In this blog, I come back to the subject of “truth.” There is so much evidence around us that very few people care about truth and where to find it. One of the saddest moments in history was when Jesus stood before Pilate who asked Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). What makes this so sad is that Pilate failed to wait for the answer, particularly when Pilate had the person who is “the Truth” standing before him. Like Pilate, many seek truth in the wrong places.
Why do people avoid the truth? Truth will expose our words, actions, and motives that do not measure up to God’s standard. It confronts us in such a way that our sin is exposed and we are required to make things right with the Lord first, and then with others.
If we are seeking to be governed by truth, it will require that we speak the truth to others. How we do this is very important. Paul says to the believers at Ephesus, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Notice there are two imperatives in this verse.
- The way we speak truth to others must be done in love. That means I want the good of the other person, not just their correction.
- Spiritual growth must be the goal of speaking truth. This spiritual growth is in view of becoming more like Christ in every aspect of our lives.
How are we doing with this exhortation from Paul? Are we first willing to let truth expose failure in ourselves before we use it to help others?