Alesaggio
09-16-2005, 04:29 PM
“Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” 2 John 3
There are two special and eternal things that God has committed to the trust of His church--truth and love. Truth is alive and eternal. Truth is unmovable, unalterable, and needs not to be defended--no man can do anything against the Truth. Truth only needs to be proclaimed and lived! Love is also alive and eternal. Love is expendable, but never exhaustible. Love never fails in any test, nor withers with age.
Truth declares, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Love replies, "I will." Truth requires a standard. Love submits to it. Jesus told his disciples. "If ye love me, keep my commandments." He who declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," was revealing to them that true love requires commitment to a covenant, and commitment is expressed through a lifestyle--a lifestyle of love.
The modern church world shouts, "We do not need rules and regulations! We only need love! Do away with the doctrinal standards and take down the wall. We will never win souls with doctrine. Love is the key!" Yes, love is the key. But, so-called love, without commitment, is mere infatuation! It has then become a lewd license to continue a sinful lifestyle without consciousness of sin. Then truth’s question will be, "... and what are you winning the lost to?"
Truth becomes an elusive commodity if it is not sought after with sincere love. I Timothy 4:1,2 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." There are some people who are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." In II Timothy 3:7,8, Paul uses James and Jambres as examples of this, as they resisted the truth. He called them, "men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith."
There are two special and eternal things that God has committed to the trust of His church--truth and love. Truth is alive and eternal. Truth is unmovable, unalterable, and needs not to be defended--no man can do anything against the Truth. Truth only needs to be proclaimed and lived! Love is also alive and eternal. Love is expendable, but never exhaustible. Love never fails in any test, nor withers with age.
Truth declares, "This is the way, walk ye in it." Love replies, "I will." Truth requires a standard. Love submits to it. Jesus told his disciples. "If ye love me, keep my commandments." He who declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," was revealing to them that true love requires commitment to a covenant, and commitment is expressed through a lifestyle--a lifestyle of love.
The modern church world shouts, "We do not need rules and regulations! We only need love! Do away with the doctrinal standards and take down the wall. We will never win souls with doctrine. Love is the key!" Yes, love is the key. But, so-called love, without commitment, is mere infatuation! It has then become a lewd license to continue a sinful lifestyle without consciousness of sin. Then truth’s question will be, "... and what are you winning the lost to?"
Truth becomes an elusive commodity if it is not sought after with sincere love. I Timothy 4:1,2 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." There are some people who are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." In II Timothy 3:7,8, Paul uses James and Jambres as examples of this, as they resisted the truth. He called them, "men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith."