
PREFACE TO NEW EDITION (1998)
The little book I wrote in
1980 was called The Truth Shall Make You Free! We
printed 10,000 copies of that edition and they were given out
as quickly as we could supply them. Now, 18 years later we are
reprinting this fine booklet, but under a different title.
I felt A Course in Basic
Theology was a more appropriate title. May the Lord bless
this book and bring deliverance and healing to
multitudes. ~ Max Solbrekken Edmonton
DEDICATION
I wish to dedicate this book
to all serious Bible students who desire God’s power in
their lives with which to bring liberation, divine healing
& deliverance to their fellowman!
Also to all who are hurting
because of Satan’s snares, entrapments and torments. May
each reader appropriate the promises of God found in this book
and be liberated from sin, fear, sickness, disease, poverty
& untimely death. And from demon possession! Amen.
PREFACE:
THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE!
"Ye
shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8:32)
The truth liberates the
soul, the conscience and the mind of man! The truth breaks the
chains of darkness, superstition and fear. It opens the
prisons of doubt and unbelief! The truth removes mountains of
discouragement, negativism and oppression! The truth defeats
giants of despair, heartbreak and loneliness, and opens within
us wells of joy, rivers of peace and floodtides of love! Jesus
said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make
you free!"
"FREE FROM ALL BONDAGE
AND SICKNESS AND SIN
FREE FROM FEARS AND THE TROUBLES WITHIN:
FREE FROM THE DEVIL AND HIS EVIL POWER
DELIVERED BY JESUS IN THIS VERY HOUR."
Jesus prayed: "Thy Word
O Lord is Truth." (John 17:17) Our Lord said,
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) The Bible
teaches that the Word of God is Spirit and Life, (Phil. 2:16)
and that Jesus also is the Word of God. (Rev. 19:13)
Both the Bible and our Lord
Jesus Christ are referred to as the Word of God and only Jesus
and the Word has the power to make people free! The Bible is
the written Word of God and Jesus is the Living Word of God!
And if you will believe it my friend, Jesus Christ will come
out of the pages of this book and enter your heart! Our Lord
Jesus Christ made the statement, "Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the
house forever, but the son abideth ever. If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
(John 8:34-36)
The Bible states that anyone
who commits sin is the servant of sin and is NOT FREE, but
thanks to God, THE TRUTH WILL LIBERATE THEM! The Apostle John
wrote, "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE
TRUTH
-
WE
MUST HEAR THE TRUTH - "So then faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God." (Rom.10:17)
-
WE
MUST BELIEVE THE TRUTH - "How shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14)
-
WE
MUST HOLD FAST TO THE TRUTH - "Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thess.
5:21) “Take heed unto thyself, and unto
doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself and them that hear thee.” (1 Tim.
4:16) "Buy the truth and sell it not;
also wisdom, and instruction and understanding."
(Prov. 23:23)
-
WE
MUST TELL THE TRUTH - "For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eyewitnesses of His Majesty." (2 Peter 1:16)
"Preach the word; be
instant in season, out of season; rebuke, reprove, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears." (2 Tim. 4:2-3)
"If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
WE
MUST OBEY THE TRUTH - “If ye love Me, keep My
commandments.” (John 14:15)
“If ye abide in Me and My
words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you." (John 15:7)
"Then said Jesus to
those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word,
then are ye My disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
"If ye continue in the
faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was
preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I
Paul am a minister;" (Col. 1:23)
"Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
(2 Cor. 5:20)
SATAN IS
A LIAR AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM!
Jesus called the devil a
liar and a murderer: "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of
it." (John 8:44)
SATAN IS A COLOSSAL DECEIVER
AND LIAR - THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM! He may tell some truths
or half truths in order to deceive and enslave the human race,
but he himself is TOTAL DARKNESS AND THERE IS NO LIGHT OR LIFE
IN HIM!
When you receive Jesus
Christ as your personal Saviour, you say farewell to the
kingdom of darkness and you are automatically translated into
God's glorious Kingdom!
"Even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints. Which is Christ in you the hope of
Glory." (Col. 1:26-27)
YOU ARE
PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE, BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST IS THE LIGHT
OF THE WORLD!
The Bible says, "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things
were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that
was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not." (1 John 1: 1-5) "And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of
grace and truth." (John 1:14)
The Scriptures declare that
sinful men rejected Him because their deeds were evil! They
hated the Light and loved the darkness. (John 3:19) The Bible
says, "In Him (Jesus Christ) was Life and the Life was
the Light of men." (John 1:4) Again the Scripture says,
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the son shall not see life; but the
wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)
WHEN THE LIGHT IS SWITCHED
ON, THE DARKNESS FLEES AND WHEN JESUS COMES INTO A LIFE IN HIS
GREAT POWER, ALL SIN, FEAR, OPPRESSION, SICKNESS, DISEASE AND
EVIL POWERS LEAVE! PRAISE GOD!
There are five glorious
truths that I wish to set forth in this lesson, to help build
your faith! As a stone mason lays block upon block, so I
present these truths ‘Scripture upon Scripture’,
knowing that the Word of God creates faith in our hearts and
faith gets the job done! Praise God!
# 1 - GOD
HAS NOT CHANGED, CANNOT CHANGE AND WILL NEVER CHANGE
"I am the Lord, I
change not." (Mal. 3:6a)
Here, the Living God makes
one of His most significant statements of fact. He is
changeless, always constant and timeless! Nothing can alter
that great truth! Men are born, live, pass on and are gone
like the grass of the field, but God remains the SAME.
The Bible says, “And
Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the
earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They
shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old
as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up,
and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy
years shall not fail." (Heb.1:10-12)
Here are five great truths
about God:
(1) GOD
IS ETERNAL - without beginning or end - everlasting and
always God.
The Psalmist David wrote:
"Lord, Thou has been our dwelling place in all
generations. Before the mountains
were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art
God...
“For a thousand years in
Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch
in the night." (Ps. 90:1-4)
"The eternal God is thy
refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms..." (Deut.
33:27a)
(2) GOD
IS OMNIPOTENT - He is all powerful.
"I am the Lord, and
there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee,
though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the
rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none
beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else."
(Isa. 45:5-6)
"I have made the earth,
and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out
the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isa.
45:12)
Jesus said: "All power
is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." (Matt.28:18)
(3) GOD
IS OMNISCIENT - He is all wise & all knowing!
"For the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us
which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent.
“Where is the wise? where
is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
“For after that in the
wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For
the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
“But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of
God is stronger than men." (1 Cor. 2:18-25)
"To God only wise, be
glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen." (Rom. 16:27)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
him." (James 1:5)
(a) GOD
HAS NOT CHANGED: From eternity to eternity He is God!
He was the same in the beginning of man’s existence, He is
the same today and He will be the same throughout eternity!
Praise God!
(b) GOD
CANNOT CHANGE: It is impossible for God to be anything
but Who and What He is today - kind, loving, generous, good,
holy, just and true.
(c) GOD
WILL NOT CHANGE IN THE FUTURE: The Bible says: "I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which is to come, the Almighty."
(Rev.1:8)
“And, Thou, Lord, in the
beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the
heavens are the works of Thine hands: They shall perish; but
Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a
garment; And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they
shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and thy years
shall not fail.” (Heb. 1:10-12)
(4) GOD
IS IMMUTABLE - He is perfect in all things; totally
truthful, and since He never makes a mistake He doesn't need
to apologize for error. There is no error in God. If He has
said it, that settles it. God is God and is changeless and
unalterable. The “immutability of His Word” speaks
of the permanent character of His Word. Since God and His Word
are one, He is permanently error-free, righteous and perfect!
Glory to His Name. You can believe unreservedly on Him with
total trust. (Heb. 6:13-18)
BECAUSE HE
HAS NOT CHANGED
(1) God still answers
prayer: “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show
thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jer.
33:3)
"Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened." (Matt. 7:7-8)
(2) God still forgives the
sinner: "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (l
John 1:7-9)
(3) God still brings peace
to the troubled and removes guilt: "Let not your heart be
troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. Peace I leave
with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid." (John 14:1, 27)
"Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." (Rom. 5:1; 8:1)
(4) God still cares: “And
the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people
which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of
their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to
bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large,
unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the
Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.” (Ex. 3:7-8)
"Casting all your care
upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
(5) God still meets our
needs: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house. And prove Me herewith, saith
the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it.
“And I will rebuke the
destroyer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits
of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before
the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal.
3:10-11)
"But my God shall
supply all your need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
(6) God still heals the
sick: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in
My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16: 17-18)
“IS
ANY SICK AMONG YOU? let him call for the elders of the
church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (James
5:14-15)
(7) God still fills
believers with the Holy Spirit: "Then Peter said unto
them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39)
“If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that
ask Him?” (Luke 11:13)
(8) God still blesses and
loads us with benefits: "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and
all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O
my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all
thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases." (Psalm
103:1-3)
“Beloved, I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth.” (3 John 1:2)
(9) God still protects us
from danger, evil and Satan: "There shall no evil befall
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He
shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all
thy ways." (Psalm 91:10-11)
Fear thou not; for I am with
thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of My righteousness." (Isa. 41:10) "Who
redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with
lovingkindness and tender mercies." (Psalm 103:4)
“And the seventy returned
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us through Thy name.” (Luke 10:17)
(10) God still leads, guides
& directs us: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
“The Spirit (Himself)
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom. 8:14-17)
# 2 - GOD
HAS NOT LIED, CANNOT LIE AND WILL NEVER LIE
(a) We know what God will do
in the future by what He has done in the past, because He has
not changed. He has always told the truth for He is the truth
and since it is impossible for God to lie, we know we can put
our trust in Him as God.
(b) He is too good to do
anything wrong. He is too wise to make a mistake. He is too
powerful to allow Satan to harm His children who call upon His
Name in faith and who trust in His truth.
(c) He is too conscientious
and correct to lose our number, forget us or leave us to
aimlessly drift on the sea of life and death without His
divine guidance and direction.
(d) The Scripture
emphatically declares: "God is not a man that He should
lie, neither the son of man that he should repent (change his
mind) hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken,
and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
Samuel the Prophet declared:
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent:
for He is not a man, that He should repent." (1 Sam.
15:29)
GOD IS
CONSTANT
You can believe the Word of
God because it is ever and always the same. St. James said,
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways!"
He admonishes us to ask God for our needs, in faith. And He
assures us that our needs will be met, because we are dealing
with one Who is always the same and Who is liberal in His
giving.
"Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning." (James 1:17)
St. Paul, in writing to
Titus made the great declaration that I am now making -
"God cannot lie." (Titus 1:2)
SINCE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR
GOD TO LIE, HIS NATURE IS TOTALLY AGAINST FALSEHOOD AND HIS
COMMANDMENTS ALL DEMAND TRUTH AND CONDEMN LYING, WE CAN REST
ASSURED THAT HIS PROMISES ARE TRUSTWORTHY!
The Bible says, "I hate
every false way." (Psalm 119:104) "Lying lips are
abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are His
delight." (Prov. 12:22)
God has never lied, cannot
lie and will not lie, for He not only speaks the Truth but HE
IS THE TRUTH! Again the Bible says, "And He that sat upon
the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said
unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
(Rev. 21:5) Our Lord Jesus Christ stated, "I am the Way,
the Truth and the Life." (John 14:6)
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