The Outworking of Truth
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers" (3 John 4-5)
God is love. And God is truth. If either one of these divine attributes were ever missing, we would not be able to be sustained in this life because He is perfect love and we are perfected in His love. God loves in truth only and He truly loves us always.
Truth is not only 'what is' but 'WHO is'. Jesus declared this when He said, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life" (John 14:6). To walk in the truth is to walk in the reality of the revelation of Christ and to express His love freely toward others.
God wants us to get rid of whatever lies we are believing that may be getting in the way of His love being fully expressed in our lives. If truth is simply 'what is', then falsehood is 'what is not.' We must then be careful not allow a mixture of truth and falsehood lest we be deceived. Thus, to truly be free in this life, we must truly know the truth and reject all forms of falsehood.
The Apostle John reminds us that truth isn't just something we know intellectually but something we live out practically. Truth is living what we know and yet knowing the God of all truth.
Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
In this short letter of 3 John, we are encouraged to:
Too often, we are content to know the truth about something but are not always willing to help others know that same truth by the way we are loving them. We are called to speak the truth in love and to love others in truth at the same time. In God's economy, TRUTH and LOVE are always INTERTWINED and they need each other TO FULFILL GOD'S PURPOSE.
The most mature people in the faith are not necessarily those that learn the most but those that love the most. Paul taught that this was "the most excellent way" and that without love, we basically accomplish nothing. Jesus emphasized His way of love as the priority of Christian living and even summed up all the law with this singular word.
John says that we do faithfully what we do "for the brethren and strangers" (3 John 5). So to focus only on selfish gain is to do unfaithfully. He then illustrates this by speaking of two kinds of people: Diotrephes and Demetrius.
Diotrephes made everything about himself and, as a result of his pride, he sought to tear the church down and divide God's people. Demetrius, on the other hand, focused on others and sought to build the church up, which is why he had "a good testimony among all."
So you must ask yourself, "Am I a Diotrephes or a Demetrius?"
Since there will always be those who will not walk in the truth, we must not allow the falsehood of others to diminish the truth or to allow our own love to grow cold. We must discern what is getting in the way of Christ's love, even in times when it is appropriate to set boundaries to protect ourselves from those who bear the name of Christ and yet refuse to follow His teachings. Love can be shown even when truth is being shared or when no words are being spoken at all.
Dear saint, do not let anything get in the way of your heart expressing Christ's love to those around you. Choose to walk in the truth, work for the truth, and to speak the truth in love. Truth always moves toward love and love is the motivation behind knowing and showing the truth.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:3-4)
For the outworking of truth is when we allow our faith to mature in Christ's unfailing and unending love. So let us LET US LIVE TO LOVE and we will LOVE TO LIVE.
God is love. And God is truth. If either one of these divine attributes were ever missing, we would not be able to be sustained in this life because He is perfect love and we are perfected in His love. God loves in truth only and He truly loves us always.
Truth is not only 'what is' but 'WHO is'. Jesus declared this when He said, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life" (John 14:6). To walk in the truth is to walk in the reality of the revelation of Christ and to express His love freely toward others.
God wants us to get rid of whatever lies we are believing that may be getting in the way of His love being fully expressed in our lives. If truth is simply 'what is', then falsehood is 'what is not.' We must then be careful not allow a mixture of truth and falsehood lest we be deceived. Thus, to truly be free in this life, we must truly know the truth and reject all forms of falsehood.
The Apostle John reminds us that truth isn't just something we know intellectually but something we live out practically. Truth is living what we know and yet knowing the God of all truth.
Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
In this short letter of 3 John, we are encouraged to:
- Walk in the TRUTH (v.1-4)
- Work for the TRUTH (v.5-12)
- Speak the TRUTH in LOVE (v.12-14)
Too often, we are content to know the truth about something but are not always willing to help others know that same truth by the way we are loving them. We are called to speak the truth in love and to love others in truth at the same time. In God's economy, TRUTH and LOVE are always INTERTWINED and they need each other TO FULFILL GOD'S PURPOSE.
The most mature people in the faith are not necessarily those that learn the most but those that love the most. Paul taught that this was "the most excellent way" and that without love, we basically accomplish nothing. Jesus emphasized His way of love as the priority of Christian living and even summed up all the law with this singular word.
John says that we do faithfully what we do "for the brethren and strangers" (3 John 5). So to focus only on selfish gain is to do unfaithfully. He then illustrates this by speaking of two kinds of people: Diotrephes and Demetrius.
Diotrephes made everything about himself and, as a result of his pride, he sought to tear the church down and divide God's people. Demetrius, on the other hand, focused on others and sought to build the church up, which is why he had "a good testimony among all."
So you must ask yourself, "Am I a Diotrephes or a Demetrius?"
Since there will always be those who will not walk in the truth, we must not allow the falsehood of others to diminish the truth or to allow our own love to grow cold. We must discern what is getting in the way of Christ's love, even in times when it is appropriate to set boundaries to protect ourselves from those who bear the name of Christ and yet refuse to follow His teachings. Love can be shown even when truth is being shared or when no words are being spoken at all.
Dear saint, do not let anything get in the way of your heart expressing Christ's love to those around you. Choose to walk in the truth, work for the truth, and to speak the truth in love. Truth always moves toward love and love is the motivation behind knowing and showing the truth.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:3-4)
For the outworking of truth is when we allow our faith to mature in Christ's unfailing and unending love. So let us LET US LIVE TO LOVE and we will LOVE TO LIVE.
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