The truth.

“We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” Such is the confession of every true minister of the gospel.

Jehovah, the Lord God, is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. He is the rock. His work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. The word of Jehovah is right, and all his works are done in truth. Jehovah is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations. All the paths of Jehovah are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. Are not thy eyes, O Jehovah, on the truth?

The God of truth revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, so that no man comes unto the Father but by him. In Christ, mercy and truth are met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other. When he comes, Jehovah judges the world with righteousness and the people with his truth. All who believe shall be saved. All who do not believe shall be damned. What power! What authority! Who is sufficient for these things?

We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth, for the truth is God revealed in Jesus Christ, whose word goes forth in the preaching of the gospel effectually and infallibly to accomplish the sovereign purpose of God. His truth never returns to him void. It goes forth through the ministry of the gospel to save and to condemn, to soften and to harden, to work faith and to judge unbelief, and to gather and to cut off. Everything is accomplished according to the sovereign determination of the God and Father of Jesus Christ.

Though the whole world rejects the truth and reprobates it, the truth stands uninjured; nay more, it judges all who come under it either for salvation or damnation. And let all who have heard Christ in the truth acknowledge that what they have received—faith and salvation—they have received from him through the faithful preaching of his truth and that the one by whose mouth Christ spoke was a faithful minister. They have the very evidence within them, for their faith and salvation have no other source than that Christ came and taught them in the truth.

So every minister of the word is bound to the truth. He must say with David, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.” The preacher has no authority except to teach, promote, and defend the truth. Let him even be declared a reprobate among men, if only the authority of the doctrine of Christ is acknowledged, the glory of the truth is promoted, and the honor of God and Jesus Christ is secure.

There is no power or authority in the church but the power and authority of the truth, the truth worked as the conviction of the hearts of God’s people through the operation of the Holy Spirit. When the truth comes to them, they receive it, submit themselves to it, and rejoice in it.

So all who take power and authority to themselves in the church while at the same time they are enemies of the truth and do all in their power to snatch the truth away from the church are usurpers and tyrants who seek to separate Christ from his church.

For we—all true ministers of Christ—can do nothing against the truth but for the truth.