Truth and love

"Let us no longer be little children, tossed about here and there at every wind of doctrine by the deceit of men, by their ability to use devious ways to mislead, but that, keeping the truth in love, we in all things to him who is the head, the Christ." Ephesians 4:14, 15

We have often opposed truth and love. There are those who are for the truth and those who are for love ...

In fact, reasoning in this way is a misunderstanding of who they are. The apostle Paul writes : "Love rejoices with the truth" (1 Corinthians 13: 6). To insist on the truth only makes love forget ; to insist on love only makes one forget the truth. Love and truth are like two lovers meeting each other! Separated, they are sad, and together they are so good that they want everyone to be too. Separated, love and truth can hurt, together they move forward, encourage, strengthen. In reality, the same Holy Spirit leads us into love and truth. It is a Spirit of love and a Spirit of truth. We can not choose between the two. In God, they are perfectly united.

Thus, to lie is to lack love. The devil is a liar, there is no love in him, even when he is seductive. Even when his lie resembles the truth to the point of seducing a few. We must beware of the "gospel of positive words" : to consider that a thing is true because it seems positive, because it seems to do us good ...

The Bible repeatedly says that the truth may be hard to hear at first, may cause sadness (2 Cor 7: 7-10), and even be painful when it manifests itself through an ordeal or a correction (Hebrews 12. 11). But for the person who receives it, it then produces "the peaceful fruit of justice". The Bible also says that at the end of time men will "turn away their ears from the truth and turn to fables" (2 Tim 4: 4). She also says that "the love of many will be cooled" (Matt 24. 12).

To keep or say "the truth in love" (according to the translations) is a huge challenge to every Christian. But it is also the mark of maturity in the faith. The wisdom and strength necessary to achieve this is in Christ.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)