"Speaking the truth in love.."

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."  Proverbs 29:25.
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Abraham & Abimelech

Genesis 20:12, 13    Abram's sinful compact with his wife Sarah cud have denied the blessing of children, until they both again agreed to own their marriage, upon Abimelech's correction. A heathen prince reproved them to speak the truth in all things - not only tell a part of the truth, but tell the whole (say not merely he is my brother, but say also, he is my husband too).  Abram's half-truth / half-lie was a snare to himself and to all. It is also a snare to all true saints of God, ultimately losing their good gifts and blessings, if not corrected and cleansed of.  

Abimelech was threatened with death and so, his careful words did not disrespect the prophet, but calmly heaped coals of fire on his head. And Abraham understood his humiliating plight while acknowledging his wrong by pointing to the fear of his own life.

Speaking the truth in love.. Eph 4:15:  To speak unvarnished truth is to avoid error.  In opposition to all trick, and art, and cunning, and fraud, and deception, Christians are to speak the simple truth, which is the representation of things as they are.

When this truth is spoken in a harsh, unfeeling or repulsive manner, it offends/repels. It cannot be with indifference, or in a tone of superiority, or to pass as a final sentence; nor to dogmatize, or denounce, or deal out anathemas. We may argue to the hour of death, and make no progress in convincing.

That’s why, while exhorting to walk worthy of our Calling in Christ and grow up towards maturity, Paul urges us to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15).  Lord Jesus is the absolute Truth and His Love speaks graciously to every human heart - all His life on earth is fully open to all, and transparent as the light. Hence, the most valuable virtue we must pursue is first, the love of truth and then, love of His saints.

2 Tim 3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Peter & Paul

This is somewhat similar to how Apostle Peter also acted hypocritically for the same fear of the newly converted Jews (Gal 2:12, 13). He might have feared their opposition; their reproaches; the report which would be made to those at Jerusalem; the loss of his reputation among them, and perhaps he apprehended that a tumult would be excited, and a persecution commenced at Antioch by the Jews who resided there.  Fearing these, he falls into a sin against God. The fault was not that he taught error of doctrine, but that he sinned in conduct. We can say that no man loved the Saviour more sincerely than he did, yet his constitutional timidity and irresoluteness of character led him to this course of action which deeply wounded his own cause, which the Lord's indeed.

Unlike the heathen prince Abimelech reproving Abraham, it is Paul who checks and reproves Peter, for the error and the injury done to the body of Christ. Paul called it fear, dissimulation, and not walking uprightly. And since Peter's offence was public, he publicly reproved him for it. He does it with openness and freedom, with courage and resolution, and later on, goes on to write in 1Timothy 5:20, "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." Earlier in Gal 1:10, Paul pointed to his own life-purposes changed - "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." He followed it up (Gal 2:18) by saying "For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Paul adhered resolutely to his principles, when others including Peter, faltered in theirs.

Duty of Reproving / Rebuking:  The duty of reproving those who err is painful, and one much neglected. Still, it is a duty enjoined in the Scriptures, and one that is of the deepest importance to the church. This duty is indeed a favour done to the erring man to reclaim him from a course of sin. But he, who sees a brother erring and injuring him and others and still plays safe in not admonishing him, indeed does the deepest injury, and suffers the unrebuked sin to lie upon him.

If it is so, then it is also the duty of him who has offended and was rebuked to receive the admonition in a kind spirit and with thankfulness. We understand that Peter did so, although there is no evidence that he became excited and angry here, or that he did not receive the admonition of his brother Paul. There is much that is wrong when we become excited and irritable if another admonishes us of our faults.

When men in authority err, common men also go on to sin, through a kind of authority, i.e through the sins of those in authority. Even Barnabas himself, an eminent man full of the Holy Ghost, was led away with the dissimulation of Peter, along with the other Jews. As Paul referred, those who are eminent in the church needed to be careful how they walk; for if they fall, they fall not alone, many do fall with them.

Fear and Comfort of God:  Therefore, we must not shrink from duty nor commit sin nor be disquieted with fear, to avoid the wrath of man. Instead, our blessed Lord forewarned us saying, "Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." (Luke 12:5) 

We are encouraged to depend upon the power of God, which would keep us from all that fear of man, which has either torment or temptation in it. A holy confidence in God makes a man both great and easy, and enables him to look with a gracious contempt upon the most formidable designs of hell and earth against him. If God be my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid - Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. Isaiah 51:12

2 March 2016, Satya Raj


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