THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Ministry of Peter
Message Four—The Present Truth, the Way of the Truth, and the Most Holy Faith
Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 1:12; 2:2, 15, 21; 1 Pet. 1:22
I. The present truth is the truth that is present with the believers, which they have already received and now possess—1:12: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
A. We need to know the present, up-to-date truth and to uphold the absoluteness of the truth—John 18:37. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
B. We need to be clear whether a particular matter is an item of the truth—8:32: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
1. “Is calling on the name of the Lord a truth? No, it is not a truth. Calling on the Lord is necessary, and we need to have such a practice in our daily life, but calling on the Lord’s name is not a truth. Likewise, baptism, presbytery, foot-washing, and pray-reading are not truths” (Life-study of Ezra, p. 33). (2007 WT, msg. 11)
2. “Justification by faith is a truth. Regeneration, sanctification, renewing, transformation, conformation, transfiguration, being made God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead-all these are truths” (p. 33). (2007 WT, msg. 11)
C. Because many basic truths have been given up, even by those who apparently are fundamental believers, there is the need for us in the Lord’s recovery to fight the battle for the truth—1 Tim. 6:12, 20-21. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
D. Today, in a time of apostasy, we need to testify the full revelation of the pure Word of God and to fight for the deeper truths revealed in the Word of God, including: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
1. The revelation concerning the eternal economy of God—Eph. 1:10; 3:9. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
2. The revelation concerning the Divine Trinity—2 Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:4-5. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
3. The revelation concerning the person and work of the all-inclusive Christ—Col. 2:9, 16-17; 3:11. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
4. The revelation concerning the consummated life-giving Spirit—John 7:39; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 22:17. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
5. The revelation concerning the eternal life of God—John 3:15-16. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
6. The revelation concerning the Body of Christ, which is the church of God—Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27; 10:32. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
E. We need to know and testify the highest truth: In Christ God became man to make man God in life, nature, constitution, and expression but not in the Godhead so that the redeeming God and the redeemed man can be united, mingled, and incorporated together to become one entity—the New Jerusalem— John 1:12-14; 14:20; Rev. 21:2, 10-11. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
II. The way of the truth is the path of the Christian life according to the truth, which is the reality of the contents of the New Testament—2 Pet. 2:2: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
A. The way of the truth is the straight way; to take the straight way is to live an upright life without crookedness and bias—v. 15. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
B. The way of the truth is the way of righteousness; to take the way of righteousness is to live a life that is right with both God and man, a life which, according to God’s righteousness, can receive God’s governmental judgment for His kingdom of righteousness—vv. 21, 9; Matt. 5:20; Rom. 14:17. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
C. The way of the truth is “the Way,” denoting the Lord’s full salvation in God’s New Testament economy—Acts 9:2: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
1. It is the way God dispenses Himself into the believers through Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s anointing—Eph. 1:7; 1 John 2:27. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
2. It is the way the believers partake of God and enjoy God—2 Pet. 1:4. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
3. It is the way the believers worship God in their spirit by enjoying Him and follow the persecuted Jesus by being one with Him—John 4:24; Heb. 13:12-13. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
4. It is the way the believers are brought into the church and built up into the Body of Christ to bear the testimony of Jesus—1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27; Rev. 1:2. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
D. To take the way of the truth is to purify our souls by obedience to the truth; this is the sanctifying truth, which is God’s word of reality—1 Pet. 1:22; John 17:17: (2007 WT, msg. 11)
1. The purifying of our souls by obedience to the truth causes our entire being to be concentrated on God that we may love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind—Mark 12:30. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
2. Such a purifying of our souls issues in unfeigned brotherly love, that is, in our loving from the heart fervently those whom God loves—1 John 5:1. (2007 WT, msg. 11)
III. In [Jude chapter 1] verse 20, the “most holy faith” Jude speaks of is objective faith and refers to the precious things of the New Testament in which we believe for our salvation in Christ: (Life-study of Jude, msg. 3)
A. This Faith is both objective and subjective; as we build ourselves up in our most holy faith, we build ourselves up in a faith that is not only objective but especially subjective; the subjective faith comes out of the objective faith; in other words, faith implies both what we believe in and also our believing; this is the most holy faith—1:20. (Life-study of Jude, msg. 3)
B. The most holy faith is a great blessing given to us from God, of God, and even with God; when this faith comes into us, it comes with God, with all that God is, with all that God has passed through, with all that God has accomplished in Christ and through the Spirit, and with all that God has obtained and attained. (Life-study of Jude, msg. 3)
C. The building up in the most holy faith is not individualistic; rather, this building is a corporate matter; Jude is speaking to the believers corporately when he charges them to build up themselves in their most holy faith; if we would build up ourselves in faith, we must do it in a corporate way; that is, we must do it in the Body, in the church life. (Life-study of Jude, msg. 3)