@ LibertyGal

When it comes to speaking the truth, obeying God, or living a godly life, the average or the compromise is not necessarily correct, but frequently we do err to one extreme or the other. ## Mercy or Wrath? One area of controversy is whether we serve a God of love & mercy or a God of holiness & wrath. The truth is that the God of the Bible is both love and holiness and he acts in mercy and in wrath. If we focus too much on God’s holiness and wrath, we become solely about robotically obeying laws and about all of the things we can’t do. We will fail to show love and mercy as Jesus showed those lost in sin. We will fail to show the mercy and love He showed to us. We become much like the Pharisees, whom Jesus called “*whitewashed tombs*.” > 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. (Ephesians 4:15) We need to always speak the truth, but in a loving and merciful way. > Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. (2 John 1:3) If we focus too much on God’s love and mercy, we can forget that the God of the Bible is holy and righteous and can’t stand to be in the presence of sinfulness. We can begin to soften God’s holy word to be little more than suggestions. Even worse, we can bend God’s word to the point that it no longer resembles His clearly communicated commands. Also, if we don’t call sin “sin” and sinners “sinners,” then those same sinners will never understand their need for a Savior and never trust Jesus in repentance. If God isn’t holy and we aren’t sinners, then why would anyone need a Savior? > But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; (1 Peter 1:15) We need to treat God and His word as holy, while showing love to His creation. > If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1) God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are holy and loving. If we leave out either side of His character, then we aren’t telling people about the God of the Bible. We have made a God in the image we desire, rather than who He is. If we go to either extreme, we lose who God really is and it will affect both our relationship with God and our relationship with others detrimentally. ## Faith or Works? Another area of contention is relating to faith and works. What is more important — faith or works? Are they not both important? Many believers focus on faith. Sola Fide (faith alone). > For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) This is a true statement that Salvation comes solely through faith in what Jesus did for us. We don’t get any credit for our own works. All that is good and righteous in us is from the covering of the blood of Jesus and His good works and His power. But since many people focus on faith alone, they can come to believe that they can live any way that pleases them. > What shall we say, then? **Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer**? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:1-4) {emphasis mine} By focusing solely on faith, we can be tempted to live life however we please instead of living a life in submission to Our God and Savior. Our lives can be worthless instead of us acting as good servants. > If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:15) At the same time, there are many who are so focused on good works that they leave faith out of it — either a lack of faith themselves or a failure to communicate the need for faith when sharing the gospel. They try to earn their way to heaven. They try to impress those around them by their works. > But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. (Matthew 25:5-7) I think James best communicates the balance between faith and works. > What use is it, my brethren, **if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can *that* faith save him**? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? **Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being *by itself***. > > But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and **I will show you my faith by my works**.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:14-24) {emphasis mine} Let’s look at some of the details here to find the truth. “*if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can **that** faith save him*?” Can the kind of faith that has no works, that has no evidence, save a person? If a person truly has saving faith, there will be evidence in their world view and the way they live their life. “*Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being **by itself***.” We are saved by faith alone, but if we are saved we will have works. Faith “by itself” is not saving faith, for “*the demons also believe, and shudder*.” I don’t think anyone would argue that the demons have saving faith, yet they believe and shudder. Works are the evidence of true faith leading to salvation, but it is only faith that saves. ## Speak the Truth or Love? Whether we stand firmly and always loudly speak the truth or whether we show love and mercy is related to how we view God (as loving or as holy), but I thought how we respond was worth its own discussion. Sometimes people are so worried about love and unity that they compromise the truth. They may actively compromise the truth by claiming the Bible says something other than what it says, i.e.. old earth vs young earth, or marriage is about two people who love each other vs marriage being defined by God as one woman and one man. Sometimes this compromise is just avoiding talking about uncomfortable subjects completely so that no one is made to feel bad. This is a problem because God said what He said and means what He said. > but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, (Ephesians 4:15) Avoiding speaking the whole truth is effectively lying about what God’s word said (see my previous post on [“The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/c7cdf433-9e7d-427e-9db0-e7bbd609661b)”). We are not doing anyone a favor making them feel good about their sin. A person has to admit they have a problem before they will act to fix the problem. A person who doesn’t understand their sin will never submit to a Savior. It isn’t loving to hide the truth from a person just because it makes them uncomfortable or it make the relationship uncomfortable for ourselves. > Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6) At the same time, sometimes people seem to beat others over the head with God’s truth. They share the truth in the most unloving and unmerciful way. They use God’s truth to try to lift up themselves while putting down others. This is just as bad. > Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; **not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right**, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:7-8) {emphasis mine} Some Christians spend so much time nit picking tiny discrepancies in theology that they miss the whole point of the Gospel. > “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23) Some Christians use theological purity as a means to lift themselves up while knocking others down. > “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14) We need to stand firmly on the truth, but not to be so focused on truth that we fight with fellow believers over the smallest differences, especially when these differences are among the areas that are not spoken of as clearly (like end times eschatology). ## Rejoice or Fear God? Tonight I read [Psalm 2](https://www.bible.com/bible/100/PSA.2.NASB1995) which brought to mind another seemingly contradictory way we are to interact with God. Do we fear God or do we rejoice in Him? There are many verses telling us to fear God or fear the Lord. They are given as a command, as a way to knowledge, as a way to life, etc. > Honor all people, love the brotherhood, **fear God**, honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17) {emphasis mine} and > The f**ear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge**; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) {emphasis mine} and > The **fear of the Lord leads to life**, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. (Proverbs 19:23) {emphasis mine} At the same time we are told to rejoice in the Lord. > Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) and > Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. (Psalm 43:4) How often do we rejoice in the thing that makes us tremble in fear? I’d guess, *not very often* or even *never*. A right view of God, however, causes us to “*rejoice with trembling*.” > Worship the Lord with reverence\ > And **rejoice with trembling**.\ > Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,\ > For His wrath may soon be kindled.\ > How **blessed are all who take refuge in Him**! (Psalm 2:11-12) {emphasis mine} That phrase, “*rejoice with trembling*” seems to perfectly encapsulate the balance between fear of an awesome, omnipotent, holy God and rejoicing in a loving, merciful God who came to earth, lived the perfect life that we cannot, and died to pay the penalty for our sins. “*How blessed are all who take refuge in Him*!” ## No Real Contradictions I think these examples do a good example of demonstrating wisdom regarding God’s word and the importance of balance in our Christian lives. Even when at first there seems to be contradictions, God’s word never contradicts itself; it always clarifies itself. Also, when we see a theological or implementation error to one extreme, we need to make sure we are not driven to an error in the other extreme. We also need to make sure, when debating with fellow believers, that we do not argue against one extreme so strongly that we miscommunicate the truth. May God in heaven guide you as you study His word and seek to submit to His commands. May He help you to see the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. May He guide the church to unity in His truth. Trust Jesus