How thankful we should be that, in a world filled with uncertainty, imitation and falsehood, God has given us something that is absolutely true.

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Our faith rests upon this Book. Our hope rests upon this Book. Our assurance rests upon this Book.

Yet the thought of an artificial person also reminds us of a far more solemn danger—that of artificial Christianity. It is possible to possess the appearance of faith without possessing its reality. A person may know the language of Christianity, attend church faithfully and even impress others with outward devotion, yet remain unchanged in heart.

Judas Iscariot walked with Christ for three years. He heard every sermon, witnessed every miracle and enjoyed privileges that few have ever known, yet his heart was never truly surrendered to the Lord. He looked like a disciple, but he was never a genuine follower of Christ.

May God deliver us from a religion that is merely an imitation. May He preserve His Church from empty profession. Unless the truth of God’s Word is continually shaping our minds, transforming our hearts and governing our lives, we too can become little more than an outward appearance.

Only God’s truth produces genuine Christians. Only the truth sets men free. That is why Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

1: The Nature of the Word

Notice how the Lord Jesus speaks of Scripture. He simply calls it, “Thy Word.”

The Bible is God’s Word. It has its origin in Him.

From the opening chapter of Genesis we discover that God is a speaking God. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Then repeatedly we read, “And God said…” His powerful Word brought the universe into existence.

Because the Scriptures come from God, they bear His character.

God is holy; therefore His Word is holy.

God is true; therefore His Word is true.

God cannot lie; therefore His Word cannot lie.

God is the ultimate source authority, therefore when He speaks through His Word we are commanded to listen.

Paul reminded Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2nd Timothy 3:16). The word inspiration literally means “God-breathed.” The Scriptures proceed from the very breath of God. Consequently, the Bible is as trustworthy as the God who gave it.

2: The Reliability of the Word

Jesus says, “Thy Word is truth.” Because it is God’s Word, it is completely reliable. Let me suggest six areas in which the Bible proves itself trustworthy.

A. In Its History

The Scriptures are a book of history. They record real events that took place in time. We read of Creation, the Flood, the calling of Abraham, the rise and fall of Israel, the coming of Christ, His death, resurrection and the spread of the Gospel through the apostles.

The remarkable thing is that, despite centuries of criticism, the facts of Scripture have never been disproved. Again and again archaeology and historical discovery have confirmed the biblical record. The more we learn, the more the reliability of God’s Word is established.

B. In Its Doctrine

Flowing out of that history are the great doctrines of the Christian faith. The Bible tells us who God is. It explains who we are. It reveals the seriousness of sin and the wonder of redemption.

Running through the whole Bible is one great message—that Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost. God’s truth is consistent from Genesis to Revelation.

C. In Its Precepts

The Bible is reliable in its commandments.

God’s precepts are not designed to rob us of joy but to lead us into lives that honour Him and bless others. His commandments teach us to honour our parents, to respect life, to value marriage, to speak truthfully and to deal honestly with one another.

The more society abandons God’s standards, the more we see the wisdom of them.

D. In Its Guidance

The Scriptures are reliable in directing our path.

The Psalmist declared,

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

We do not know what tomorrow holds, but God does. His Word gives light for every stage of life’s journey. We need not walk in darkness when we have the light of Scripture.

E. In Its Prophecy

The Bible is reliable in its prophecy.

The prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming were fulfilled with astonishing precision. That gives us every confidence that the prophecies concerning His second coming and the consummation of God’s kingdom will also be fulfilled.

God has never failed to keep His prophetic Word.

F. In Its Promises

The Scriptures are reliable in their promises.

One of the great ministries of the Holy Spirit is to take the promises of God’s Word and apply them personally to our hearts. They are not merely verses to be memorised; they are anchors for the soul.

I discovered that in a very personal way earlier this year.

While I was in hospital, I suffered repeated transient ischaemic attacks affecting my right eye. The scans revealed that my right carotid artery was critically narrowed, placing me at serious risk of a major stroke. I can still remember the consultant looking at me and saying, “Of all the patients I have, you are the one I want to keep.” Those words impressed upon me just how serious the situation had become.

Yet in those anxious days I found myself resting upon the promises of God. Again and again my heart returned to Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Around that time I had also been reading a little book by R.C. Sproul on the sovereignty of God. One statement has remained with me:

“If there is one maverick molecule in this universe running free from the sovereign control of God, we have no reason to believe any future promise that God has made… But thanks be to God, there are no maverick molecules running loose outside of the scope of God’s sovereign government.

RC Sproul
What does it Mean that God is Sovereign?

What a comfort that was. If God is sovereign over every molecule, then He is sovereign over every artery. If He rules the universe, He rules the circumstances of my life. His promises could be trusted because the God who made them reigns over all things.

That is why the promises of Scripture are dependable. They are not founded upon chance or fate; they are founded upon the sovereign God who cannot lie and who cannot fail.

3: The Purifying Power of the Word

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth.”

The Word of God does more than inform our minds—it transforms our lives.

God uses His truth to make His people holy.

That happens as we read the Scriptures consistently and prayerfully.

It happens as we meditate upon them. Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as one who delights in God’s law and meditates upon it day and night. God’s truth must sink deeply into our hearts if it is to shape our lives.

It happens as we sit under the faithful preaching of God’s Word. Christ has given pastors and teachers to open the Scriptures and feed His people.

And it happens as we obey what God says. Knowledge without obedience produces pride; obedience produces holiness.

The Word exposes our sins. Hebrews tells us it is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,” discerning “the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). It reveals what we truly are, but it also points us to Christ and transforms us by His grace.

A Personal Challenge

We are immensely privileged to possess the Word of God.

But do we prize it?

Do we own Bibles that gather dust on our shelves?

Do we admire the Scriptures without obeying them?

Is God’s Word shaping our thinking more than the voices of our culture?

Can those around us see that God’s truth is making us more like Christ?

Jesus declared, “Thy word is truth.”

Whose Word is it? It is God’s Word.

What is it? It is perfectly reliable.

What does it do? It sanctifies and transforms all who humbly receive and obey it.

We began by thinking about an artificial man—a convincing digital creation who looked and sounded real, yet had no real existence. That illustration reminds us that appearances can be deceptive.

God is not looking for artificial Christians. He is not impressed by a convincing profession that lacks a transformed heart. He desires men and women whose lives have been changed by His truth.

The genuine Christian is not simply one who owns a Bible, quotes Scripture or attends church. He is one who has been born again by the Spirit of God and is being continually sanctified through the truth of God’s Word.

In a world filled with fakes, may God make us the genuine article. May we not merely admire His truth but submit to it. May we not only hear His Word but obey it. As His truth shapes our minds, humbles our hearts and governs our lives, we shall be preserved from shallow, fickle and hypocritical Christianity and increasingly conformed to the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”