Speaking the Truth in Love
On Valentine’s Day weekend the focus of my message was the unconditional love of God. As followers of Jesus, we should reflect God’s unconditional love. But does showing unconditional love mean that we should ignore sin or not tell a person the truth? Absolutely not! If we truly love a person, we will tell them the truth. If we truly love someone, we will not allow them to continue sinful or destructive behavior without talking to them about it. Ignoring such behavior would not be the loving thing to do. Paul encourages us, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15 NIV). Also Proverbs 27:6 says, “The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are successive.” Let’s unpack these verses a bit. The Life Application Bible offers helpful commentary on both of these verses. As followers of Christ, we must be committed to the truth. This means that our words should be honest and that our actions should reflect Christ’s integrity. Speaking the truth in love is not always easy, convenient, or pleasant, but it is necessary if the church is going to do Christ’s work in the world.
What about this Proverbs passage about wounds and kisses? Who would prefer a friend’s wounds to an enemy’s kisses? Anyone who considers the source. A friend who has your best interests at heart may have to give you unpleasant advice at times, but you know that it is for your own good. An enemy by contrast may whisper sweet words and happily send you on your way to ruin. We tend to hear what we want to hear, even if an enemy is the only one who will say it. A friend’s advice, no matter how painful, is much better.
Loving someone means telling them the truth when needed. But that doesn’t mean we are to be mean, rude, or obnoxious when doing so. The way we say something can be just as important as the information we need to convey. The truth we need to share will likely be better received if the person can sense the love and concern, we have for them. So, if you need to share a hard truth with someone, pray first and ask God to give you the right words. And also pray that the words will be received with the right attitude and spirit.
Blessings!
Pastor Randy
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