Sunday, September 26, 2010

truth in love

Lately I have been wrestling with what does it mean to "speak the truth in love?"

We live in a world where truth is relative and everyone has their right to believe whatever they want. As a result, there are moments when as a Church we have neglected to call out certain truths for what they are. There seems to be such tension between trying not to judge and erring on the side of people-pleasing instead.

I fall into this trap myself. I'm generally a laid-back, non-confrontational type. So, if someone were to be wearing a paper sack for a hat and ask me what I thought about their new look, I might respond by saying, "I'm not sure that it accentuates your best features." Whereas, others might come out and say, "You look like an idiot." :) So, when it comes to "speaking the truth in love," in the past I have been at times overly cautious and focused more on the "loving" part of that statement versus "speaking the truth."

What do we do with this when it comes to the Gospel or God's word? ALWAYS our motivation must be from a place of love. This means, we don't speak until our hearts are in the right place. It means we take a step back and put ourselves in others' shoes. It also means that we rely upon God and allow Him to speak through us.

However, there is a time to speak. The verse wouldn't tell us to speak truth in love if we were never expected to actually speak up. So, how do we do that? And under what context?

A passage from the New Testament came to mind.

In Mark 10:17-22 we see the story of the rich young ruler. He comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by saying "You know the commandments--do not murder, do not steal..." and the list goes on. The young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept these since he was a kid. The Scriptures tell us something very striking next. The verse says, "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." Then, Jesus responds by saying "One thing you lack. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The young man's face falls because he knows he will be unable to do this and he walks away.

Here is a very poignant example of Jesus speaking truth in love. He doesn't shy away from the objective--an invitation to come follow Him. He very clearly lays out what is truth--the requirements laid out in Scripture. Yet, He does so from a very specific and direct motivation--love.

So, how can I follow Christ's example? I am urged to come with an objective to see people come to follow Christ. I can also very clearly lay out truth and Scripture, but first and foremost, my motivation must come from a place of love. I cannot respond out of fear of being disliked. I also cannot respond out of judgment of their actions. I MUST be compelled by love.

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