[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fspeaking-the-truth-in-love":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fspeaking-the-truth-in-love-surround":64},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":14,"columnName":46,"date":47,"description":20,"extension":48,"image":49,"meta":50,"minRead":51,"navigation":52,"path":53,"postType":54,"publication":55,"publicationUrl":49,"seo":56,"stem":57,"topics":58,"__hash__":63},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fspeaking-the-truth-in-love.md","Speaking the Truth in Love",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13],"Acts","1 Corinthians","Ephesians","Titus","1 John",{"type":15,"value":16,"toc":42},"minimark",[17,21,24,27,30,33,36,39],[18,19,20],"p",{},"The Lord is always honest with us, for “God . . . does not lie” (Titus 1:2). And he always desires what is best for us, for “God is love” (1 John 4:16).",[18,22,23],{},"When we speak of biblical truth, we simply mean the Bible conforms to reality. It tells about life as it really is. God actually exists. Poor choices cause real harm. Biblical guidelines really work when we follow them. God’s truth is our guiding compass. But if we lack love, we misuse truth. Impressive gifts, extensive knowledge, and great faith mean nothing without love (1 Corinthians 13:2).",[18,25,26],{},"The Bible combines these ideas in Ephesians 4:15 when it says, “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Like two scissor blades that work together to cut the cloth, truth and love are both indispensable to healthy relationships. Truth is the Good Shepherd’s stern rod of correction; love is the soothing oil he rubs on our wounds. Truth is the bright light that shows us where to go; love is the tender hand that holds unto us when the pathway is dark.",[18,28,29],{},"Speak the truth? Yes. Don’t deny reality. Embrace it; affirm it; recognize it; talk about it. But do it in love. Don’t use the truth as a sledgehammer to tear others down; use it as a hammer and nails to hold things together.",[18,31,32],{},"This powerful combination (truth and love) appears throughout the Bible. It’s Stephen calling his listeners stiff-necked, stubborn, and Holy Spirit-resistant—then praying graciously for their forgiveness as they stoned him to death (Acts 7:51-60). It’s Paul boldly telling anyone who would listen “that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus,” but communicating the message “with great humility and with tears” (Acts 20:19-21). It’s John firmly stating, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth,” then exhorting, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God” (1 John 1:6, 4:7). It’s Jude urging the church “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints,” then adding, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude vv. 3, 21).",[18,34,35],{},"A balance of truth and love is vital for Christians today. In faithfulness to God, we must speak the truth even when it’s unpopular. We must speak it from the pulpit and in ordinary conversation, at home and in the workplace, in small groups and in large convention halls. We must speak the truth about biblical doctrine, the uniqueness of Christ, the need for personal repentance, and the privilege of Christian baptism. We must speak truth about the folly of drunkenness, the subtle deception of materialism and greed, and the wickedness of gossip. We must speak frankly about the pain and turmoil caused by divorce, the devastation created by sexual immorality, the evil of taking the Lord’s name in vain, and the deadly sins of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. If we avoid these hard truths, we’re denying reality and we will stumble in darkness.",[18,37,38],{},"But God calls us to speak these truths with the humility and sympathy of a fellow struggler, with the gentle mercy that comes from desiring to restore, not to destroy, and with the keen awareness that apart from God’s grace we all would be lost.",[18,40,41],{},"Let’s speak the truth in love.",{"title":43,"searchDepth":44,"depth":44,"links":45},"",2,[],"Another Look","2010-09-19","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fspeaking-the-truth-in-love","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":20},"articles\u002Fspeaking-the-truth-in-love",[59,60,61,62],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","BO0upex_xwxFlDmzkfBrEHctM9eYx89LLhTIJvLaH80",[65,70],{"title":66,"path":67,"stem":68,"description":69,"children":-1},"Songs in the Trees","\u002Farticles\u002Fsongs-in-the-trees","articles\u002Fsongs-in-the-trees","Far back in a field on the farm where I grew up, there’s a tree our family for decades has called the Saxophone Tree. It’s rooted in the ground atop a creek bank. At first the oak’s two-and-a-half foot thick trunk extends down about eight feet toward the creek. Then, as if it decided to make a U turn and reach toward the sun, the tree stopped growing downward and the trunk abruptly turned straight up again, extending 40 feet or more into the sky. As a result, the tree is shaped like the letter J. It looks like a giant saxophone.",{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"Spears and Spurs","\u002Farticles\u002Fspears-and-spurs","articles\u002Fspears-and-spurs","What's the difference between a good critic and a bad critic? Here's a simple analogy. Bad critics are like spears; good critics are like spurs."]