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The truth can hurt, and it can hurt badly. But to experience hurt is not the same as to experience harm. As the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius once said: “It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”

There are ultimately only two worldviews: the biblical and the secular. Though nuances may break those primary categories into smaller subdivisions, the fact remains that, in this world, there are believers, and there are unbelievers. For those in Christ, our lives are to be governed by God and His word.

Our biblical worldview serves as the basis for our decision-making. It shapes our view of morality and purpose. For the Christian, our worldview is rooted in God’s truth. Not “my truth”, nor “his truth”, nor “her truth”. God’s truth. And if you’ve been born again, then you know how much it can hurt to understand the truth that we’re sinners in desperate need of saving. Our battle against the flesh is often littered with pain and sorrow. We may hurt, but ultimately, it’s this truth that frees us.

The secular worldview, on the other hand, comes with its own unique dilemma. Perhaps most problematic is its inherent subjectivity. With no God dictating truth, everything appears to be fair game. When objectivity leaves the playing field, the sport is left with no concrete rules, referees, guidelines, or accountability.

The inevitable end is not order but disorder and entropy, which we see in nearly all the cultural battles we face today (i.e., transgenderism, abortion, etc.). A worldview of subjectivity is a problem for the secularist, because it makes confrontation with the truth that much more painful.

As Christians, we’re called to approach this latter worldview by speaking the truth in love. At the same time, we’re called to stand firm in the truths of Scripture, not allowing ourselves to be conformed to the sinful world around us. As a result, we’re often met with hard choices that commonly lead to severed relationships, hostility, or more severe forms of persecution.

However, we go into our evangelism understanding that these are not merely very real risks, but likely outcomes. Why? Because, at large, the secular worldview hates truth. But as the author George Orwell once said, “However much you deny the truth, the truth goes on existing.” And so, regardless of pushback, we continue to speak truth.

Upside-Down

Still, when we share the truth with those who are not living in it, it does hurt. We receive backlash because it is offensive to our sinful flesh. Christians are persecuted not because of our fight “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Our battle is ultimately against the enemy himself, and he, perhaps more than any, despises truth. This means that as Christians, it is helpful to remember that though we speak the truth in love, it will often be received as hate. We will often be accused of hurting those we try to care for, and that’s just a reality we have to accept.

However, because of this, it’s just as important to remember that even if what we say hurts, it is not harmful. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. To return to a previous point, the Bible makes it emphatically clear that the only true freedom anyone will ever experience is the freedom found in Christ; His word; His truth.

John 8:32 states, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:36 proclaims that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Romans 6:22 says “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” The song of deliverance is sung throughout all of Scripture, and in any place where Jesus’s blood runs red, you can hear the sweet bells of freedom ringing.

The glorious news of the Gospel, beloved, is intricately connected to the reality that we have no chains, no bondage, and no weight of condemnation. This does not mean we’re spared from hardship. It does not mean we no longer experience any doubts or fear. But what it does mean, and please don’t forget this, is that our identity is now found in Christ, our unchanging King and merciful Savior.

We have an eternal hope as we rest secure in the arms of everlasting love. Don’t you see? This is the truth that we proclaim to a world still wrapped in darkness. Aurelius was right. It’s not the truth that harms us, though it may hurt. It is the ignorance, the deceit, and the sin we persist in that tears us apart, whether we realise it or not.

True Love

When we boldly share the truth, we do so, knowing it may not be received well. But how someone responds to the Gospel is not ours to control. Rather, what matters is that we obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the commands of Scripture to share it at all.

You and I know that Almighty God is the only one who can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. He alone can open the eyes of the blind and allow the deaf to hear. Most importantly, only God can offer us salvation, which He has graciously done through the death and resurrection of His Son. And in turn, we proclaim this truth to every tongue, tribe, and nation.

We don’t allow threats or rebuke to snuff out the light of Christ in us, because we know that the hard-hitting truth of the Gospel, when fully embraced, also comes with the sweet relief from sin’s deathly grip. We speak the truth in love, with boldness, because we know that sharing the truth is the highest act of love we can offer. Temporary offence, “momentary affliction”, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

An awkward conversation, a hostile encounter, or a sharp word is more than worth it for even one soul to be saved from God’s wrath and welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. Because here is the truth: God’s wrath is real, our sin is real, God’s grace and love are real, and the way to freedom is real. Our need to share this truth is also real, as is the need to repent and believe it.

So, let us share God’s truth as unashamed followers of the Way. The truth may hurt, but it is never harmful. Far from harmful, the truth of God is our only hope; our only anchor; our only means to freedom and abundant life.

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Republished with thanks to The Washington Stand. Image courtesy of Adobe.