"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.
_______
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
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
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March 2016, Satya Raj
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