It seems like every time we open the media, we see the world divided against itself. Some people stand with this idea, others stand with another. One group believes this and that to be true, another claims that it's completely false. And in the midst of all the chaos, no one is listening to the other; no one seems to care about the other's arguments. With everyone always picking a side or asking us to have a stance, how do we, as Christians, assess the truth that we adopt? Let’s take a closer look at this together.
Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
In Ephesians, chapter 4, St. Paul is encouraging the Christians of that city to no longer be like little children that are easily persuaded by everything they see and hear. He encourages them to not be swayed back and forth by people’s trickery and craftiness, and not to believe every doctrine that is preached out there. And so, he says:
'' 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ''. (Ephesians 4:15) - [New Revised Standard Version]
Now, what does speaking the truth in love mean? And why would I speak the truth at all if I feel like people will not hear it? Now, while these thoughts might come to us and while we might think that these are indeed valid arguments, we must realize that there is more to this statement that St. Paul makes than meets the eye.
Let’s first consider the two very powerful words that St, Paul uses in this statement: speaking the truth and in love. Both of these words, truth and love, must be properly defined if we are to understand the importance of this scriptural calling. Consider firstly that both of these words are used to describe the person of Christ. Yes! They are personifications of our Lord Himself. Let's investigate what this actually means.
In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus, while speaking to Thomas, His disciple, He says:
'' 6 (...) I am the way, [and] the truth, and the life...'' (John 14:6)
Christ does not say that He is truthful or that He simply speaks the truth; He declares that He is the very thing; He is the origin and the standard of truth. And for this reason, the same evangelist in the very first chapter of his Gospel declares that:
'' 17 (...) The law [indeed] was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.'' (John 1:17)
As Christians, our standard of truth is the Lord Himself. For this reason, we call the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth. For this reason, in our liturgy, we declare that he is the God of truth. And so, to speak the truth is to exemplify the Lord Himself. We are representing Him and pointing to God as the standard of our beliefs. And because the Lord is one and unchanging, we view truth as universal and objective, because it is found in God alone.
The Greek word for truth is αλήθεια (alítheia). It indicates what is universally true in any matter under consideration. Universally, here, points to the premise that there is one objective truth, not a variety of truths. And objectivity is the concept of being true independently from individual subjectivity caused by perception, emotions, or personal bias. What this means to us, as Christians, is that speaking the truth at all times, despite the difficulties of doing so, despite the sensitivities of circumstances, despite the potential reactions of those around us that will hear us speak the truth, is a must, because it points to Christ Himself.
St. Paul also explains that we ought to speak this truth in love. It's interesting to note that he does not allow truth to be divorced from love. As if to say that when truth is spoken alone, it can sometimes be used as a weapon to hurt the person we are speaking to, with the intention of offending or merely making a person look bad. It's no longer truth; it's about ego now.
All of us know what it’s like to think and sometimes to behave in a way where we say such things as I don’t care how he or she feels; they need to hear what I have to say or we might think they need to know the truth. The truth is never meant to be the weapon of choice that we use to hurt another child of God; the truth is meant to set people free.
'' 32 ''(...) you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free [, says the Lord].'' (John 8:32) - [New Revised Standard Version]
As for the Apostle Paul, he makes it clear: we ought to speak the truth, but to speak it in love. But what does that mean to speak in love? As we’ve discussed before, we said that the word love also is a very powerful word within the Christian vocabulary. We are not merely speaking of sentiment and emotion; we are speaking of the personified Lord. St. John, in his Epistle, in an attempt to speak of the importance of love, he declares that love is far beyond what we think it to be. Listen to what he says in 1 John, chapter 4:
'' 4 You are of God, little children, and [you] have overcome them [them, here, are the spirits of the Antichrist], (...) He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. [And] he who knows God hears us; [and] he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 [And] he who does not love does not know God, for God is love.'' (1 John 4:4-8)
What we're seeing here is of immense importance, my beloved. Scripture declares that God is truth and God is love. And so, as Christians, when we speak the truth in love, we ourselves are bringing God into the conversation. We're inviting the Lord into our presence. He's the author and the originator of both truth and love. And so, we point to Him when we speak the truth in love.
Now, if for any reason, I am tempted to refrain from speaking the truth, I must ask myself why? Am I afraid of the outcome? Am I looking for someone’s approval? Am I attempting to associate to a specific ideology or a group that adopts such ideas? If not, then why would I not speak the truth?
And if I do speak it, have I spoken it in love? Have I made the Lord Christ the standard of how I speak and the words that I select? Have I considered the best time and place as well as the best tone to adopt to deliver the message of truth that needs to be delivered? These questions are the very ones that will guide me, through the Holy Spirit, to know when and how I ought to speak.
To conclude, I want to read to you from Fr. Matthew the Poor. In his book If You Love Me, he says something very powerful in regard to our conversation. He speaks of the criteria to be an effective servant of the Lord that speaks with openness and honesty. In the Coptic tradition, the word servant is typically used for anyone who offers their time or energy to God and his Church; a volunteer of some sorts whose intention is to offer God service in any way. And so, in reality, this title of servant of the Lord applies to all Christians. Listen to what Fr. Matthew has to say:
''When the service is contaminated by self-seeking, skewing its spiritual balance, it becomes continually overcautious, cowardly and predisposed to retreat. It will become a service unprepared for any sort[s] of loss, constantly halting and regressing. The servant himself tends to measure ''gains'' versus ''losses'' by mere statistics.
''Conversely, if it is a healthy service, as attested by a profound love in the heart, you will find the servant bold, candid, with a ready tongue. He is prepared to bear any burden, because the true love that comes from God compels him to forget himself and convert every loss into a gain. One of the unique and unmistakable signs of such love that comes is a pleasure in self-sacrifice and a commitment to self-abandonment.
''There is also a false type of openness and honesty whose basis is not love but rather egotism. It thrives on the love of show, the exhibition of one’s merits and proving
oneself. Such openness only stirs up trouble, conflict, and defiance. Every servant must beware this defect because it only harms the service of Christ.
''In contrast, true candor in service is meek and yielding – like love itself, always smiling – and never causes harm or disgrace to anyone. It might at times need to express itself with fiery words: but it is nevertheless driven by a humble heart, a kind face, and tearful eyes.'' (Matthew the Poor, If You Love Me: Qualities of a Christian Servant 1 )
The words of this spiritual elder, Fr. Matthew the Poor, are a beautiful summary of all that we need to learn in regards to the importance of speaking the truth in love. In denying the self and in destroying the ego, we can speak the truth in love by making it about Him who is truth and Him who is love. May He always be at the center of everything that we speak!
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1 Anyone interested in this book will find it listed under its full title, which is: If You Love Me - Serving Christ and the Church in Spirit and Truth.