We Need God’s Help Connecting Truth and Love
Do you solemnly swear (affirm) to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
While no longer mandatory in every United States courtroom, we affirm this promise of truth with left hand placed on a book, right hand raised.
The book remains closed, yet held as a mighty writing considered worthy to swear and affirm by.
The Bible. The Holy Scriptures. God’s truth to inspire man’s truth.
Yet, our present world often questions biblical principles as valid, relevant, or relatable.
So, people try to convince us truth is relative. Culture whispers in our ear, We each have our own version of truth—and that’s okay.
We Need God’s Help With Truth
But it’s not okay. God’s Word not only never returns void, it also never goes out of style along with changing times. Consider how the Bible helps us live out our faith, a how-to manual for a godly life.
Because the more we are in God’s Word, the more we do the right thing, the godly thing, the Jesus thing, and do it all more often.
The Bible describes truth as a fundamental characteristic of God, the Creator of all things, including truth. Biblical truth means that which is from God and born of God. Jesus, born of God, declared, “I am the truth” (John 14:6).
God is Truth. And He is the giver of truth.
People try to convince us truth is relative. Culture whispers in our ear, 'We each have our own version of truth—and that’s okay.' But it's not okay. God is Truth and the giver of truth. #truth #love Click To Tweet“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160).
Further, truth brings freedom. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32).
While culture grapples to define truth, the Bible remains trustworthy, true from Genesis to Revelation.
We Need God’s Help With Love
“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only son…” (John 3:16). God so loved that He gave. God so earnestly and extravagantly loved each of us, He gave us life through His Son. Born of God, Jesus declared, “I am the life” (John 14:6).
God is Love. And He is the giver of love.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The way to God’s love is through His truth. The way to God’s truth is through His love. God never meant for us to separate the two.
The way to God’s love is through His truth. The way to God’s truth is through His love. God never meant for us to separate the two. #truth #love Click To Tweet
Truth Testifies of God’s Love
During cultural and moral controversies, we hear and see many proclamations of man’s version of truth. Like, Love the sinner, hate the sin. A phrase not found in the Bible and not said by Christ. (This phrase is associated with St. Augustine.)
There is biblical truth in loving fellow human beings. Commanded to love those in agreement with us and those who disagree; to dislike sin when found in ourselves or in others. God never intended for us to hate people.
But, I loathe the enemy. Satan is the father of lies and he works to deceive each of us of the truth. Yes, dislike sin on all accounts, yet only hate the Deceiver.
God loves us, sinners He redeems and makes saints. The same loving truth sheds light on my sin and my need for justification—for God to make me “right” in front of Him.
If I serve and worship a loving God, who’s not equally full of truth, then pity me. If there’s not truth from a higher power, life becomes futile.
In John 17, Jesus prayed over His disciples:
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (verses 14-18, emphasis mine).
When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, He never compromised truth to love people…not one time. He equally loved and spoke the truth.
When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, He never compromised truth to love people…not one time. He equally loved and spoke the truth. #truth #love Click To TweetWe Truly Love With Truth
When Jesus defeated sin and spiritual death, truth and love won the victory—amazing grace.
If we separate truth and love, we lose the core message of the gospel.
God builds His promises on truth and love. Where do these promises take place? In God’s high court. A system built on the Bible.
A book that should never remained closed as with a swearing in. Instead, our hands open the cover, reading words of love bringing truth into our souls and lives.
On the Bible, I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.
Do you find it difficult to keep truth and love connected in your relationships, cultural issues, or Christian walk?
*All Scripture references ESV.
*Read my blog post: 3 Reasons I Refuse to Apologize for My Faith.
*Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Literacy Musings/Tell His Story/Purposeful Faith/Recharge Wednesday/Worth Beyond Rubies/Tune in Thursday/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected/Faith On Fire and Faith and Friends.
© 2020 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
The father of lies revels in this secular culture that all to often denies God’s existence and power. He is our source of love and truth, and we need to seek His wisdom through His Word, each and every day. Thank you, Karen, for this inspiration today!
Martha, so true and so sad all at the same time. I’m so grateful God’s Word not only never returns void, it also never goes out of style along with changing times. But helps us live out our faith, a how-to manual for a godly life. Thanks for contributing to our conversation. God bless!
I love this, Karen! I used to attend a great church that was very well founded in truth, but so much so that my take-home was that I cared more about truth than love. But the more I read God’s Word, the more I recognized that love is equally part of His message. So I started talking about both whenever the opportunity arose. And your discussion about “love the sinner, hate the sin” is profound. I think it’s natural to look for the cause of sin and very easy to attribute it to the sinner, so loving the sin and hating the sinner is difficult, if not impossible. But attributing the sin to the Deceiver is a much more healthy way to approach love and truth. Great post!
Hey Stephen, love is equally a part of God’s message and one of the main characteristics of the gospel message. For we can believe all we want that the good news is true, but until we also belive God so loved us, that He gave His Son, it remains head knowledge only.
And yes, remembering temptations and sin are all part of the Deceiver’s plan against us, helps us see the sinner (which includes us) in a loving way.
Too often, people try to “please” others by ignoring the sinful nature of what is being shared. I pray we all will follow Him and share His truth.
Agree, Melissa. Because truth brings freedom. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32).
So important to remember these things as we grow in our relationship with Him!
Thanks for commenting, Julie. When Jesus defeated sin and spiritual death, truth and love won the victory—amazing grace.
This post is excellent, Karen! Yes, yes, yes! Jesus spoke the truth and love/love and truth. We attended a church that emphasized God’s grace, but spoke no truth about His Word. Anything that went against cultural norms was considered “not loving”. To go against God is the things that is really “not loving”!!! Our culture whispers over and over, “We know better than God. Did He really say that? Did He really mean that?” His Word stands forever. The beauty is, Jesus also loved, as He spoke the truth. So we need both. May we love people without compromising the truth of the God in whose image they are made.
Thank you, Melissa. And, Amen to this: “…to go against God is the things that is really not loving.” We see the enemy’s deception in the Garden with the first sin and still today in how he has culture blinded to the truth of God’s Word.
That’s my favorite thing about how Jesus loved WITH truth. “When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, He never compromised truth to love people…not one time. He equally loved and spoke the truth.”
Thanks for commenting and adding great insight.
This post is so important. Jesus had the perfect balance of love and truth. He said difficult things with compassion without wavering. But as you pointed out, we live in a culture that believes in finding your own truth, that our truths can contradict one another. There is one truth, the truth of Christ. We can only learn to truly love or find truth when we seek a personal relationship with Him. Thank you for this post. Wonderful job.
Appreciate your encouragement and what you shared, Joshua. I like how you said, “Jesus had the perfect balance of love and truth.” So true!
The way to God’s love is through His truth. The way to God’s truth is through His love. God never meant for us to separate the two. Both love and truth bring us into a personal relationship with Him.
Such truth in this post Ms. Karen! Something many of us Christians fail to understand is that Christ calls us to love, period. Not to judge people or their sins, but to show them His love. It’s when we try and attach our worldly understanding to God’s “out of this world” righteousness (that we, as long as we’re in this world, can never grasp or fully understand), we fall short of the standard for love Christ gives us. What an important reminder ma’am. God’s blessings.
Yes, J.D. We are called to walk in truth and to walk in love. Both are equally important and both mean we leave the judging to God. Because the truth is, God IS the TRUTH. And He is LOVE.
My latest blog highlights the importance of truth as well. Jesus said he was THE truth, not just a truth. I think we lose sight of this in our desire to make Christianity more appealing to the masses. I love the way you crafted this message!
Candice, I’m looking forward to reading your post. So good what you said about Jesus is THE truth and not a truth. I don’t want to make Christianity more appealing if it means omitting truth (which we know it ususally does). Thanks for adding your wisdom.
Thanks Karen. This message is so needed in our society. We are bombarded with ideas that disagreements equal hate but God shows us the best way is with truth and love together. I pray we reflect that on those around us.
Yvonne, you’re so spot on in how disagreement on social and moral issues doesn’t equal hate. It depends on if we are showing love as well. Sure, there are those who disagree in a hateful fashion. As believers, we are called to love and share truth.
If I serve and worship a loving God, who’s not equally full of truth, then pity me. If there’s not truth from a higher power, life becomes futile.
Thanks for this, Karen! Definitely convicting. God’s truth is revealed in so many ways.
Appreciate your thoughts, Jessica. The way to God’s love is through His truth. The way to God’s truth is through His love. God never meant for us to separate the two.
These words have the power of the Greek word from which we derive “dynamite.” We ARE ABLE!
“We Truly Love With Truth
When Jesus defeated sin and spiritual death, truth and love won the victory—amazing grace.
“If we separate truth and love, we lose the core message of the gospel.
“God builds His promises on truth and love. Where do these promises take place? In God’s high court. A system built on the Bible.”
Amen, sister! Yes! Preach! You say it so well!
Thank you, Melinda. Many people like to claim, “Love wins.” But love alone can never win the victory. The cross and an empty tomb confirms both truth and love won the victory together. “Lord, sanctify us in your truth and help us love others with Your love.”
This is a very real challenge that Christians face in society today. Truth is not relative; it is based on God’s Word and His truth. Thank you for this post.
It certainly is a challenge. Yet, we know truth is never up for debate. God’s holy Word wins hands down.
Amen Sister in Christ-Messiah Jesus-Yeshua Karen!!
( I Peter 4:8 KJV ) “And above all things have fervent CHARITY ( LOVE ) among yourselves: for CHARITY ( LOVE ) shall cover the multitude of sins.”!!
( I Corinthians 13:13 KJV ) “And now Abideth FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY ( LOVE ), these Three; but the Greatest of These is CHARITY ( LOVE ).”!!
Our ONE True GOD’S LOVE 💘 is ETERNAL THROUGH HIS SON Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua for Today and Everyday Forevermore Everyone!!
I Love you all Everyone through Jesus-Yeshua Christ, because HE LOVED EVERYONE FIRST!! 💕 Praise Jesus-Yeshua for Today and Everyday!!
“Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keeps You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only GOD keeps You Going.”!! Amen-Amein Praise Christ-Messiah Jesus-Yeshua Hallelujah!!
Love 💕 Always and Shalom ( Peace ), YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
Yes, Kristi Ann,
God is Truth, the giver of truth.
God is Love, the giver of love.
This is so important. There’s really no foundation for love without truth. But love based on truth is strong.
I agree, Barbara. I like how you said truth was the foundation for love.
It can definitely be hard for me to keep love at the center of my words when dealing with harsh and cruel people. But I have to remember to stand above that, knowing if I’m not speaking with love, I’m no better than their harsh and cruel words. Thank you for this reminder!
That’s hard for me and most people, Emily. I try to remember the Lord never commanded us to like anyone. But He did command us to love everyone.
Truth and love were never meant to be separated! I love that!
Thanks, Bethany. And Jesus modeled the idea perfectly for us!
It is incredibly important that we learn to speak truth in love and grace. While it is hard to speak truth, because we are often afraid of hurting others, we also need to flip that idea on its head. It is actually more hurtful not to speak the truth because it denies us and others the chance to learn and change and grow. But as you write Karen, truth must not be separated from love and grace, it must be couched within these two so that the person understands the truth is not to hurt or harm, but to produce better fruit for the kingdom.
So true, Anne. I have an extended family member who always says, “Why do you hate me?’ or that my writings are “hate writings.” You know why? Because I’m intentional to write about God’s truth and to speak the truth to this person in love. I’ve tried to explain that if I hated her, I would only lie and speak lies to her and let her continue to live in falsehood. Lies have no place alongside God’s truth.
Truth and love cannot be separated from each other. And God embodies both.
Hi Theresa, I like how you said God embodies both truth and love. Thanks for leaving your insight.
I took an oath once at my local courthouse. It used the words you cite here but added a reminder that I will give an account on the last, great day. Powerful.
I don’t know whether the extra part was at the judge’s discretion. But how much more effective to remind us that there will be a last, great day–and we will have to give an answer then.
Love and truth. Love cannot be love without truth.
I love that, Nancy. Thanks for sharing your story. It would be a great line for all courtrooms to add. And it’s biblical.