“If truth is not undergirded by love, it makes
the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive.”
There are always three colours of
relationship response. We can put these as submissive responses, aggressive
responses, and bridging these both, assertive responses. We can also see these
as responses of too much love with not enough emphasis on the truth, not enough
love with too much focus on the truth, or the perfection of just the right
blend of love and truth for the given situation.
Whilst an overbalance on love
produces relationship outcomes of virulent acceptance, many of which can
actually be bad, for instance, the acceptance of abuse or neglect, an overbalance
on truth produces arrogance and propagates ignorance, which is distasteful.
‘Too Much Truth’ Is Not the Truth
There can be no such thing as too
much truth, just truth lacking in love.
A truth without love is an
inadequate truth, because truth must be undergirded by, and in relationship
with, love. Such a loveless truth is deluded and cannot, therefore, any longer
be called truth.
The trouble these days, and
throughout time, is we determine our own
truth without continually checking with God; without continually nurturing
the awareness of what really ‘is’, in reality. Truth such as this, that isn’t
checked, is ill-informed. Instead, we are cautioned to check the validity of
our truth, as our truth is highly subjective. It always will be unless it is
checked; unless we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the wrong in our truth.
This is a blessing for the
Christian—who has taken possession of the Presence of the Holy Spirit within
them. They are searched by that Spirit. And, if they are truly possessed by the
Spirit of God, they will be blessed when they find the truth, but cursed when
they deny or stop searching for the truth.
In relationships we must always be
prepared to receive the truth that we may be wrong. We are often more wrong, or
at least partially wrong, than we think we are.
***
We could go so far as to say that
the person who values truth over love is no Christian at all, for they forget,
or refuse to see, that the truth falls sharply away without love. The truth
never favours one’s opinion; the truth is beyond opinion; the truth can only
apply in universal ways.
If we submit to God, in genuinely
seeking truth, we will find it nested in love.
***
A truth without love is an
inadequate truth—and, therefore, no truth at all. We cannot blatantly upset people
with our truth and claim to be transformed beings. God transforms us in love in
order that we may see truth.
Love always comes first. Then truth becomes the power behind our
transformation.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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