Truth

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What exactly is this truth we are to gird ourselves with?

Definition

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Truth

Clarification

Since Eph 6:12 teaches that we are in a spiritual battle, it follows that we are to gird ourselves with spiritual truth.

Also, this spiritual truth is the same for everyone, objective, not subjective.  We know that this is true as Eph 6:8-9 teaches us that God treats us all the same.

Let's define objective and subjective.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Objective

1 a : relating to or existing as an object of thought without consideration of independent existence -- used chiefly in medieval philosophy b : of, relating to, or being an object , phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers : having reality independent of the mind <objective reality> <our reveries... are significantly and repeatedly shaped by our transactions with the objective world -- Marvin Reznikoff> -- compare SUBJECTIVE 3a c of a symptom of disease : perceptible to persons other than the affected individual -- compare SUBJECTIVE 4c d : involving or deriving from sense perception or experience with actual objects , conditions, or phenomena <objective awareness> <objective data>
2 : relating to, characteristic of, or constituting the case of words that follow prepositions or transitive verbs
3 a : expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations <objective art> <an objective history of the war> <an objective judgment> b of a test : limited to choices of fixed alternatives and reducing subjective factors to a minimum
synonym see MATERIAL, FAIR

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Subjective

1 : of, relating to, or constituting a subject : as a obsolete : of, relating to, or characteristic of one that is a subject especially in lack of freedom of action or in submissiveness b : being or relating to a grammatical subject; especially : NOMINATIVE
2 : of or relating to the essential being of that which has substance, qualities, attributes, or relations
3 a : characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind : PHENOMENAL -- compare OBJECTIVE 1b b : relating to or being experience or knowledge as conditioned by personal mental characteristics or states
4 a (1) : peculiar to a particular individual : PERSONAL <subjective judgments> (2) : modified or affected by personal views, experience, or background <a subjective account of the incident> b : arising from conditions within the brain or sense organs and not directly caused by external stimuli <subjective sensations> c : arising out of or identified by means of one's perception of one's own states and processes <a subjective symptom of disease> -- compare OBJECTIVE 1c
5 : lacking in reality or substance : ILLUSORY

Definition Restated

Let's restate our definition substituting synonyms for the terms objective and subjective.

Spiritual truth is the same for everyone, just, fair, impartial, dealing with facts, free from bias in judgment, not arbitrary, illusory, or peculiar to a particular individual.  It is in accordance with reality, a body of true statements.

Examples of Spiritual Truth

Psalms 25:10 - "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."

Psalms 119:151-152 - "Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.  Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever."

I John 5:6 - "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."

John 14:6 - "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

I Pet 1:22-23 - "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

John 8:31-32 - "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

More Examples

Psalms 119:29-30 - "Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.  I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me."

Psalms 119:142 - "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth."

John 1:6-17 - "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

John 15:26 - "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"

John 16:12-14 - "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

John 17:14-19 - "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and other books refer to the word, or the gospel, as the truth several times:
Gal 2:5 - "...that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."
Gal 2:14 - "...uprightly according to the truth of the gospel..."
Gal 3:1, Gal 5:7 - "...obey the truth..."
Eph 1:13 - "...the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation..."
Eph 4:15 - "...speaking the truth in love..."
Eph 4:21 - "...the truth is in Jesus..."
Col 1:5 - "...in the word of the truth of the gospel..."
II Thess 2:10 - "...the love of the truth, that they might be saved...."
II Thess 2:13-14 - "...salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
I Tim 2:4 - "...to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
I Tim 3:15 - "...in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Tim 4:3 - "...of them which believe and know the truth."
II Tim 2:15 - "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
II Tim 3:7 - "...the knowledge of the truth."
Titus 1:1 - "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"
Heb 10:26 - "...we have received the knowledge of the truth..."
James 1:18 - "...with the word of truth..."

Conclusion

Spiritually, God tells us that His Son is truth, His ways are truth, His everlasting Word is truth, given by his Spirit which is truth.  We can know this truth, and it will set us free from sin.  Holding forth our own opinions, even with sincerity, is not truth.