Posted on 30 Oct 2020 by May Ling Wong
The reformation used to be just history to me, if you know what I mean! I knew a little about it as general knowledge, but it didn’t mean much to me. This changed about 7 years ago when I really learnt what it was about. So if we go to the core of what Luther, Jan Hus and our other “sifus” of the Reformation fought for, it’s really about the truth of the gospel, as God graciously revealed through His Word.
It’s a very clear truth, which essentially is about a very glorious God who deserves all honour and praise, and how we relate to Him and each other.
So to me, the reformation is really about standing up for this clear truth, and everything that comes with it. So what does this have to do with speaking the truth in love?
The truth of the gospel is true loveWhen we talk about Christians speaking the truth in love, I think we are primarily talking about the truth of the gospel – which is exactly what the Reformers’ stood for. When you see Paul refer to “speaking the truth in love” in Ephesians 4:15, you have to read Ephesians 1-3 to understand what truth Paul is referring to.
Ephesians 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.
We’re not just saying “if one must tell the truth, one must tell it lovingly” – as if the truth must be dependent on the way it is said, nor is it merely about “any truth”, like “what I really think of your outfit”.
It’s about what the gospel is, and if this is what saves, then this is what we must talk about to encourage, teach, train or build up someone into Christ à la Ephesians 4:15, and this involves all aspects of speech: the matter (or content), the manner and the method. It’s quite a lot to think about, because how we speak is contextual to the situation, but it is firstly truth-based. If I can do a quick reference, Pastor Robin covered this in CERC when we did our sermon series on Matthew, where we looked at John the Baptist’s ministry in Matthew 3:1-17 here. When John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees, he called them a “brood of vipers”, utilising strong language that would likely be offensive to people even today. Yet he found it necessary to call them to repentance, in light of the serious reality of their hypocrisy and blindness towards God’s truths.
This task applies to all Christians, so we all have to do it if we belong to Christ and are part of His church. It’s so important because it’s about the people of God being built up into Christ our head.
The struggle is real
There’s a God-oriented goal to this speaking truth in love. It’s not about speaking truth just for the sake of it, or because it’s a good virtue to have. Speaking the truth in love is really about speaking God’s truths to each other so that we mature as the people of God. The goal makes all the difference.
Speaking the truth in love is every Christian’s duty, and it’s one aspect of my Christian life that I have always struggled with because:
It’s been about 7 years since I joined CERC, and so that marks how long I’ve been struggling with, and continue to struggle with this. So some of the things I’ve learnt – and I hope there’s some encouragement for any person struggling like I do, are:
As such, this has also been part of the Christian experience that has humbled me greatly. I still think I am a prideful person (and I pray by the Spirit’s help that He will continue to help me put my pride to death), but I think the full range of experiences – dealing with my own sin, feeling a little hopeless and sad from repeated failures, taking a break (rightly or wrongly so), being lovingly rebuked by a friend who noticed my lack of love, trusting God, continuing to minister to others when I think I don’t deserve to, to apologise when I have wronged someone – has all been good for me.
I have grown to realise how deeply rooted sin is in me (though I am no longer enslaved to it, thanks be to God), how I fail to love others and need to change, how much I desire applause from man rather than God (seen in being overly nice for fear of offending people but compromising the truth), the list goes on. And so, as much as it will continue to be painful…I want to keep doing this with the opportunities God gives me.
A good test to whether you’ve done a good job speaking the truth in love is: what made that person accept what you said? If it was because GOD’s glory was upheld, then yes my friend, you’ve succeeded. If it was because you were just trying to be persuasive rather than letting God’s Word speak to that person, then my friend, I’m sorry but that’s a failure, because it is more important that God was pleased with you upholding His truth.
We are doing God’s work, not our ownTo end this bit I’ve shared, I would like to say to the brother/sister in Christ who is struggling as I am: don’t give up! God has given us His glorious gospel when we were undeserved sinners, and we now have the Spirit who fights for us, and enables us to persevere in a life of pleasing Him. When you’re really discouraged, pray to God about your failures and trust Him to work His will in both your life and the other person’s. Talk to someone about it who might be able to offer insights, and I pray that this person also loves God and is willing to tell you the truth that will truly help you.
Also, be open to accept that you may be wrong, don’t react to your failures being exposed, but consider the advice you get, and if it’s true that you were wrong, apologise. I know it’s not easy, but we have to keep reminding ourselves that we’re doing GOD’s work, not our own. Let’s keep having the mindset of a servant faithfully carrying out his duties regardless of whether people are watching – as the servant in Matthew 24:45-51, as we look forward to our Lord Jesus’s return.