Should Christians Always Speak the Truth?

About this sermon

There seems to be a belief among some Christians that says that you can be excused for being a jerk as long as you’re proclaiming the truth! There’s even a derisive phrase that some people use against Christians who think that we should be more gentle in how we voice our concerns or beliefs. They call them, “the Church of Nice”. Now there’s a legitimate criticism there if we’re describing people who pander to cultural persuasions or who lack integrity when confronted with beliefs that oppose Christian doctrine, but that’s not being nice, that’s just being craven. So, I don’t think we should inadvertently ridicule kindness in place of cowardice. C.S. Lewis called that Christianity and water, which is a much more appropriate critical label. But if you’re actually using phrases like that to mock Christians who insist on speaking truth in charity, then I think we should revisit some of the fundamentals of our faith. In 1st Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that even if we possess prophetic knowledge but do not have love, we are nothing. And then he goes on to tell us what the qualities of love are: patience, kindness, not boastful, jealous, or self serving. He also says it keeps no record of wrongs which is something that a lot of us need to work on. If communicating truth is important to us, then we should ask ourselves why. Is it simply to show off and inform people how wise we are? Well, we already know what the bible says about boastfulness and pride. We should be motivated by a desire to help other people encounter truth and adopt it. After all, God is truth, so the more we can convince others of that which is true, the more we are introducing them to God (which is what Christians are called to do). But does that give us license to speak the truth under any circumstances or should we exercise restraint sometimes? Well, if our motives are to help people come to a better understanding of it, I’d say that truth needs to be revealed gently and appropriately. Here’s a perfect example. Imagine your aunt has been gaining a lot of weight and you’re concerned for her health. Would it be wise to say, “Hey aunty, you’re lookin' a little fat these days. Maybe you should lay off that second serving of pie.”? If you’re goal is to help her accept something that is true so that it can help her, that is the absolute worst way to go about doing it - even though everything in that statement might be true. If anything, that kind of presentation of the truth would have the opposite effect. So when we hide behind truth in order to excuse behaviour that could be described as boastful, mean spirited, or judgmental, I don’t think God’s looking down at us and saying, good job guys. If anything, his example should help us understand this principle. After all, God has always revealed himself slowly and gently to humanity. This is true for us in our personal experiences but also in the broader context of salvation history. Starting with the patriarchs and the prophets, God started slowly and gently as he began to introduce humanity to himself. It took thousands of years before the chosen people were ready for the full revelation of Jesus. In fact, there’s even some evidence in the Bible that encountering God in doses we aren’t prepared for is actually dangerous. In Exodus, Moses asks to see God’s glory and God points out that nobody can see his face and live and so he meticulously prepared this scenario where Moses can hide behind a rock and see his Glory pass by without being harmed. Any growth in knowledge depends on a gradual revelation. You can’t start doing calculus until you’ve learned the basics of arithmetic and then progress until you’re ready for the hard stuff. Truth must be introduced in portions that a person can digest. If you’re a Christian who wants to introduce people to truths that have helped you in your life, then the way you communicate the truth to your audience should reflect that motive. Simply clobbering people with truth with no regard for their ability to receive it is reckless and arguably incompatible with Christianity. - - - - Many of the ideas in my videos are concepts that are covered in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Even if you're not a Catholic, I encourage you take an opportunity at some point in your life to read it. It's an incredible document that was developed under the supervision of one of the most profound philosophers of the 20th century; St. John Paul II. I'm also heavily influenced by the writings of C.S. Lewis. In fact, that's an understatement. He's by far my greatest influence and if you haven't already been exposed to his writing, I strongly recommend The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity to start. Twitter: https://twitter.com/briankeepsworth Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianholdsworthmedia Business: https://www.holdsworthdesign.com

Topics

• Bible Study