Speak the Truth in Love
Pilate asked Jesus “what is truth” (John 18:38), and I suppose many of us have asked that same question at some point. Maybe we should dig a little deeper, do you want to know the truth? Or are you looking for a causeway to justify your actions? When you ask someone to “be honest” with you, do you want to hear the truth or are you looking for something you want to hear?
When you hear a sermon that “steps on your toes” what is your response? When you search the Scriptures for answers to certain behaviors, what do you do when you find the answer? Does it fit your lifestyle? Or does it require a change? If you really want the truth, if you really want to KNOW the truth, you must accept the truth. And the truth is always found in the word of God.
As believers we want to the truth to come from God’s word. And we also speak the truth concerning how Christians should conduct themselves, not in a legalistic way, but in a biblical way. There are biblical proofs of how a Christian should conduct their lifestyle. We also speak the truth concerning culture. What I mean by that is, we defy what is the norm in the culture by standing firm on the foundation of God’s word. And yes, we speak the truth concerning the culture, not as a political movement but as a biblical one.
When a Christian speaks against a leader’s actions, he is not “political” but he is speaking the truth that has been derived from biblical truth. Governmental leaders make laws and decision that can directly oppose biblical truth. This is where a Christian applies the truth of God’s word to a particular requirement. Groups and movements often oppose biblical truth as well.
Speaking the truth isn’t often popular. Proverbs 12:17 “He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.” Proverbs 12:19 “Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is only for a moment.” Proverbs 21:28 “A false witness will perish, But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.” Telling the truth often creates a hatred to those who speak the truth. Actions like “deflection” are employed by those who do not want to hear the truth. In a marriage, this often is the case. When troubles arise, one speaks the truth and the other rebels against it. And it’s not only in a marriage but other relationships as well. The point being, facts are stubborn things.
Over the years there have been many “evangelical” movements, i.e., “Promise Keepers”, “WWJD,” and others. There is nothing inherently wrong with a group or movement of folks for a biblical cause. But that’s all they are…movements. The truth about these evangelical movements is they often run out of steam once the new wears off.
I want to speak the truth. Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” For example, the Black Lives Matter movement, which has taken the USA by storm, is not a biblical movement. You can go to their website to see their “core values” and lay them side by side with the Word of God. Many Christians and even evangelical leaders have embraced this movement. But how can you embrace a movement that’s centered on human philosophy of justice and wisdom? And why would evangelical leaders embrace a movement that’s not centered on biblical truth?
I want to speak the truth. So I will. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” is true. But the leaders of BLM’s actions do not reflect this. Nor do their actions. This isn’t a matter of my opinion. Facts speak for themselves. The truth is BLM was founded at the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial. Not the trial itself or injustice, but the fact the outcome was in favor of George Zimmerman who was tried be a jury of his peers.
According to the BLM website, one of its core values is “disruption of the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.” Western prescribed? You mean a family with a father and mother? The very foundation of the family was designed by God himself, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh“ (Genesis 2:24). The BLM group clearly states their view on the family, “by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.” The word “father” is deliberately missing.
The BLM also affirms the homosexual lifestyle. According to the BLM website, “We foster a queer‐affirming network.” Speaking the truth would seem this is out of line with any Christian belief according to the word of God.
Concerning race, there is only one race, the human race. There are different ethnicities, but all, lost and saved, are created in the image of God. To divide people into races is not biblical, it’s humanistic and it’s flawed. According to their “about us” section of their website, “We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.” However, this is not evident. Marxist signs, such as a fist in the air for “black power,” is eerily reminiscint of the Nazi symbol. Furthermore, “We are unapologetically Black in our positioning.” This statement contradicts their previous one about freedom for “all people.” To divide people into groups by the color of their skin, the level of melanin, is not biblical.
The Scriptures make it clear that God created male and female. Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Cultural opinions do not change this fact. Identifying as a different gender does not change the gender God designed you with. Yet, this is what BLM promotes, a non-biblical, man-centered understanding of human sexuality.
I close with a statement from Darrell Harrison, who is Director of Social Media at Grace To You, “When, as Christians, you and I deviate from God’s equitable and universal standard of what ‘justice’ and ‘injustice’ are, we risk becoming partakers in the sin of partiality.” Proverbs 24:23 “These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good.” When we do this, Darrell further comments, “because, as fallen and fallible human beings, we invariably will end up drawing our own subjective conclusions about certain situations, having framed those conclusions through the prism of our own sinfully deceptive emotions and presuppositions.”
My support to someone must align with biblical truth. Whether that person is an individual or a group, their beliefs and actions must align with the truth of Scripture. I cannot support BLM because of the obvious positions that do not align with biblical truth in the word of God. As Martin Luther said “Herein is where I stand” and my position is just that. I stand on the inerrant word of God which reconciles all to him, no matter their social status, gender, level of melanin or ethnicity.
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