A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy By Pastor Paris Pasch Journey Church in Hastings

Speaking The Truth In Love

The Bible has much to say to us about speaking the truth in love. Sadly, many people fall to one side of this subject or the other. They may feel compelled to tell everyone around them what they think is true, no matter how harsh they sound. Others simply live like they are children of the sixties which stereotypically claimed to love everyone, no matter how they acted. Different than these two approaches, the Bible correctly connects these words into one reality.

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) 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.

Can you see that it tells us that, when you connect these words with proper actions, you are displaying signs of maturity? It states that you are acting more like our leader, who is Jesus Christ, if you claim you are a Christian.

So how do we connect these powerful words? Well, truth is very interesting in the minds of today’s planet traveler. Many today think truth is flexible or individual. I often hear people say to me that my truth is not their truth. Can that be true in reality? Isn’t gravity true for all people, even if you don’t believe in it. Temperature is true for all, space is true for all and time is true for all, it’s not based on your individual beliefs. So what makes us think that there are no other truths that would be considered absolute for everybody on earth?

Psalm 25:5 (NIV) Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

I have spent 40 years teaching people, who are a bit confused about what is true, that God has established a reality in the earth that is true for all people. God being real, is true for all people, regardless if they believe or not. Forgiveness is true, sin and evil are true and honesty is true. However if I teach this truth, but do not also teach that we are responsible to present these truths in a loving and caring fashion, then we unfortunately get religious zealots who turn many away from God instead of toward him.

Also keep in mind that love doesn’t compromise truth, but it does convey it with compassion, mercy and righteousness. Love considers the “how to speak” not just the “what to speak”. The fact is that Jesus spoke many things we find written in the Bible that were very strong and yet absolutely true, but He did it with mercy and grace not condemnation. So let’s choose to connect these words and speak the truth in love next time we get the chance.

John 1:14 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.