The Inseparable Couplet of Love & Truth

“And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Dear Reader,

I hope you know how much God loves you this morning…I hope you know how intense His feelings are towards you. I hope you know that His thoughts towards and about you are “precious” and “vast” and impossible to count (see Psalm 139:17,18). And I pray for everyone who reads this “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ ay dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length, height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

If you are like me you probably long to experience God’s love for you more and to love Him more. There are many reasons why we don’t experience God’s love more, and there are many reasons why we struggle to love Him as we ought. I’m going to share one with you today that is a growing concern among many of us in ministry in the U.S.

I’ve learned this lesson from a guy who may have been one of the most intimate friends Jesus ever had. His name was John – the apostle John. At least six times in the New Testament he is referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” or something similar (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20; 21:24).

Now Jesus loved all His disciples and apostles. But there was something special and intimate with Him and John that stood out above the others. And it wasn’t because John was perfect. He is found numerous times acting or speaking in some fleshly carnal way in the gospels (like the time he wanted to have fired poured out from heaven on the Samaritans for their apparent rejection of Jesus). But when Peter and the other disciples wanted to know who of them was going to betray Jesus Peter immediately asked John, who at that time was leaning against Jesus’s bosom. John then asked Jesus and Jesus gladly told him/them which one it was (see John 13).

John experienced an intimacy and closeness with the Lord Jesus that all of my readers probably long for. And one of the reasons he did is because when he blew it, he received Jesus’s correction, he learned from his mistakes, and he embraced everything Jesus ever taught him. In a nutshell he valued every morsel of truth that came from Jesus’s lips even if it crossed the way he had seen and felt about things previously.

And that’s why in II John and III John the apostle John speaks of the inseparable couplet of love and truth. It is the height of hypocrisy for you or I to stand up in church on Sunday morning and sing about how much we love Jesus and then on Monday to refuse to accept and abide by everything He teaches about every aspect of life. If at any point in my daily life I refuse to fully accept and abide by what Jesus teaches about life, marriage, finances, wealth distribution, gender, life in the womb, Israel, or anything else - my love for Him at that point stutters. My ability to experience the wonders of His love for me at that point is significantly hindered.

Please note in the following passage how inseparable love and truth have become to John in his latter years as he continued to walk with and abide in Jesus.

“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father. …And this is love that we walk according to His commandments.”  II John 1-6 (the whole letter is worth meditating on in this regard).

Now note how John affirms and commends Gaius and those he was yoked with for their commitment to love and truth in III John. Please also note how important this was to John in his ministry. “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” III John 1-4

Jesus is a great lover like none other. And He longs for you to experience and walk in His extravagant love. But if have read the four historical accounts of His life and ministry (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) you should know He spoke about much more than love. And He fully expected His disciples then and now to understand it (all the things He taught), embrace it and proclaim it regardless of what popular culture or the government or their family/clan was embracing and pronouncing at the time.

John the apostle is the one who taught us that “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8, 16). This cannot be said about any other god or religious leader. God drips love. He is the creator and bestower of love (see I Jn. 3:1). And thus He has the right and authority to set the terms for our being able to receive and experience and walk in this great love.

May the Holy Spirit enable you and I to walk in ever greater measure of both love and truth for His glory in Jesus’s name. Amen!