True (228) (alethinos from alethes = true, one who cannot lie) is an adjective which pertains to being in accordance with historical fact - genuine, real, true, valid, trustworthy (worthy of confidence, dependable).
Alethinos describes that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name -- thus genuine not spurious, fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended.
In describing God as "True God" Paul is saying that He is a genuine, truthful (and thus trustworthy) God, as opposed to the counterfeit gods of idolatry that have no objective existence nor divine truth. Paul is emphasizing the monotheistic character of the Deity the Thessalonians now served which sharply distinguished them from the pagan so-called gods.
True God - This phrase is also found in 2Chr. 15:3 (Lxx = alethinos); Jer 10:10; Jn. 17:3; 1Th 1:9; 1Jn. 5:20. Beloved, aren't we glad we worship and serve the One Who Alone can truly be called the "True God!" Praise Him today for revealing His truth to our blind, spiritually darkened hearts in Jesus Who is the Truth (Jn 14:6, cp 2Cor 4:6, Acts 26:18).
John frequently combines alethinos and "faithful" (pistos) in the Revelation (Rev 3:14-note, Rev 19:11-note, Rev 21:5-note, Rev 22:6-note). There is one passage by Luke in which he uses both words but not in a coupled phrase as in the uses in the Revelation. What is the Spirit of Truth (!) saying to us in this last book of the Holy Bible? God is trustworthy and He corresponds in His essence to that which is real and genuine. Why do we so often not trust our God Who gives us such a soul encouraging description of Himself? Notice that when He returns to defeat the enemies of God in Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus Christ's actual name is "Faithful and Truth!" O how we need to allow these simple but profound words marinate our heart and our mind, so that we might remain "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1Cor 15:58-note) in these last tumultuous days preceding His imminent, return "with power and great glory." (Mt 24:30) Let it be so Lord. Amen.
Nuances of meaning of definition of alethinos (adapted from Thayer's Lexicon)...
1) that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true genuine (see use in Lxx of 2Chr 15:3) (Donaldson adds "particularly applied to express that which is all that it pretends to be, for instance, pure gold as opposed to adulterated metal"). For example, alethinos describes words that conform to the facts and thus are correct and dependable (Jn 19:35)
1a) Alethinos is opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended (e.g., idols in 1Th 1:9!)
1b) it contrasts realities with their semblances (e.g., the earthly versus the heavenly tabernacle, the latter being the "true tabernacle" Heb 8:2)
1c) opposite to what is imperfect, defective, frail, uncertain
2) True, veracious, sincere. (Describes one's heart Heb 10:22, cp Lxx use describing Isaiah's heart in Isa 38:3) The Septuagint often uses alethinos in this sense. This sense of alethinos is said to be equivalent to alethes (but see Vincent's comment below). How fitting that the last two uses of the word "true" refer to God's Word, both times as "faithful and true." (Rev 21:5, Rev 22:6)
Friberg on alethinos...
(1) Of words that conform to facts true, correct, dependable (Jn 19.35);
(2) Of what conforms to reality genuine, real, true (1Jn 2.8); substantially true thing, reality (Heb 9.24);
(3) Of persons characterized by integrity and trustworthiness true, dependable; substantially, as a person who is what he claims to be = (the) true one (Rev 3.7) (Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Baker Academic) (Logos version)
Vine summarizes alethinos...
denotes true in the sense of real, ideal, genuine; it is used
(a) of God, John 7:28 (cp. No. 1 Alethes in Jn 7:18, above); Jn 17:3; 1Th. 1:9; Rev. 6:10; these declare that God fulfils the meaning of His Name, He is “very God,” in distinction from all other gods, false gods (alēthēs, see John 3:33 in No. 1, signifies that He is veracious, true to His utterances, He cannot lie);
TDNT - As a divine attribute it has the sense of “reliable,” “righteous,” or “real” (cf. Ex. 34:6; Is. 65:16; 1 Th. 1:9; Jn. 7:28; 1 Jn. 5:20; Rev. 3:7; 6:10); in the NT it can be used of Christ as well as God.
(b) of Christ, John 1:9; 6:32; 15:1; 1 John 2:8; 5:20 (thrice); Rev. 3:7, 14; 19:11; His judgment, John 8:16 (in the best texts, instead of No. 1 - Alethes);
(c) God’s words, John 4:37; Rev. 19:9; 21:5; 22:6; the last three are equivalent to No. 1 (alethes);
(d) His ways, Rev. 15:3;
(e) His judgments, Rev. 16:7; 19:2; (with reference to God’s ways or judgments “valid” - TDNT)
(f) His riches, Luke 16:11;
(g) His worshippers, John 4:23;
(h) their hearts, Heb. 10:22;
(i) the witness of the Apostle John, John 19:35;
(j) the spiritual, antitypical Tabernacle, Heb. 8:2; 9:24, not that the wilderness Tabernacle was false, but that it was a weak and earthly copy of the Heavenly.
TDNT - In Hellenism it also takes on the sense of “real as eternal” or “real as mediated by revelation.” Thus in Heb. 8:2 the heavenly tabernacle is “true” in contrast to the earthly, and in Heb. 9:24 the human sanctuary is a copy of the true one, which is genuine as divine, and as thus containing truth and dispensing revelation. Similarly the true light of Jn. 1:9 is the light of life of Jn. 8:12, and the true bread from heaven is the bread of life (Jn. 6:32, 35, 48), while the true God of Jn. 7:28 is he who gives revelation, and Christ’s true judgment is not merely just or trustworthy but authentic and definitive. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans or Wordsearch)
Note: “Alēthinos is related to alethes as form to contents or substances; alēthēs denotes the reality of the thing, alēthinos defines the relation of the conception to the thing to which it corresponds=genuine” (Cremer) (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words- Topic: True, Truly, Truth)
NIDNTT notes that alethinos...
alethinos frequently has the meaning in cl. Gk. of “real” or “genuine”, but it may also mean simply “truthful”. Xenophon speaks of securing a real army (strateumati alēthinōi), in the sense of an army worthy of the name (Anabasis 1, 9, 17). Plato speaks of having a real passion for genuine philosophy (alēthinēs philosophias alēthinos erōs) (Republic 499c). Philo has an interesting theological use in which he describes God as “the real one”, like a coin which is genuine rather than counterfeit, or an article which is not merely veneer (Congr., 159). (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan or Logos Computer version)
Vincent comments on the related word alethinos versus alethes...
alethes, also rendered true, occurs at Ro 3:33; 5:31; 8:13, and elsewhere. The difference is that alethes signifies true, as contrasted with false; while alethinos signifies what is real, perfect, and substantial, as contrasted with what is fanciful, shadowy, counterfeit, or merely symbolic. Thus God is alethes (John 3:33) in that He cannot lie. He is alethinos (1Th 1:9), as distinguished from idols. In Heb 8:2, the heavenly tabernacle is called alethino, as distinguished from the Mosaic tabernacle, which was a figure of the heavenly reality (Heb 9:24). Thus the expression true light denotes the realization of the original divine idea of the Light — the archetypal Light, as contrasted with all imperfect manifestations: “the Light which fulfilled all that had been promised by the preparatory, partial, even fictitious lights which had existed in the world before.”
Comment: Bishop Trench also compares alethinos and alethes summarizing a lengthy discussion by concluding "we may affirm of the alethes, that he fulfils the promise of his lips, but the alethinos the wider promise of his name. Whatever that name imports, taken in its highest, deepest, widest sense, whatever according to that he ought to be, that he is to the full. This, let me further add, holds equally good of things as of persons; pistos and alethinos are therefore at Rev. 21:5 justly found together. (Read Trench's full discussion in Synonyms of the New Testament)
Alethinos - 28x in 26v in NAS - NAS renders alethinos as - sincere(1), true(26), true one(1).
Luke 16:11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?
Comment: The genuine riches, those associated with real (and lasting) good, standing in opposition external riches the world futilely so desperately craves and seeks.
John 1:9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
Comment: The opposite is not necessarily false, but imperfect, shadowy. Christ is the perfect light in whose radiance all other lights seem dim (Bernard; Morris). He is the true light, the genuine and ultimate self-disclosure of God to man
John 4:23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
John 4:37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.'
John 6:32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly (Amen, Amen), I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
Comment: True Bread is a picturesque description of Jesus, Who Alone is able to nourish the soul unto everlasting life. Have you tasted and received the Bread of Life dear reader?
John 7:28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, Whom you do not know.
Comment: "God is the ultimate reality" (Barrett)
John 8:16 "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
Comment: Psalm 19:9 uses alethinos to describe the "judgments of Jehovah" as "true".
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 19:35 And he who has seen has testified (John had just witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and the soldier's spears piercing His side - Jn 19:34), and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
Comment: This is John's own testimony ("he who has seen" = the apostle John), in which he emphatically asserts that he was recording what really happened. This emphasis on a true testimony was necessary both because of the vitally important nature of the Crucifixion and the importance of the truth that Jesus was in fact physically dead. John's emphasis on true testimony anticipated the false witnesses (these skeptical agnostics are still alive today presenting fallacious television "documentaries", writing fictional accounts as if they were true, etc) who would attempt to explain (away) Jesus' (true) resurrection as supposing that He merely swooned ("to sink into a fainting fit, in which there is a suspension of the apparent vital functions and mental powers") and had not actually died.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,
Hebrews 8:2-note a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
Hebrews 9:24-note For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Hebrews 10:22-note let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Comment: What an incredible "exhortative invitation" the writer gives this band of persecuted Hebrew Christ followers (and us today as well!) - Draw near! How this contrast with the words of the Law - "Stand back!" (Cp Ex 19:12-22, 23, 24, Heb 12:20, 21) referring to Mt Sinai from whence the Law was given)
1 John 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true (alethes) in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Comment: "True God" is also used in Jn 17:3. Did you observe what was associated with the "true God" in both of these Scriptures?
Revelation 3:7-note "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
Revelation 3:14-note "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
Revelation 6:10-note and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
Revelation 15:3-note And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
Revelation 16:7-note And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
Revelation 19:2-note BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER."
Revelation 19:9-note Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."
Revelation 19:11-note And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
Revelation 21:5-note And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
Revelation 22:6-note And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
Alethinos - 34 verses in the Non-apocryphal Septuagint (Lxx) - Ex 34:6; 8" class="scriptRef">Num 14:18; Deut 25:15; 32:4; 2 Sam 7:28; 1Kgs 10:6; 17:24; 2Chr 9:5; 15:3; Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 4:7, 12; 6:25; 8:6, 21; 17:8; 27:17; Ps 19:9; 86:15; Pr 12:19; Isa 25:1; 38:3; 57:18; 59:4; 65:2, 16; Jer 2:21; Dan 2:45; 4:37; 6:12; 10:1; Zech 8:3
THE ULTIMATE
"TRUE/FALSE"
TEST!
Adam Clarke has an insightful contrast between the false and true noting that the phrase true God stands in direct
opposition to the whole system of idolatry, which was false in the objects of its adoration, false in its pretensions, false in its promises, and false in all its prospects.
Living (2198) (zao) means to have life and existence as opposed to death and nonexistence. Zao is in the present tense which is more literally translated "the continuously living God". He is a living God, having life and power in Himself as "the author and preserver of life unto others" and He stands in contrast to the dead idols that are impotent to help their worshipers.
Study the 28 occurrences of the phrase Living God in Scripture - 26" class="scriptRef">Dt. 5:26; Jos. 3:10; 17.26" class="scriptRef">1Sam. 17:26, 36; 2Ki. 19:4, 16; Ps. 42:2; 84:2; Isa. 37:4, 17; Jer. 10:10; 23:36; Dan. 6:20, 26; Hos. 1:10; Matt. 16:16; 26:63; Acts 14:15; Rom. 9:26; 2 Co. 3:3; 6:16; 1 Tim. 3:15; 4:10; Heb. 3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22; Rev. 7:2
The psalmist declares
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Ps 42:2) (Spurgeon's Commentary)
King Darius although a pagan, recognized
Daniel, (as the) servant of the living God... (Da 6:20).
After Daniel's miraculous deliverance from the lion's den King Darius declared
I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever (Da 6:26)
When others see you, do they see the "living God" in you? When Jesus asked His disciples
But who do you say that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Mt 16:15, 16)
And here in Paul's epistle, we see that the Thessalonians who had formerly served dead, lifeless, empty, vain, futile gods, who are no gods at all, now willingly submit to the only living God. Have you surrendered your will to the good and acceptable and perfect will of the ever living God?
God is called the living God thus standing in radical contrast to the dead, dumb, deaf, blind, lifeless idols. The psalmist declares that
The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear, Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths." (Ps 135:15, 16, 17 Spurgeon's comments on Ps 135:15; 16; 17] cf Isa 44:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
Writing to the Corinthians who were in an "idol infested" environment, Paul reminds them
that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1Cor 8:4, 5, 6)
Willard Aldrich has some interesting thoughts on this definitive turning to God and from idols writing that...
if God indeed has committed Himself to keep and perfect His own through faith then, as both condition and proof of a divine undertaking, human perseverance in faith and obedience should be expected. Where these are lacking, there is reason to believe the person is guilty of making an empty profession. Such in reality is the teaching of Luke 9:62:
No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The hand of discipleship is laid to the plough, but the backward look proves the profession to be empty and the heart unconverted. The man who puts his hand to the plough and keeps looking back shows he is not fit for the kingdom of God.
At the outset it should be borne in mind that one does not make himself fit for the kingdom of God by his own ploughing. Fitting us for heaven is a divine undertaking, but those thus fitted will manifest it, and those not fitted will evidence their unfitness also.
The ploughman who keeps looking back with lingering and longing, like Lot’s wife for Sodom and Gomorrah, proves that his heart has not been changed.
Some years ago a "poet" in the Portland, Oregon traffic department succeeded in posting the city with traffic safety signs exhorting the pedestrian to "Gaze Both Ways" before stepping off the curb. An editorial in the Oregonian pointed out that it was impossible to gaze both ways, at least both at once unless cross-eyed, because to gaze means to look earnestly and steadily. The gaze of the ploughman was back at the old life because his heart was there.
Unlike the Thessalonian believers who "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1Thess 1:9), the ploughman of empty profession had not really turned to God from his idols. In a number of places in the New Testament the Christian life is represented in terms of going on with Christ, and those looking back or turning back are those who have never been truly converted and saved (cf. John 6:66;2Pe 2:21-note; Php 3:13-note). (Aldrich, Willard: Perseverance: Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume 114, Issue 456, page 16. Dallas TX: Dallas Theological Seminary)
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Genuine Faith - He said he had trusted Jesus as his Savior, but he was involved in an illicit affair. His buddies were men who bragged about getting away with dishonesty and immorality. I wanted to encourage him to live for Christ, so I met with him weekly.
The man listened when I explained the Scriptures, and he seemed touched by my prayers for him. Yet he never expressed sorrow about his past. He continued to live as before and expressed no desire to change. He correctly understood that Jesus graciously accepts us just as we are, but he thought that living in obedience to Christ was optional. As far as I could tell, he never changed his attitude or behavior before he died unexpectedly.
In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul referred to a false profession that minimized the importance of a changed life as "empty words" (Eph 5:5,6-see notes 5:5; 6). Something very significant happens to us and in us when we truly believe. We who were "once darkness" become "light in the Lord" (Ep 5:8-note). The result will be lives that are marked by "goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Ep 5:9-note).
If our faith is real, our goal will be to honor our Lord and not live like those who don't know Him. That's a sure sign of genuine faith. —Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread - Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
What is it to be born again,
Unless it's plain to see
A difference in the way I live—
A change inside of me?
—Sper
When Jesus comes into a life,
He changes everything
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Lipstick on a Bulldog - "In a lot of organizations, change is like putting lipstick on a bulldog. There's a tremendous amount of effort involved, and most times all you get is some cosmetics—and an angry bulldog." So writes Dave Murphy of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Real change, whether in a business, church, family, or in ourselves, can be difficult and elusive. While we long for a deep and lasting transformation, we often get only a temporary cover-up that solves nothing and satisfies no one.
The word repent is used in the Bible to describe the beginning of genuine spiritual change. Language scholar W. E. Vine says that to repent means "to change one's mind or purpose." In the New Testament it always involves a change for the better as a person turns away from sin while turning toward God. Jesus began His public ministry with the call, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).
When we feel sorry for doing wrong or for getting caught, it may be nothing more than a spiritual cosmetic. But true repentance occurs deep in our hearts and results in a visible difference in our actions.
When we turn to Christ and yield ourselves to Him, He produces real change—not just a cover-up. —David C. McCasland (Ibid)
Don't hide your sin and cover up,
Pretending there is nothing wrong;
Instead, confess it and repent,
And God will fill your heart with song.
—Sper
Repentance is not just words but actions
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Religion Or Relationship? - Two kinds of religion exist in our world: Religion A and Religion B. The first is "faith" in name only (2Ti 3:5-note). It's the outward practice of Christianity without genuine faith in the living Lord.
Religion B, on the other hand, is a life-transforming, destiny-changing experience. It's a definite commitment to the crucified and risen Savior, which establishes an ongoing personal relationship between a forgiven sinner and a gracious God.
This difference explains why for many years British author C. S. Lewis had such great difficulty in becoming a Christian. Religion A had blinded him to Religion B. According to his brother Warren, his conversion was "no sudden plunge into a new life, but rather a slow, steady convalescence from a deep-seated spiritual illness--an illness that had its origins in our childhood, in the dry husks of religion offered by the semi-political churchgoing of Ulster, and the similar dull emptiness of compulsory church during our school days."
Are you bogged down in the empty ritual of Religion A? If so, you must receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then make sure your relationship with Christ is growing deeper and more vital every day. —Vernon C Grounds
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