Attribute of God: Veritas as Source of All Truth
The attribute of veritas, or truth, is central to the Christian understanding of God, who is consistently presented as the ultimate source of all truth [3, 5]. This divine characteristic is foundational, implying that God's nature is inherently truthful and reliable. Deuteronomy 32:4 states, "God is true, and without wickednesse: iust, and righteous is he" [4]. This verse highlights God's truthfulness as an intrinsic part of His character, alongside His justice and righteousness.
God's truth is described in various ways throughout Scripture. It is "great," "plenteous," and "abundant," reaching "to the clouds" and enduring "to all generations" [3]. This emphasizes the comprehensive and eternal nature of divine truth. The Torrey's Topical Textbook further notes that God's truth "always goes before his face" and that "He keeps, for ever" [3]. This suggests that truth is not merely an occasional act of God but a constant and guiding principle of His being and actions.
As the source of all truth, God's word is considered pure and infallible. John Gill, in his commentary on Proverbs 30:5, states that "Every word of God is pure," being "free from all falsehood and error" because it comes "from the God of truth, who cannot lie" [7]. This purity extends to all Scripture, which is "given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" [1, 2]. The Bible, therefore, serves as a primary revelation of God's truth, guiding believers in matters of faith and practice [8].
The concept of God as the source of truth is also linked to His other attributes, such as His wisdom and unity. Adam Clarke, commenting on James 1:17, explains that "Whatever is good is from God... he is the only source of all goodness and perfection" [6]. This includes truth, which is a form of goodness. Similarly, the unity of God—that there is "One God and Father of all" [10]—reinforces the idea of a single, consistent, and ultimate source of truth. God's omniscience, as noted by John Gill on 2 Corinthians 11:30, means He "knows all things" and is the "searcher of hearts," further affirming His perfect knowledge and truthfulness [9].
Sources
- II Timothy “II Timothy 3:16 (KJV) — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
- King James Version “[KJV] 2 Timothy 3:16 — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Truth of God, The — Is one of his attributes -- De 32:4; Isa 65:16. Always goes before his face -- Ps 89:14. He keeps, for ever -- Ps 146:6. Described as Great. -- Ps 57:10. Plenteous. -- Ps 86:15. Abundant. -- Ex 34:6. Inviolable. -- Nu 23:19; Tit 1:2. Reaching to the clouds. -- Ps 57:10. Enduring to all generations. -- Ps 100:5. United with mercy in redemption -- Ps 85:10. Exhibited in his Counsels of old. -- Isa 25:1. Ways. -- Re 15:3. Works. -- Ps 33:4; 11:7; Da 4:37. Judicial statutes. -- Ps 19:9. Administration of justice. -- Ps 96:13. Word. -- Ps 119:160; Joh ”
- Deuteronomy “Deuteronomy 32:4 (Geneva1599) — Perfect is the worke of the mighty God: for all his wayes are iudgement. God is true, and without wickednesse: iust, and righteous is he.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Truth — God is a God of -- De 32:4; Ps 31:15. Christ is -- Joh 14:6; 7:18. Christ was full of -- Joh 1:14. Christ spoke -- Joh 8:45. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of -- Joh 14:17. The Holy Spirit guides into all -- Joh 16:13. The word of God is -- Da 10:21; Joh 17:17. God regards, with favour -- Jer 5:3. The judgments of God are according to -- Ps 96:13; Ro 2:2. Saints should Worship God in. -- Joh 4:24; Ps 145:18. Serve God in. -- Jos 24:14; 1Sa 12:24. Walk before God in. -- 1Ki 2:4; 2Ki 20:3. Keep religious feasts with. -- 1Co 5:8. Esteem, as inestimable. -- Pr 23:”
- James (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above - Whatever is good is from God; whatever is evil is from man himself. As from the sun, which is the father or fountain of light, all light comes; so from God, who is the infinite Fountain, Father, and Source of good, all good comes. And whatever can be called good, or pure, or light, or excellence of any kind, must necessarily spring from him, as he is the only source of all goodness and perfection. With whom is no variableness - The sun, the fountain of light to the whole of our system, may be obscured by clouds; ”
- Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 30:5: Every word of God is pure,.... The whole word of God. "All Scripture", given by inspiration of God, to which Agur directs, as giving the best account of God, of his name, nature, and perfections; of his Son, person, offices, and grace; being pure, very pure, "purified" (z) like silver, purified in a furnace of earth. The whole of Scripture is pure, free from all falsehood and error; coming from the God of truth, who cannot lie, and therefore called "the Scriptures of truth": every promise is pure as well as precious, made without dissimulation, faithfully performed,”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:16: Scripture is the true source of all authority in questions of doctrine and practice. Be ye . . . for I am--It is I with whom ye have to do. Ye are mine. Therefore abstain from Gentile pollutions. We are too prone to have respect unto men [CALVIN]. As I am the fountain of holiness, being holy in My essence, be ye therefore zealous to be partakers of holiness, that ye may be as I also am [DIDYMUS]. God is essentially holy: the creature is holy in so far as it is sanctified by God. God, in giving the command, is willing to give also the power to obey i”
- 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 11:30: he God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.... These words are in the form of an oath, and are a solemn appeal to God, that knows all things, for the truth of the whole that he had declared in the foregoing verses, and of the remarkable deliverance related in the following. "God", says he, who is the searcher of hearts, and an omniscient being, to whom all things are open and manifest, knoweth that I lie not; in anyone single instance he had mentioned, nor in what he was about to declare; which because it was a fact done by a stratagem, and a good while ago,”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 4:6: One God and Father of all,.... That there is but one God is the voice of nature and of revelation; and may be concluded from the perfections of deity, for there can be but one eternal, infinite, immense, omnipotent, all-sufficient, perfect, and independent Being; and from one first cause of all things, and the relations he stands in to his creatures: there is but one God, who is truly, and really, and properly God, in opposition to all nominal and figurative deities, and which are not gods by nature, and to the fictitious deities and idols of the nations; and there ”