Week 27: Truth and Love

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  I Corinthians 13:6

Let us consider some principles drawn from biblical texts.

First, Love is the context in which truth is communicated.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”  — Ephesians 4:14-15.

Here, the Apostle Paul connects truth (distinguishing it from every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming) and love intimately, seeing them both as essential to securing the maturity of the believer in Christ and the Apostle here understand them to operate in this way: Love is the context in which Truth (True Truth) is communicated.

Second, truth is the medium for the message of love.

“Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.” – Colossians 1:4-5

Here, as we noted before, the Apostle connects love and truth without distorting either.  The church at Colossae had become known for two things that were to be most highly commended: their faith in Christ and their love for the saints.  Where did this love come from?  From the hope stored up for them in heaven.  And how had they come by this hope which sparked faith and love?  They came by it through the word of truth.  The Truth of the gospel was the first source of love and faith.  Truth was the medium for the message of love, hope, and faith.

Finally, truth purifies our love so that it may be genuine and not a false substitute.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” I Peter 1:22

Peter instructs us that genuine love, pure love, sincere love comes not when we abandon the truth, but when we are purified by it.  The truth cleanses our hearts, making them capable of loving not simply tolerating one another.  When we know the truth, we are moved to hope, faith, and love.  When we are purified by the truth, we are equipped to love sincerely.  And having appreciated that, we are commanded to speak the truth in love so that the kingdom of God might be more fully established and Christ our King might be more fully honored.  May we make this our great desire, that we know and be purified by the truth, that is True Truth, and that we speak that truth faithfully in love in a world that is sorely lacking both.

Richard Bowser

– This article comes from AI’s devotional for lawyers titled, “What Does the Lord Require of You?”