Hand in Hand

Psalms 40:11
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

Would we say that we have truth in one hand and love in the other? If so, I believe that we are doing it wrong. You can't have love in one hand and offer it to the world apart from truth. You also can't have truth in one hand and offer it to the world without love. We should know that this will never work.

Let's say that we offer truth from the left hand to people of our society. Will they accept it? What do you think the percentage of those who listen to us versus those who turn us off would be? I'm going with a high percentage. Truth today is very much unacceptable. We are told by scholars and professors that truth is only truth if it relates to you. We want commandments removed. We want laws removed. Truth is healthy, but many times too bland to swallow.

Now let's say that you have love and offer it from the right hand. Will they accept it? Absolutely! Love is the candy of life. Everyone is looking for love (in all the wrong places...). We will feast on love. But does love address the issue of sin, hell, eternity? No.

Truth and Love must be in the same hand when speaking of the Gospel of Jesus. The truth of the Gospel is that Jesus suffered a horrible death while the love of the Gospel is that through His death He has offered you life. The truth is that without Christ we are lost forever, but the love is that He has made the way for you to be saved. Law without Grace is no good, just as Grace without Law is void.

Speak the truth in love. There can be no other way. "O Lord: let thy LOVINGKINDNESS and thy TRUTH continually preserve me."