One Day's Walk

          So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” (Jonah 3:3-4)

           Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18)

           There are lots of ongoing debates. Should the music in church sound like the music out in the world, or should it be the good old hymns sung to a droning organ? Should churches be seeker-sensitive evangelism engines, or should they teach and equip members? Which is more important: speaking in truth or speaking in love. This last one is the inspiration for today’s post.

            I hear lots of people talking about how we must speak the truth in love. It’s the only way we’re going to gain converts, yadda, yadda, yadda. Please understand that I am not…Not…NOT suggesting that we should be hateful, but Jonah went a third of the way into Nineveh and preached death, doom, and destruction, and the city repented.

            Centuries later, some folks went to Paul to tell him that some folks were preaching Christ in a “manner unbecoming.” Paul said that either way, Christ was proclaimed. People tell me that others won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. What they don’t understand is that there are also some people who won’t care how much we care until they know how much we know. These are two ends of a spectrum. It’s easy to pretend that one doesn’t exist, or to vilify it. Both love and truth are necessary.

             Warren Wiersbe said that “Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.”

           Timothy Keller said “Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it.” He also said, “Truth without love is imperious self-righteousness. Love without truth is cowardly self-indulgence.”

           One of the reasons that the push toward a “love” focus is the fact that love is poorly defined. For some, it means whatever makes them feel good – generally getting what they want. Some will quote Jesus’ teaching about treating others as we wish to be treated. That’s a great teaching. The problem is that not everyone wants to be treated the same way. Yes, everyone wants to be loved, respected, and treated with dignity. But that isn’t done by deceiving them, but lying to them by omission because you decide they aren’t ready to hear the whole truth.