“In a Moody Monthly article entitled, “To Be Perfectly Honest,” Calvin Miller recalls a woman in his former church who became angry because he wouldn’t let her son sing more solos in church. She jotted down in a notebook every instance in her contact with Miller in which he did things “that were not in the spirit of Christ.” Several months later she showed him all he had done that was offensive to her. Miller says, “What amazed me was that her list was mostly true. She didn’t say anything that was untrue, but what she said was unkind.”1
Another story is told of an agnostic scientist once asked a famous person who professed faith to “write a letter to his scientific organization setting forth her reasons for believing in the Christian faith. The letter he received back was not at all what the scientist had expected. It read:
“Why do you want a letter from me? Why don’t you take the trouble to find out for yourselves what Christianity is? You take time to learn technical terms about electricity. Why don’t you do as much for theology? Why do you accept mildewed old heresies as the language of the church, when any handbook of church history will tell you where they came from? Why do you balk at the doctrine of the Trinity—God, the Three in One—yet meekly acquiesce when Einstein tells you that E=MC2? I admit you can practice Christianity without knowing much theology, just as you can drive a car without knowing much about internal combustion. But when something breaks down in the car, you humbly go to the man who understands the works; if something goes wrong with religion, you merely throw the works away and tell the theologian he is a liar. Why do you want a letter from me? You will never bother to check on it or find out whether I’m giving you personal opinions or Christian doctrines. Go away and do some work on your own and let me get on with mine.”2
The responses given to Calvin Miller and to the agnostic may have been technically correct. However, they lacked a particularly important ingredient: love.
Ephesians 4:15 says, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
Miller goes on to say, “Speaking the truth without love can serve the cause of evil, whether
preaching or teaching God’s Word, rebuking a believer, or disciplining our children. Truth can be devastating. When clothed in love, however, it eliminates error, builds trust, and promotes the good of others…Malicious truth gloats like a conqueror. Loving truth mourns that it must confront and show a brother his error. Malicious truth struts at its power. Loving truth weeps to find that the correction it inspires may for a while cause great pain. Malicious truth cries, “Checkmate, you are beaten!’ Loving truth whispers, ‘I correct you with the same pain you feel. But when the pain is over, we shall rejoice that honesty and love have been served.’”3
The Christian is never justified in being cruel, malicious, vindictive, or rude. The agnostic deserved a 1 Peter 3:15 type of answer. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” As for the woman who was gunning for Pastor Miller, she wasn’t practicing Ephesians 4:31-32 which instructs, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: (32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Let’s make it a goal this week to be extra cautious regarding our speech, guarding not only what we say but how we say it. Let’s consider our motives as well. WHY are we speaking the truth? What’s our goal or agenda? As we speak, may we keep in mind the prayer of Psalms 19:14. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
1https://bible.org/illustration/ephesians-415
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
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