Thursday: Speaking the Truth
Read Galatians 4:16. What powerful point is Paul making there? In what ways might you yourself have experienced something similar? (See also John 3:19; Matt. 26:64-65; Jer. 36:17-23.)
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The expression “speaking the truth” often has negative connotations, especially in our day and age, when it can be viewed as a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred, spare-no-enemies tactic of telling someone the facts, no matter how unpleasant or unwanted they may be. If it were not for Paul’s comments in Galatians 4:12-20 and a few other comments scattered throughout his letter (see Gal. 6:9-10), one might mistakenly conclude that Paul’s interest in the truth of the gospel outweighed any expression of love. Yet, as we’ve seen, though Paul was concerned about the Galatians knowing the “truth of the gospel” (see Gal. 2:5, Gal. 2:14), that concern arose because of his love for them. Who hasn’t experienced personally just how painful it can be to have to chastise someone or in plain terms speak truths to them that — for whatever reason — they don’t want to hear? We do it because we care about the person, not because we want to cause hurt, though at times the immediate effect of our words is hurt or even anger and resentment against us. We do it anyway, because we know it is what the person needs to hear, no matter how much he or she might not want to do so.
In Galatians 4:17-20, what is Paul saying about those whom he is opposing? What else is he challenging, besides their theology?
In contrast to the candor of Paul’s gospel, by which he risked the possible ire of the Galatians, his opponents were actively courting the favor of the Galatians, not out of love for the Galatians but out of their own selfish motives. It is unclear exactly what Paul means when he says that his opponents “want to shut you out,” (ESV) though this perhaps refers to an attempt to shut them out of the privileges of the gospel until they first submit to circumcision.
| Think of some incident when your words, however truthful and needed, caused someone to be angry with you. What did you learn from the experience that could help you next time you need to do something similar? |
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Our truthful swords or sentence sometimes made people who heard that felt irritated cause they did differently. Also it is hard toward the leader who have different motive.
May God help us to always stand and say the truth as it is written in the holy book as it is without diluting it with error for Truth + Error = Error. May God help us! Blesses Sabbath saints!!
While I understand the intention of your comment, Pamela, There are two things that we should never lose sight of when we are dealing with The Truth.
1) Just because we perceive that we need to speak the truth, it does not give us an excuse for delivering it in a way that is unchristian. Sometimes that means remaining silent because the timing is inappropriate. For example, when I go to an non-Adventist funeral and they talk of their loved one being in heaven etc, it is not the right time for me to deliver a diatribe on the state of the dead. There is a time to speak the truth but we need to live it first.
2) We should always allow for growth. I remember the grace that was extended to me when I was growing up. The people that helped me most were the people who helped be grow into truth; not the ones who shoved a bookmarked "Messages to Young People" into my hand and told me I had better read the truth as written by Ellen White. Christians grow in spiritual understanding. It comes slowly for some and more quickly for others. We have to grow our understanding of truth, and in dealing with others we have to allow for them to grow as well.
The Truth is not the 27 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist church nor any other system of religious doctrine. The Truth is Jesus, a person, who was God made in the form of human flesh and who lived with us, and who now serves us in heaven in the presence of God. In this context, the statement “Truth + Error = Error” makes no sense because when the Adversary tempted Jesus, there was nothing in Jesus that responded to the temptations, that is, Error can never be part of the Truth (the person of Jesus). This is why we must keep our focus on Jesus, who is the one who starts us on the journey of faith and who will complete that faith in our lives, and not on jingoistic equations that magnify the thoughts of man.
Paul’s purpose in his letter to the Galatians is to expose the sin that makes us believe that human effort and thinking can ever make us acceptable to God. He presses his case that we must know Jesus personally and completely in our lives. Our salvation depends completely on our relationship with Jesus and his work in us (that is, his making of us in his image). There is no surer path to perdition than to believe that we have “The Truth”, unless by that we mean Jesus is in our hearts, minds and souls, and we are committed to have him work out his will in our lives, every moment of our lives.
I do not believe that “Truth + Error = Error” can be found anywhere but in the heart of sinful man because it is the invention of man, and is not not the Way, the Truth and the Life of God.
Paul's admonition and method of teaching young Timothy to be a preacher included 2Timothy 2:23-26. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition,_________. Sometimes the goal is to be right about what we believe to the point that the discussion ends up with open ended disagreement.
Timely and caring advice. After growing into adulthood, I can't imagine that the results are not God given. Your thoughts are beneficial, and guided by the power we are given through the gift of the Holy Spirit.