Speaking the Truth in Love

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1 Thes 2:2c “…with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”

In this passage, Paul writes that he declares the gospel in spite of strong opposition. Ever been there? You may not face physical persecution like Paul had suffered, but I think most of us have faced verbal opposition from others who oppose the knowledge of God. So here is where the rubber meets the road: Let’s say you are in a situation where you want to share the truth of God’s word with someone, but you know they probably won’t like what you say. Could be a Christian brother or a minister in need of correction. What would you do? Do you just clam up and not say anything? Do you tell the truth but water it down so that no one is offended?

You see? Many believers think that “speaking the truth in love” means you must not offend anyone. No, no, no! This is far from the truth! Paul states that “we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thes 2:4a). God has entrusted us with His precious gospel – the good news of what Jesus did on the cross. He has entrusted us to speak the whole truth to other people! Not water it down just to not offend someone. I’m starting to convict myself just writing these things! And so, Paul says, not “to please men but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thes 2:4b). When we speak to please men, we water down the truth so that we will still be popular and won’t offend anyone. However, when we speak to please God, we speak the whole truth. We say as accurately as possible what the word of God teaches and leave the consequences up to God. This is what speaking the truth in love means.