Article — Walking in Truth and Love
Brothers and Sisters, there are two words that should always describe the life of a Christian: truth and love. We should be people who know the truth, stand upon the truth, and walk in the truth. But we should also be people who love one another deeply, patiently, and sincerely. The little letter of 2 John brings these two wonderful truths together. John does not allow us to choose one over the other. We are called to walk in truth and love.
The world tries to separate these two. We are told that if we really love someone, we must accept everything they believe and approve of everything they do. The other side of the coin is sometimes Christians can become so concerned about defending truth that we forget to speak and live that truth with love. Neither one is biblical. Truth without love can become cold and harsh. Love without truth can become empty and compromising. God calls His people to both.
2 John 3, “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.” I love the way John puts those words together, “in truth and love.” They belong together because both find their fullness in Jesus Christ.
So, what does it mean to walk in truth? It means more than knowing the Word. We should read it, study it, hear it preached, and hide it in our hearts. However, knowing the truth and walking in truth are not exactly the same thing. You can know the road and still refuse to walk down it.
2 John 4, “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.” Notice the rejoicing because they were walking in the truth. God's Word had moved from their heads into their lives. Beloved, that is where truth must eventually go. It must affect the way we speak, the way we act, work, handle money, the way we forgive and respond to life.
Truth should shape what we do. Still, we are not saved because we walk perfectly, none of us can. We stumble, and sometimes we fall flat on our faces. Obedience does not earn our salvation. We are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. See, when God saves a sinner, He changes that sinner. The Holy Spirit gives us a new heart, and that new heart desires to walk according to God's Word.
Then John immediately connects truth with love. 2 John 5 “And now I ask you, dear lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.”
Brothers and Sisters, we ought to be known by the way we love one another. We have different personalities, backgrounds, and strengths. Sometimes we may even rub one another the wrong way. If you put enough sinners together in one church eventually somebody is going to get upset, but we are family. We all have been redeemed by the same Savior, washed by the same blood, indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, and adopted by the same Heavenly Father.
Therefore, we should be patient with one another. We should forgive one another. We should encourage one another, pray for one another, carry one another's burdens, and sometimes simply sit beside one another when there are no words that can make the hurt go away. Real love is not merely saying, “I love you.” Love gets its hands dirty. Love serves. Love forgives. Love stays when walking away would be easier. Love tells the truth when the truth needs to be spoken, but it speaks that truth with a desire to restore rather than destroy.
Then we have a simple definition of love. 2 John 6 “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” Notice again that word walk. Believers are not intended to sit still.
True love is not just an emotion. Love obeys, meaning we cannot use love as an excuse to ignore God's truth. We sometimes hear people say, “We should love everybody.” Amen, we should. However, if we truly love, we will not tell them sin alright. We will not tell someone that false teaching is harmless. Real love cares enough to tell the truth. Sometimes love says yes. Sometimes love says no. Sometimes love puts their arms around someone, and sometimes love warns when they are in danger. God's truth teaches us how to love.
2 John tells us that many deceivers have gone out into the world. That was true then, and it is certainly true today. This is a strong warning about false teachers. We hundreds of preachers and teachers without ever leaving home. This can be a blessing or it can be trouble at the push of a button. This is why we must know the Word.
Beloved, do not believe something because a preacher says it emotionally, confidently, or because thousands of people follow them online. Open the Word of God to see if it is true. Be more Berean. Know the truth, so when they spew nonsense, you recognize it. Still, even here we must remember love. We defend truth because truth matters to people's souls. We do not argue just to win. We guard the gospel because there is only one Savior. The truth we guard is Jesus Christ.
Christ, is Truth and Love. Everything comes together in Him. Truth is not just a doctrine. Love is not just an emotion. Both lead us to Jesus Christ. The Father loved us sinners so much He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. The eternal Son of God the Father became flesh. He lived the righteous life that we could never live. He obeyed the Father perfectly in every way.
Then, in love, He willingly went to the cross and bore the wrath that sinners deserve. Christ died for sinners. He was truly buried and on the third day, He rose victoriously from the grave. Our salvation does not rest on how good we are. It rests on what Christ has already accomplished. That is a truth worth standing on and love we could never deserve.
How do you come to Christ? You can’t simply try harder to be a better person. You must repent of your sins, trust in Him alone and His finished work. He alone saves sinners.
If you already belong to Christ, then keep moving forward, always forward. Walk in His truth when the world laughs at you. Walk in love when people are difficult to love. Walk in obedience when obedience costs you something. Guard the truth without becoming proud or harsh. Love people without compromising what God has said.
Loved ones, we do not have to choose between being people of truth and people of love. In Jesus Christ, we are called to be both. The truth tells us how to love, and love moves us to live and speak the truth.
May our homes be filled with truth and love. May our churches be known for truth and love. May our words carry truth and love. And may those around us see something different in the way we live because we belong to the One who is Himself the Truth and who loved us enough to lay down His life for His people.
So, then Brothers and Sisters, as always, stay Bold in the Lord and Strong in His Word.
