Freedom
in Truth -
Unity in Love
Love and truth have lost their true meaning today.
God's word
shows us their
true character
and unity.
by Don Schwager
The Scriptures tell us that love and truth are integral
to growth,
maturity,
stability, and
integrity in
all of our
relationships.
The Apostle
John tells us
that love
cannot be
genuine unless
it is united
with the
truth.
“Let
us not love in
word or speech
but in deed
and in truth”
– 1 John 3:18.
The
biblical word
for truth
in Hebrew,
which is emeth,
means
fidelity,
faithfulness,
sureness,
certainty,
trustworthiness,
and
reliability.
It describes
the personal
character
trait of
someone whose
is utterly
reliable and
whose word is
true.1
Scripture tells us that God is “faithful and sure
(true)” (Isaiah
25:1). There
is no lie,
duplicity, or
deception in
God. He is
utterly true
and faithful
to his
promises and
to his people.
The Lord Jesus said,
“I am the truth… I speak just
as the Father
has taught me.
And he who
sent me is
with me…
If you continue in my word, you
are truly my
disciples, and
you will know
the truth, and
the truth will
make you free.” - John 8:28,
31-32
In
the Book of
Revelation the
Lord Jesus is
called, Faithful
and True
(Revelation
19:11).
The
question of
love and truth
today
Love and truth
have lost
their true
meaning and
force today.
Jesus foretold
this would
happen:
And then many
will fall away
and betray one
another and
hate one
another. And
many false
prophets will
arise and lead
many astray.
And because
lawlessness
will be
increased, the
love of many
will grow
cold.
- Matthew
24:10-12
We face a daunting challenge - to
get in touch
with our
natural desire
to know the
truth and to
restore the
proper meaning
of the word
"truth".
Truth has
become
abstract and
conceptual,
especially in
philosophical
thinking
(influence of
nominalism).
In the
sciences it
has become
depersonalized
and constricted.
And in history
it has lost
its moral
foundation in
culture,
society, and
political
bodies. "To
each his
truth" is a
frank
admission that
there is no
truth in
postmodern
thinking and
speech. 2
The
suppression of
truth is a
clear mark of
moral
depravity and
injustice. God
is justified
in his wrath
against those
who hold his
word of truth
in contempt
and who flaunt
his just
commands. The
words of the
Apostle Paul
could not be
more direct
and to the
point of God's
judgment on
those who
suppress the
truth:
18
The wrath of
God is being
revealed from
heaven against
all the
godlessness
and wickedness
of people, who
suppress the
truth by their
wickedness,
19 since what
may be known
about God is
plain to them,
because God
has made it
plain to them.
20 For since
the creation
of the world
God’s
invisible
qualities—his
eternal power
and divine
nature—have
been clearly
seen, being
understood
from what has
been made, so
that people
are without
excuse.
21 For
although they
knew God, they
neither
glorified him
as God nor
gave thanks to
him, but their
thinking
became futile
and their
foolish hearts
were darkened.
22 Although
they claimed
to be wise,
they became
fools 23 and
exchanged the
glory of the
immortal God
for images
made to look
like a mortal
human being
and birds and
animals and
reptiles.
24
Therefore God
gave them over
in the sinful
desires of
their hearts
to sexual
impurity for
the degrading
of their
bodies with
one another.
25 They
exchanged the
truth about
God for a lie,
and worshiped
and served
created things
rather than
the
Creator—who is
forever
praised. Amen.
- Romans
1:18-25
The
suppression of
truth today
will not
satisfy those
who hunger for
God and his
word of truth.
The Lord Jesus
shows us the
way
forward:
If you
continue in my
word, you are
truly my
disciples, and
you will know
the truth, and
the truth will
make you free.
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Truth Reveals Itself to Love
Truth
insists on
being loved,
sought, and
served for its
own sake, to
the point of
setting aside
self-interest,
even risking
life itself if
need be. Its
nature is
therefore
disinterested;
yet it
interests us
in the highest
degree and
attracts us
powerfully,
for there is
no true good
without it.
Love of truth
is an integral
part of the
human
personality
and assures
its dignity.
As persons we
are
beings-for-the-truth;
if the spirit
of lying takes
possession of
us, we
suffer an
interior
wound. We are
no longer free
if in our
hearts we do
not love and
seek the
truth.
Inevitably, we
become the
slaves of
causes,
passions, or
ideas which
lead us to
deceitfulness.
Without love
of truth,
we lose our
last foothold,
the foundation
on which to
build a
personal life.
Love of
truth goes
hand in hand
with a sense
of
objectivity.
Not the cold,
impersonal
objectivity of
the positivist
sciences, but
the human
sense of the
reality of
persons and
things, which
opens the door
of their
interiority to
us. Once we
accept their
difference
from
ourselves,
objectivity
lays the
foundation for
the love of
friendship.
Through this
profound
objectivity,
truth reveals
itself to
love.
Love
and truth are
thus naturally
linked in the
most personal
action and
encounter each
other at the
heart of
freedom.
Education in
freedom will
be at the same
time education
in truth and
love. Thus all
the moral
values and
virtues will
be illumined
and penetrated
by our love of
truth.
- Servais
Pincaers,
The Sources of
Christian
Ethics3
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What is the true nature of
God’s love?
We are commanded to love God with
all of our
hearts and
with all of
our minds.
God's word
reveals his
true nature
and character.
God is holy,
just, and
pure.
His love
reveals both
his justice
(righteousness)
and his mercy.
Neither can be
compromised
since they are
two
unchangeable
aspects of
God’s divine
love.
Mercy
and truth have
met together;
righteousness
and peace have
kissed.
Truth shall
spring out of
the earth,
And
righteousness
shall look
down from
heaven.
- Psalm
85:10-11
Scripture
tells us that
God's love
endures
forever. When
God spoke to
Moses on Mount
Sinai, he
revealed
himself as a
covenant-making
God of
unfailing
love,
faithfulness,
mercy,
goodness, and
truth (Exodus
34).
The
Lord [Moses]
passed
before
and
proclaimed,
“The Lord, the
Lord, a God
merciful and
gracious, slow
to anger, and
abounding in
steadfast love
and
faithfulness,
keeping
steadfast love
for
thousands...
[ESV
translation]
And the Lord
passed before
[Moses] and
proclaimed,
“The Lord, the
Lord God,
merciful and
gracious,
longsuffering,
and abounding
in goodness
and truth,
keeping mercy
for
thousands...
(NKJV
translation)
The key
biblical
Hebrew word
for love is hesed.
It is a love
that is based
on covenant
commitment.
God desires a
people who
will be joined
to him in a
lasting bond
of committed
love,
faithfulness,
goodness, and
truth. The
Hebrew word hesed
literally
means
steadfast
love,
unfailing
love,
loving-kindness.
It is loyal
and faithful
love. It is
the love that
God, over and
over,
expressed to
Israel his
people.
Though the
mountains be
shaken and the
hills be
removed,
yet my
unfailing love
(hesed) for
you will not
be shaken.
- Isaiah 54:10
19 The thought
of my
affliction and
my
homelessness
is wormwood
and gall!
20 My soul
continually
thinks of it
and is bowed
down within
me.
21 But this I
call to mind,
and therefore
I have hope:
22 The
steadfast love
of the Lord
never ceases,
his mercies
never come to
an end;
23 they are
new every
morning;
great is your
faithfulness.
- Lamentations
3:19-23
We see
God's
holiness,
justice, truth
and mercy
perfectly
united in his
beloved Son,
the Lord Jesus
Christ, who who
laid down his
life for us to
atone for our
sins and to
win for us
pardon,
reconcilliation,
and
restoration of
friendship and
union with God
through his
victory on the
cross and
resurrection
to everlasting
life.
Christ
has set us
free to love
God
wholeheartedly
and to love
one another
sincerely and
to walk in the
truth of his
word and the
fruit of his
Spirit -
love, joy,
peace,patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control
(Galatians
5:22-23).
“Let
us not love in
word or speech
but in deed
and in truth”
– 1 John 3:18.
Notes:
1.Two helpful word
studies on the
biblical
Hebrew word
for truth, emmeth:
(a)
Strong's
Concordance
for Emmeth,
and (b) Emmet:
The Awesome
Hebrew Word
for Truth,
by Matt
D'Antuono.
2.Servais
Pincaers(1925-2008),
a noted
professor of
moral
philosophy
grounded in
Scripture and
the early
church
fathers, wrote
an excellent
analysis of
the question
of truth today
in his book, The
Sources of
Christian
Ethics,
pp. 426-431
3.
ibid. p.
430-31
Don Schwager is a member of the Servants of the Word and
author of the
Daily
Scripture
Readings and
Meditations
website..
Top
illustration
of cross and
starlit sky by
(c) Kevin
Carden at ChristianPhotoshops.com
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