Old thoughts for a new year

What is truth?
Jesus says, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life."
What is love?
God is love.
Who is righteous?
There is none righteous, no, not one.

Weighty subjects about the meaning of life. As a culture in the 21st century, we Americans have a distorted view on truth and love. It's generally thought that truth is relative. Aaah, then that means that whatever I believe for me is truth, and whatever you believe for you is truth. What if they are polar opposite beliefs? Post-modern society says that it's okay, because truth is relative. People are considered to be dogmatic and unloving if they believe that there is only one truth, that there is a right way and a wrong way.

If truth is only one truth, then someone has to be right and the other is wrong. There's nothing bad about being wrong. We humans--on our own--get it all wrong-only by the grace of God can we get it right! It is not unloving to state the truth. The Word of God states that we are to "speak the truth in love." This is not a paradox, but a reality.

Although the gospel is offensive to the unregenerate, we Christians do not have to be offensive when we share the gospel or any truth based on God's Word. Love is not a squishy feeling, but an action, a commitment. If it is commanded in Scripture to speak the truth in love, it is right to speak the truth and it is right to be committed to speaking the truth.

We do have to remember though, that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do both: speak the truth and do it in love. Our motivation must be from a righteous and pure heart. We must be broken over the fallenness of humanity. To share the truth from any other position is arrogant. In so doing, we display a harshness that the world sees as hypocracy and "unloving."

Christ is the truth, He is love, and He is righteous. There is nothing harsh or wrong about that. Sharing His gospel is the most loving thing we can do for those who will spend an eternity in Hell without receiving Him.