Ephesians 4:15: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
There is a beautiful balance in the blending of “speaking the truth in love.” Scripture presents truth and love as inseparable. When they become separated, they become distorted. Truth without love wounds. Love without truth deceives. Some people are so committed to truth that they leave a trail of wounded hearts behind their honesty. Some are so focused on love that they let lies stand because they are afraid of being unkind.
Paul reveals that the ultimate goal of “truth in love,” found in verse 16, is that the church grows and builds itself up in love, with each part doing a specific work. Truth provides the solid foundation and direction. Love provides the environment and motivation for growth.
Ephesians 4:15–16: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
“Speaking the truth in love starts from the pulpit.” The pulpit sets the cultural tone of the church. The pulpit represents the source of spiritual teaching and oversight for the congregation. If the pastor preaches with a harsh, unloving tone, the congregation often adopts a judgmental culture. If a pastor avoids difficult biblical truths to keep everyone happy, the church culture becomes shallow and compromised.
Scripture places a heavy burden of responsibility on teachers.
James 3:1: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
Because a teacher’s words carry so much weight, they have a strict duty to make sure messages are truthful and delivered with a shepherd’s heart of love. This is the way Pastor Adam teaches from the pulpit. He sets the cultural tone for the congregation.
In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” That is one of the reasons why it is so important that our lives reflect that beautiful balance of truth and love. When truth and love are correctly balanced and taught from the pulpit, it shapes how the congregation treats each other and reacts to the outside world.
Because a church’s culture is caught as well as being taught, the behavior of the church will mirror the model of what they see on a Sunday. When the pastor addresses sin and difficult topics honestly, with grace and humility rather than with judgment, it softens hearts, and the message is more easily received and is reflected in the way we treat each other with love and respect.
When someone struggles in an area of their life, rather than gossip, we step in with love and grace. Because of this, we are able to hold each other accountable because deep trust and love have been established first.
When someone offends us, our number one priority is to forgive so our hearts will be tender. We resist sharing with others what they did and instead, if necessary, go to the person and let them know. We must go with a heart of reconciliation, choosing our words carefully in a gentle, kind, inoffensive manner rather than one that is harsh and judgmental.
We will be known “by the love we have for one another.”
Jesus was filled with grace and truth, and so can we be as we lean on Him. As His followers, we are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). We should also be characterized by truth and grace.
As we model this, the people have strong protection against division. When disagreements arise, the people don’t immediately leave the church or start factions. They choose to overlook minor offenses and engage in healthy, respectful conversations if needed.
Ultimately, when a pulpit teaches truth in love, the congregation won’t operate in harsh legalism (truth without love) or moral compromise (love without truth). We become a mature, stable body that attracts outsiders because we have a rare combination of unwavering conviction and unconditional kindness.
I’m so grateful for our pastor and anyone who shares that pulpit and teaches from truth and love. I’m grateful for our leaders and the people in our congregation who model this.
We are known “by the love we have for one another.”