Articles
Teaching the Truth in Love
There has been a lot of hateful rhetoric over the last decade of my life. Perhaps it has always been there, and I only just began to notice it. Whether it has or not, the fact is, we all recognize it now. Such a reality often leads to reminders that, as Christians, above all, we must teach the truth I love. Such a statement often sounds cliched anymore, but it is a vital element to our theology and practice of Christianity. Why is it so important to always teach the truth in love?
For one thing, it makes the greatest impact. Proverbs 15:1 tells us, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” When conversations degenerate into angry fights, it is usually because one or both people failed to present their case in a loving manner. In order to get a point across, in order to generate true influence in someone else, love must be the tone and method of the conversation.
Secondly, teaching in love is vital because it is often the difference between having a great, good, or bad reputation. Individuals and congregations both will be remembered by the prevalence of love or negativity. Furthermore, like it or not, it takes very few negative encounters to destroy an abundance of loving ones. Those will be the encounters that people remember, and that they talk about with other people. This is not to say that mistakes are never made, but it emphasizes the need to be intentionally focused on teaching in love.
What constitutes teaching “in love”?
- Your Intent – Are you trying to win a fight and prove someone wrong, or mature a soul in the grace of Jesus? Are you seeking to please God or stroke your own ego by showing how knowledgeable and pious you are? It makes a difference. Winning a fight can create an “at all costs” attitude. If the soul is lost because we failed to love like God, it does not matter that you were academically correct.
- Your Tone and Tactic –Too many people take a Matthew 23 approach as their first approach to teaching or conflict. But Jesus rarely, if ever, lambasted someone in his first conversation. 1Peter 3:15 emphasizes gentleness and respect as the tone we take in our defense of the hope in us. When these are absent, so is your influence. When your influence is lost, so is your ability to carry out God’s mission.
Teaching the truth in love. It is not just a cliché. It is an essential aspect to living out the faith for which we stand. May God help us to do this every day, everywhere.
