Saying the truth does not ipso facto mean you’ve loved another. It might, but not necessarily. Speaking the truth is an external act, and the interior motives may or may not be there. It could be the case that some use the veneer of the Gospel to hide spiritual deficits and disorders in their own life.
Does this diminish the fact that we ought to speak the truth? No, but keep in mind that the truth is communicated to people not only by our words, but also by our interior dispositions. If they are giddy in condemnation and judgment and lack humility (as a fellow sinner), the words therefore convey the lie of Wrath.
Further, Eli’s sons took the Ark into battle with a spirit of presumption. Externally, it appeared as though God was on their side, but in their hearts, they were waging their own agenda. We must ask ourselves if God is calling us to speak up, and how He wishes us to do so. If these questions are not part of our process, we must distrust ourselves.
Convey the truth with genuine love, and you will find grace married to your words. They will bear fruit. This begins by being awakened to something more than a mere external act, to comprehend whether it is loving or not. Such an attitude is amazingly forgetful of the inner man who can deceive even himself.
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Photo: Bart LaRue, Unsplash / PD-US
