Love And Truth

BY PR EVANGELINE CHEONG

It has been an abundance of celebrations in the last few months. We went from hearing carols played at shopping malls, to Auld Lang Syne at New Year, to a flood of bright red decorations in the Lunar New Year. Now the malls and TV adverts are gearing up again for something to celebrate: Valentine’s Day. As the world celebrates love, we will take February to figure out what is it and its relation to other important things in life. And this week we will look at LOVE AND TRUTH.

In this postmodern world we live in, where anyone can construct their own reality, where “your truth does not have to be my truth”, there is increasing resentment against the concepts of truth. So when we think about love, truth is not what we usually think about. But should we?

God is love, isn’t He? So Christians are to love, right? No wonder when Christians speak about the truth of the gospel in Jesus Christ, how He came to die for sinners, it can be seen as unloving to point out this truth, so some don’t share about their faith so they can love. Telling someone directly about their shortcomings can be seen as unloving, so many in the office just talk behind that person’s back. Correcting a child’s behaviour has in recent times been labelled as unloving so many spare the child and don’t buy any rods. But is love separate from truth?

It is not love when people remain in untruth! That person you love remains in sin and doesn’t find a Savior. That colleague you care about continues to be hurt by office politics. That beloved child never learns about consequences of his behaviour. Loving others does not mean merely accepting them for who they are. Loving others like Jesus would involve telling the adulterous woman to go and sin no more (John 8). “The church is not a place where sinners are welcomed to remain in their sin.” (Albert Mohler). There must be truth in love!

Yet many times, we can speak truth without a tangible love, compassion and sincerity for the person we speak to. When there is truth without love, Paul reminds us “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Cor 13:2

“…speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” Ephesians 4:15