in whom you also [referring to that same Christ]
having heard the word of truth [relative of source and cause and effect]
the good news of your salvation [noun phrase of apposition which adds detail to the nature of “the truth”]
Ephesians 1:13
This is an interesting little segment. It refers back to the “in Christ” from the previous segment. There is no complement, i.e. the rest of the point is not there. It is dependent on what went before it. Namely that this too should be “to the praise of His glory”. What should be to His praise? That we heard the Word of Truth, received it and believed it.
Jesus said “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life.” (John 14:6) Sixty eight times in the Gospels Jesus says “I tell you the truth.” Or “Truly truly, I say to you”. Interesting isn’t that several decades ago the idea of “gospel” had the connotation of truth about it. The gospel truth. “It’s gospel man (I.e. truth)” God is not a man that He should lie. What He tells you, you can stake your life on. The Father has given the manual of life. You can trust that every word in it is true. And He has given you Himself as a seal (The Holy Spirit) to guide you into that same truth. Jesus is the Living Word; His words will give you the truth and the truth will set you free. This is what the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation, is all about. There is no other book like this one, which talks of the human condition in a way that rings true. If we are honest with ourselves within, the Bible perfectly depicts what is inside us all and tells us the truth as to how to deal with it.
God loves those who take Him at His word and believe it. This is exactly why I developed the seminar material God’s Awesome Book. I realized increasingly we were living in a post Christian age. An age when the “gospel” truth was no longer perceived of as being true. I felt as a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators that someone needed to address the issue and help people to see that God’s Word was reliable and trustworthy. If He said it, if it is recorded in His word, then it is true. God soon indicated to me that I should pull the details together and so the seminar God’s Awesome Book was developed.
We all want to know that what we believe in is the truth. The Bereans gained insights as they investigated the Word (in their case of Paul and the Old Testament) and tested it to see if it were true or not (Acts 17:11). It either is or it isn’t true. God is not afraid of you checking out whether what He has said is true. God really loves it when you check it out honestly, seek the truth and when you find it, have the integrity to do something about bringing your life into line with the truth you have found. That which has the ring of truth to it results in praise and glory to God. Exactly what Paul is saying. You have heard the word of truth and accepted it and so have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the One who leads you to the truth and confirms that truth within you.
The Word of God is both the Word of Truth and the Good News (Gospel) of your salvation. These two phrases are set in apposition. They are stacked like adjectives. It is indeed the Word of Truth as we have seen above, but it is also good news about salvation. Just make sure it is your salvation. It is all very well to hear it but until you respond the salvation offered doesn’t become yours. Make sure it becomes personal for you.
- Listen to it (Hear it)
- Understand it
- Remember it
- Make a decision to accept it
- Do something about (Action it)
Demonstrate your faith by your actions.
If God’s Word holds the universe together, surely He can keep your life from falling apart!
A R Bernard
The quality of your life is determined by the Word of God that you consume DAILY.
Kenny Goh
Suffering from Truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.
Ian Vail