Truth For The Final Generation
The Gospel According to Jesus the Messiah Chapter 1
Part C – An Israelite in whom is no guile
Scripture Reading - John 1:45-51 (NLT)
two hundred.” Because of its smallness, and not
because of its vileness as many suggest, seems
the reason for Nathaniel reaction. But this is
not unusual. We all know that if persons come
from small families, villages, islands etc. or from
professions or occupations considered not to be
“big” by social standing, there are not usually
recognized for what they are worth, except they
demonstrate some major ability or exceptional
achievement. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who
expressed similar sentiments, in his famous “I have
a dream speech” when he said,” that people “…
will [should] not be judged by the colour of their
skin but by the content of their character.” This
is exactly what Nathaniel appeared to be doing
when he asked [because of Nazareth smallness],
“can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But
Messiah ignored such thoughts and words, for He
knew what Nathaniel wanted (like Nicodemus),
having seen him under the fig tree before Philip
called him, and greeted him with a welcome
that surprise him, “Now here is a genuine son of
Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the very person Moses and the
prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of
Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed
Nathanael. “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip
replied. 47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now
here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete
integrity.” 48 “How do you know about me?”
Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you
under the fig tree before Philip found you.” 49 Then
Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of
God—the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus asked him, “Do
you believe this just because I told you I had seen
you under the fig tree? You will see greater things
than this.” 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth,
you will all see heaven open and the angels of God
going up and down on the Son of Man, the one
who is the stairway between heaven and earth.[”
45
At the outset of our discourse today, let us consider
Nathaniel’s response to Philip’s statement, “We have
found the very person Moses and the prophets
wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph
from Nazareth.” Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael.
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
A genuine/indeed Israelite
This brings us to one of the substantive issues of
our discourse for the day found in John 1:47, “… A
genuine son of Israel – a man of complete integrity,”
or as the KJV puts it, “… an Israelite indeed, in whom
is no guile!” To have Messiah say this of you is
awesome. But who or what is an Israelite. As
we saw in our last discourse Jacob was named
Israel by the Angel of the Covenant with whom
he fought that night besides the stream Jabbok.
So the descendants of Israel were called Israelites,
but Messiah seems to be saying more than that
Nathanael is a blood descendant of Israel. Notice
Was it because Nazareth was so bad that Nathaniel
appeared shock and asked, “Can anything good
come from Nazareth?” According to archaeologists,
“excavations have confirmed that the city was only
a small agricultural village during the Hellenistic
(Greek) and Roman periods. It was situated inside
a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the
Jezreel valley, it was a relatively isolated village
in the time of Jesus with a population less than
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He says, “A genuine son of Israel,” (NLT) and
“An Israelite indeed.” (KJV). The use of the word
genuine/indeed convey the idea of more than just
being a blood descendant. It seems therefore that
Messiah is speaking of Nathaniel/Bartholomew as
a spiritual/born again individual. And to confirm
this Messiah continues, “In whom is no guile.” So
a genuine/indeed Israelite is one in whom is no
guile. What a thought!
victorious through Him, for that is what it means
to be an Israelite, the Revelator tells us, “And in
their mouth was found no guile/deceit: for they are
without fault before the throne of God.” Rev. 14:5.
In one word “did no sin” and have “no guile” as in
the case of the Messiah, and have “no guile” and
“without fault” in the case of the 144,000 is to be
righteous. But a subtle difference is before us to
look into. In Messiah’s case “He did no sin,” on
the contrary this is not said of the 144,000, rather
“they are without fault.” Messiah having “did no
sin” is without fault, for even Pilate said, “I find no
fault in this man (the Messiah).” While the 144,000
are “without fault,” it is not said of them that they
“did no sin.” Here lies “the infinite difference”
between Messiah and us. While in every way “he is
like us according to the flesh” (Heb. 2:14-18), He
is completely different from us being “… that holy
thing which shall be born of thee … shall be called
the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Further, the Apostle Paul understood clearly this
principle of a genuine/indeed Israelite, note his
thoughts of this in the following verses of scripture:
Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in
the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is
not of men, but of God,” and again in Romans 9:
6-8, “Not as though the word of God hath taken
none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are
of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of
Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall
thy seed be called. That is, They which are the
children of the flesh, these are not the children of
God: but the children of the promise are counted
for the seed.”
On earth He had the nature of God that cannot sin
and the nature of man which is sinful, blended in
one person. He was the God-man. In our flesh, He
was able, while cumbered with the weaknesses of
our flesh, to develop and manifest the righteousness
which is of God all the while relying upon the
Father and not Himself, even though He was
fully God. This righteousness (perfect life) which
satisfied the demands of the broken law for mans’
transgression reconciles/legally justifies all men
(humanity) to God. He imputed this righteousness,
His own righteousness to us, accounting us (all
men - humanity) righteous (legally) in Himself.
Therefore all humanity including the 144,000
though sinners, are accounted righteous (legal
justification) before the Father, all because of
Messiah’s reconciling death. But more than this, He
not only counts (a legal transaction) us righteous,
but by our personal submission/surrender to
Him (for what He has accomplished for us), He
indwells us (imparts within us Himself by His
Spirit), making us righteous in character, and
our behaviour reflect this. Therefore the 144,000
though sinners “have no guile and are without
In 4T 534.1, E.G. White says, “The prayer which
Nathanael offered while he was under the fig
tree came from a sincere heart, and it was heard
and answered by the Master. Christ said of him:
“Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”
The Lord reads the hearts of all and understands
their motives and purposes. “The prayer of the
upright is His delight.” He will not be slow to hear
those who open their hearts to Him, not exalting
self, but sincerely feeling their great weakness and
unworthiness.
But how does one become an Israelite in whom is
no guile? Firstly it is because of the life and work
of Messiah Himself. Referring to this principle of
“guilelessness/integrity,” the Apostle in 1 Peter
2:22 says, He never sinned, nor ever deceived
anyone (NLT). Also of those who are victors/
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fault” because of the righteousness of Messiah both
imputed (legally), and imparted (experientially),
remember that “… both our title to heaven and
our fitness for it are found in the righteousness
of Christ.“ DA 300. So then, our right (passport –
legal status) to heaven and our suitability (ticket appropriateness) for are heaven both found in the
righteousness (love) of Messiah.
disease), so the tongue is to spirit/soul defilement.
Messiah says, “Hearken unto me every one of you,
and understand: There is nothing from without a
man, that entering into him can defile him: but
the things which come out of him, those are they
that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear,
let him hear. And when he was entered into the
house from the people, his disciples asked him
concerning the parable. And he saith unto them,
Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not
perceive, that whatsoever thing from without
entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because
it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly,
and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
And he said, That which cometh out of the man,
that defileth the man. For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things
come from within, and defile the man.”
No Guile
Therefore being “an Israelite indeed,” it follows
that there “is no guile,” or as the NLB says, “A man
of complete integrity.” What an honour to be called
such by Messiah. The thesaurus uses other words
such as cunning, treachery, slyness, craftiness,
cleverness, deceit, deceitfulness, deviousness, and
sneakiness, hypocrisy, and fraudulent, to describe
guile. On the other hand it use words like honesty,
fairness, reliability, decency, trustworthiness,
righteousness as opposite to guile. So we see what
Messiah was saying of Nathanael. What does he
say of you and of me, as he beholds us?
Therefore for guile not to be in the in the tongue
it must first not be in the heart/spirit, “in whose
spirit is no guile.” This can only be a result of
us responding to the work that Messiah has
accomplished for us in putting our human self
to death.
Scripture gives us much admonition on this point
of guile. The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:1, 2 says,
“Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil
speakings, as newborn babes, long for the spiritual
milk which is without guile, that ye may grow
thereby unto salvation; ASV. Again, quoting from
Psalm 34 he says, “For he that will love life, and
see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him
eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and
ensue it.” 1 Peter 3:10, 11. Further in Psalm 32:2 we
are told, “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there
is no guile.” And also in Psalm 34:13 “Keep thy
tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Closing Thoughts
“O that every one of our youth would realize
the evil of foolish conversation, and correct
the habit of speaking idle words! Let everyone
who has indulged in this sin repent of it,
confess it before God, and put it far from
him. In speaking foolish words, you have
dishonored the name of Christ; for you have
misrepresented him in character. No word
of guile was found in his lips, no word of
prevarication or falsehood. The people that
are described as making up the one hundred
and forty-four thousand, have the Father’s
name written in their foreheads, and of them
it is said: “In their mouth was found no guile:
for they are without fault before the throne
of God.” If they had been speaking foolish,
senseless, false words, they would not have
It is said that 60% of all foodborne diseases result
from unwashed or contaminated (dirty hands).
And it seems that more than this percentage of
trouble and strife both in the world and the church
is the result of guile emanating from the lips. As
the hands are to the bodily defilement (foodborne
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been found without guile, and without fault
before the throne of God. O that all our
youth would form characters after the divine
similitude! O that Christ may be in you a well
of water springing up unto everlasting life.
Begin at once the work of soul-purification.
Put from you all nonsense, and refrain
from trifling words. Every word you speak
is as a seed that will germinate and produce
either good or bad fruit, according to its
character. The words we utter encourage the
feelings that prompted them. Exaggeration is
a terrible sin. Passionate words sow seeds
that produce a bad crop which no one will
care to garner. Our own words have an effect
upon our character, but they act still more
powerfully upon the characters of others. The
Infinite God alone can measure the mischief
that is done by careless words. These words
fall from our lips, and we do not perhaps
mean any harm; yet they are the index of
our inward thoughts, and work on the side
of evil. What unhappiness has been produced
by the speaking of thoughtless, unkind words
in the family circle! Harsh words rankle in
the mind, it may be for years, and never lose
their sting. As professed Christians, we should
consider the influence our words have upon
those with whom we come into association,
whether they are believers or unbelievers.
Our words are watched, and mischief is
done by thoughtless utterances. No after
association with believers or unbelievers will
wholly counteract the unfavourable influence
of thoughtless, foolish words. Our words
evidence the manner of food upon which the
soul feeds.” YI June 27, 1895
solemn promise to speak only those words that
are pleasing to God. There is a great need for
such a pledge as there is for one against the use
of intoxicating liquor. Let us begin to discipline
the tongue, remembering always that we can do
this only by disciplining the mind, for “out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Matthew 12:34. A man’s character may be quite accurately
estimated by the nature of his conversation....
Those who jest and joke and indulge in cheap
conversation place themselves upon a level
where Satan can gain access to them.... Jesting
and joking may please a class of cheap minds,
and yet the influence of this kind of conduct is
destructive to spirituality. … No word of guile was found in His lips, no
word of prevarication or falsehood. The people
that are described as making up the one hundred
and forty-four thousand, have the Father’s name
written in their foreheads, and of them it is said:
“In their mouth was found no guile: for they are
without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation
14:5.” OHC 292.
Yours in the true Gospel of the Messiah
Elder W. Austin Greaves
February 15, 2014
“Righteous words and deeds have a more powerful
influence for good than all the sermons that can
be preached.
Let us guard against speaking words that
discourage. Let us resolve never to engage in
evilspeaking and backbiting. Let us refuse to
serve Satan by implanting seeds of doubt. Let us
guard against cherishing unbelief, or expressing
it to others. Many, many times I have wished that
there might be circulated a pledge containing a
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