A Half Truth is No Better than a Lie

I have been thinking on the importance of telling the whole truth of the gospel message. Not just many churches, but it seems as if many professing Christians today only want to preach the love of God.. God loves you, God loves everyone, and they just preach love, love, love... It is true that God is a God of love. In fact, He is love personified, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). God’s love is so great that He sent his only Son to die on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all who truly believe in Him, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God did this while we were yet in our sin, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-6). It is essential that people know the whole truth of the gospel message.

While it is true, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3: 17), and “Whoever believes in him is not condemned”, people also must understand that “whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” (John 3:18-21).

People need to know that God is not only a God of love, He is a God of wrath as well, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). Only those whose sins are covered by the blood of Christ can take any comfort in the following verse, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5: 9).

Without being taught and understanding the whole truth of the gospel message, why would anyone believe they are in need of a Savior? Why should they ever come to realize their need to flee to Christ? To take refuge in Him? Many people are being led astray because they are not hearing the full gospel message. The Bible tells us that we are to “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). Too many people are being steered through the gate that makes the way easy and leads to their destruction, because they want to believe it is an easy path that leads to life, but if this is their belief, they are being deceived, and likely by people who are themselves deceived.

Too many people seem to have this idea that it is not loving to speak the whole truth of the gospel. Others only want to hear about love and we want them to feel good and not be offended, so we tell them only what they want to hear. That is NOT love,“and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14). To heal wounds lightly can be likened to handing a person a bandaid after they have had their arm severed off, NOT at all helpful. To fail to warn others of the danger to come, is NOT being loving.

To show love is to speak the whole truth of the gospel message. While it is true that, “.. he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5), it is also true that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:21-23).

May the following verses that Paul spoke, found in Hebrews be true of us also, “Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:9-12).

It is essential to speak the whole truth of the gospel message, others’ eternal destinies are at stake!