Deeper ReflectionBesides truth being personified in Jesus (the living Word of God),
spiritual and moral truths are found in the Bible (the written
Word of God). Within its sacred pages, God revealed His moral
standards, which are grounded in His unchanging character of holiness
and righteousness. God’s Word guides us in our reasoning and decision-making regarding moral choices, as we discern
what is (a description of truth and reality) and
what ought to be (a prescription of right and wrong). In biblical ethics, what God requires of His people, He has in
Christ already done for us,
15 shown us by His example
16 and by His Spirit
empowered us to do.Jesus wants His disciples to be set apart for holy purposes. He asked
the Father,
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (v.17).
This work of regeneration by God’s Word
17 is effected through the Spirit
of truth
18 . Verses 17 to 21 tell us that the sanctification of believers is
for witness to the world. Earlier, Jesus prayed, “
I have given them
the words that You gave me, and
they have received them and
have come to
know in truth that I came from You; and
they have
believed that You sent me” (v.8). Receiving God’s Word equates to
knowing and believing the truth, which leads to
obeying the truth. Our
understanding of Scripture as divine truth is fundamental and indicative
of our acceptance of God and His authority over our lives. This the Lord
desires, not just for His disciples to-date, but
for all people in the world who have yet to come to believe in Him.
15 Loving God with our whole being and loving our neighbour as ourselves (Matt 22:37-40; 5:17-18).
16 For example, Jesus instructed His disciples to wash one another’s feet, but not before setting Himself as an example for
them to follow (Jn 13:12-15). Similarly, Jesus’ commandment for them to love one another (Jn 13:34) came after He first loved them (Jn 15:9; 17:26; cf. 1 Jn 4:11, 19)
17 See Jesus’ conversation with Peter in the upper room in John 13:6-10 (cf. Jn 15:3; Eph 5:26).
18See John 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:13.
