Telling the Truth

Telling the truth means more than not lying; it means telling it instead of not saying anything. Before God created the world, he planned what the Son would do in it (Revelation 13:8). And he did not leave us to grope around for that (Acts 17:27); we did not need to ascend on high to discover his intentions (Romans 10:6-8).

The Mosaic sacrifices foreshadowed cleansing from sins by the real thing they pictured. The prophets prophesied his coming to save his people from their sins. Jesus himself predicted his death on some five recorded occasions starting halfway through his ministry. So his inner circle of disciples was aware of how his work would climax.

Prediction becomes promise when it pledges to accomplish something good for others. Promise becomes truth when it happens. Not only would his dying not frustrate his promise (Matthew 16:18); his dying is what would make it happen. There was no surprise; that was his purpose. God figures the salvation for all the saved on the basis of the One who carried his righteousness through the most extreme temptation to lose it. Enduring the cross became his greatest act of righteousness in human flesh.

His fulfilled promise became confirmed fact by the resurrection. So the cross remains as the stack pole to mark the center of our faith; it orients us to itself as we deal with the plethora of parts and connections with what it holds together and gives stability. Taking these emblems serves as a memorial to the cross on this day of its validation. By it we keep telling the central truth of our faith (1 Corinthians 11:26).