Buy The Truth and Sell It Not
A sermon delivered by Robert Sholl

(All Scripture Quotations Are From The American Standard Version Unless Otherwise Noted)

Proverbs 23:23 is a verse of very few words, and yet it contains what is perhaps one the most profound truths that God has revealed to man. This truth is given to us in these words “Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding”. Here God instructs us to obtain the truth and to never to let it go. Even though this is a very simple command, many ignore it and there are some who would even assert that obeying it is impossible. Perhaps this is to be expected. After all, for several decades our country has been immersed in the idea that objective truth does not exist or that it cannot be known. Everything, we are told, is relative; therefore there is no real standard of conduct and no accountability for our actions.

But the very fact that the Bible tells us to buy the truth means that it exists, it is available, it is identifiable, and it can be obtained and understood by man. How important is the truth? Consider John 8:31 – 32 “…If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Lord says that it is the truth that sets men free from sin (John 8:33-36). We must have the truth in order to be saved, which makes it vitally important. In fact the Bible tells us that one must love the truth, one must possess the truth, and one must obey the truth in order to be saved (John 7:17, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:22). When one asserts that truth does not exist or that we cannot know it, understand it and obey it, then that person is implying mankind cannot be saved and that God is a liar.

Since truth does exist, we now ask, “What is truth?” Let us first determine what the truth is not. The truth is not what some other religious person tells us it is (Galatians 1:8), nor is it determined by what society may think (Exodus 23:2) nor is it determined by one’s sincerity (compare Acts 23:1 and 1 Timothy 1:13). What then is the truth? It is actually very simple. The Lord in John 17:17 said in reference to the Heavenly Father, “Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth”. God’s all-sufficient word, the Bible is truth. In His word, His ultimate truth, Jesus Christ (John 14:6), is revealed unto us. The truth of Jesus Christ was given to us through the means of His inspired apostles who were guided into all truth (John 16:12-14) and who were given the words taught by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). Through the Holy Spirit, Christ’s final, complete and perfect revelation was preached to the world and given to mankind in the form of the sacred scriptures (John 16:12-14, 1 Corinthians 14:37, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 1:12, 2 Peter 1:3, Jude 3). These words are therefore the standard by which we will be judged (John 12:48). Perhaps 1 Thessalonians 2:13 best sums up this matter: “And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe”

Mankind has been given the truth; it is God’s word, the Bible. It does not change regardless of what other people may say, what society may think, or how sincere one’s belief might be. But the truth will only benefit us if we turn to it, learn from it, and obey it. If you have not obeyed the gospel we urge you to do so this very day. To obey the gospel you need to believe it (Romans 1:16), repent of your sins (Acts 17:30), confess the name of Christ before men (Romans 10:10) and then be immersed into Christ through the watery grave of baptism so that your sins will be forgiven (Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:26-27). Won’t you obey the gospel today?