I don’t have license over the Truth; no man does. I am a wretched sinner who depends on nothing but God’s grace and forgiveness to make it through the day. I share my thoughts because I believe that I have been blessed with an excellent education and desire to study His Word, and as such have made it my goal to view the events and thoughts of my world and the world around me through the lens of the Truth.
For example, my blog takes its title from Romans 9:1-
“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,”
The Greek word for “truth” in this verse is aletheia, which is the noun form (more on this word later). That short phrase caught my eye because that is what I am to do in my life; speak aletheia in Christ. In hastily picking this handful of words for my blog title, I missed the greater message that God through Paul was trying to convey. Romans 9:1-5 in full speaks of Paul’s anguish that his former brothers have not accepted the Gospel, and he wishes that he, arguably the most holy human being in history, could take the place of his unrepentant peers:
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
This passage made me consider my personal stance: do I share Paul’s degree of love? Would I want to give up my God, my salvation, my eternal life so that others could know Him? I don’t honestly know how to answer than question.
A second passage that had an influence on me during the study was Ephesians 4:11-16, in which Paul is speaking to and of the body of Christ, and exhorts it to work together and grow, shaking off evil, deceitful teachings and instead walk the difficult but necessary line between truth and love:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The church grows and becomes healthier as its members pursue not only the ultimate Truth, but do so in love. The Greek αληθευοντες δε εν αγαπη or “alatheuo de en agape”(coarsely translated “speak the truth, but in love.”) is another instance of the balance necessary between truth and love. The word “but” is powerful, especially in Romans where Paul uses it to demarcate our separation from God, and after salvation by grace and faith, subsequent union with God (Romans 3:20-23, 6:21-22, 7:5-6). His command rings true with me: if this blog and my personal ministry is to build up the body of Christ, it must be done balancing truth and love.
This line is one that many contemporary evangelistic outreaches fail to walk as well, but in a different way. There is too much love, and not enough truth. Instead of making people aware of their sin, they merely offer Jesus as a psychological panacea to assuage the uncertainties and lack of direction in life. I am as guilty as these groups, if not more so. I believe that through my study and research that my interpretation of the Bible and the events with which I contrast it are true and correct. However, the method I used to achieve the pursuit of truth was condescending, arrogant and adbrasive; had those I referenced in the article read my comments, they would have taken away a totally different view of Christendom (and Jesus Himself, whom I am commanded to represent) that I would have hoped.
Pray that God would work in my heart to follow the example of Christ and his apostles, to reveal His liberating, awe-inspiring truth, BUT in love…that I would not ignore nor overstate the offensive, damning nature of the Bible’s warnings and admonitions to the unbeliever, but instead mate those heartbreaking declarations of sinfulness and separation with the refreshing truth of His forgiveness and justification through faith in the Son, Jesus Christ.
Once again, I spend an hour writing something, and God sums it up in three sentences. 1 Peter 3:14-16 states:
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
Until next time!
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