"Speaking the Truth in Love"

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Observations:

Application:

The phrase "speaking the truth in love" came to mind this morning as I was reading the Fp Bible Plan in John 8:42-47.  A few week's ago, I wrote a post called "Full of Grace and Truth," based on an Andy Stanley message.  Before hearing that message a Jesus monologue like this one in John 8 used to make me really uncomfortable.  

I've always seen everything from an "EITHER grace OR truth" perspective.  Clark does something wrong and I EITHER punish him for it OR let him off the hook.  A friend says something hurtful and I EITHER forgive her OR I call her out.  Even those "controversial issues" that our society has decided to lift up as "big sins" and debate as if they were theoretical issues instead of real people's lives we're talking about… I always saw them as EITHER I can support those people with grace OR reject them with truth.  

This message helped me realize that Jesus is BOTH 100%, full-to-the-brim, complete grace AND 100%, full-to-the-brim, complete truth.  And I want to be like Jesus.  But I am really struggling to learn how to be "full of grace and truth."  I am really struggling to speak and live in such a way that I present truth while offering no condemnation.  

As I wrote that last sentence, the phrase, "Who's story are you telling?" popped into my head as clearly as I have ever heard anything from the Lord.  If I am truly telling Jesus' story, it is already FULL of grace AND truth.  If I am struggling to "spin it," there's a bigger problem.  The TRUTH of Jesus is so GRACE-filled, that it dazzles people all on its own.  

If I lean too hard into truth, I'm like the Pharisees, trying to hold everyone accountable to a bunch of rules.  If I lean too hard into grace, I look at passages like this one in John 8 and am offended by Jesus's bluntness.  And if I try to find a balance between the two, I end up seesawing between them in confusion that is hard for me to understand, much less those who I am witnessing to.  No, Jesus isn't a balance of grace and truth.  He is the full embodiment of both.  

So that brings me back to "speaking the truth in love."  In Ephesians 4:14, Paul is warning the church that they keep getting jerked around and deceived by people trying to share different philosophies because they are immature Christ followers, all trying to work in their own power.  He then tells them that the solution to this, the remedy that is going to bring about their maturity, is speaking the truth in love.  He didn't say, "Either speak the truth or love."  He also didn't say, "Speak both the truth and love."  He said, "Speak the truth in love."  In other words, "Let your words be fully truth and fully love at the same time."  Speak like Jesus.  Who's story are you telling?

Prayer:

Dear God, you are so awesome!  This isn't at all the direction I expected to go when I started looking at this verse.  But you took me where you wanted me to go.  And I love that so much.  Lord, I pray that you would pour your full grace and full truth into me so that it flows out of me in full measure.  Help me to stop trying to spin your story but to let you tell it through me.  In Jesus' name I pray! Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda