A Call to Love and Discernment

“Truth without love is harsh. Love without truth is mush.” –Stuart Scott

Beloved Kinney,

I have found it difficult to strike the balance between truth and love. Some of us err on
the side of speaking directly and forthrightly in truth, while others are perhaps overly
concerned about not coming across too harsh. Both are good instincts! But the balance
is hard to strike!

In reality, truth and love are not at odds with each other. In every conversation with
every person, we should strive to convey both. But sometimes it is difficult to know what
that looks like.

I was recently struck by back-to-back passages in 1 John that capture this apparent
tension well. First John 4:1-6 calls God’s people to the truth. It is a call to discernment.
We should not believe everything we hear. We need to think carefully about words and
conversations we have with people to discern whether they’re speaking truth from the
Lord. Here’s what it says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (v1)

The New Testament makes it very clear that Christians must be able to discern truth
from error. This is why it is so important for believers to be in the regular gathering of
worship, sitting under the preaching of the Word and being discipled by other Christians
who know the Bible better than themselves.

However, we are called not only to discernment; we are called to love. It’s not an
accident that the next passage (1 John 4:7-12) is a call to love. Here’s what v7 says,
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been
born of God and knows God.”

We need both! We need to grow in discernment, but sheer discernment apart from true
affection for people might make you harsh and uncaring. And mere affection for people
alone can cause you to approve of things in them that God does not approve of, or
overlook things you shouldn’t.

Let us pursue the call to discernment and love. Better put, let us pursue wise love. This
is the Christian way. This is the biblical balance.

Love,
Pastor Josh