I had no intention to make this blog such a pile of spiritual blather and aimless pontification, but it seems that this is what it has become. I originally wanted this to be a funny, interesting, pop-culture-associated bulletin board, but I have yet to give you any reviews for current movies such as Suspect Zero (which I give a C+) or comment on my excitement regarding the return of The Apprentice and Scrubs, my hopes surrounding Joey, or my curiosity concerning Medical Investigation. Maybe those things will emerge in later postings, but for now I must blather on. I know it’s my fault, due to the fact that I generally make my posts right after my morning study, but that’s the only way I get it done, and as a result, the only thing on my mind right now is something that I learned from the apostle John. No, not John Hunt, but the author of 2 John, my current book of interest. The central theme of 2 John could be classified under “the importance of truth”. Now, this letter is considerably short–shorter than this posting, but packed with valuable preaching. What caught my attention this morning in particular was the relationship between love and truth. These two ideas are probably the main key words in this book, so a connection must be made here.
If you had to choose, what is most important to the Christian? Truth or love? What is the most valuable to someone who strives to follow God? Now, actually, I’m just trying to mess your minds. You cannot pick one over the other. They are as inseparable as dissolved Kool-Aid in a glass water. You cannot extract one from the other (I know it a weird illustration, but it’s all I could think of right now). It’s a waste of time to try to distinguish what is most important, because their value is found within each other. Biblically speaking, love’s value is found in truth, and truth’s value is found in love. If you believe in the Gospel, the Truth, then you will love. If you love God and His commandments, then you will strive for truth.
Now, love does not have to precede truth or belief in God, but it is certainly the clearest test of truthfulness and your belief in God. Belief and confession of faith can be manufactured, but love is very difficult to counterfeit. I guess the question I’ve been asking myself this morning is whether or not love is as evident in my life as my belief in God or my affection for truth. Do I love my brothers and sisters as much as I love my Lord. Do I love the lost as much as I love my brothers and sisters? Do I love Christ as much as His truth? These are the questions that shape good Christian character (Eph. 4:15) and I hope to continue to be refined by their answers, no matter how painful they are.