Grow up, speak the truth in love: A more mature expression of Christ

The Verse of the Day for Biblegateway.com comes from Ephesians 4:15, but to understand the context more fully, we will take a look at the preceding verse as well which relates to our being members of the Body of Christ in Ephesians 4:14-15 in the New Living Translation:

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Throughout the New Testament believers are exhorted not only to speak the truth in love but to walk in love, to demonstrate or manifest love, to put on love. Love is to be the guiding principle in all that we say or do. 

A previous blog entry encouraged us to follow the Scriptures, whereby we “put off, put on, and put away.” Here is an excerpt from that post:

Colossians 3:12-14 in the New Living Translation speaks of how believers should behave:

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Poetically speaking, we are directed to

Put off the old. Put on the new and leave the past behind.

Follow Christ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

As believers, we are encouraged to change our minds and develop new thinking patterns. We are to put off the old man and put on the new man, as we put away lying or any other ungodly practices.  Instead of continuing in the direction that habitually takes us away from the presence of God, our lives should be moving in this direction:

Toward a Mature Expression of Christ

But speaking the truth in love [in all things—

both our speech and our lives expressing His truth],

let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ.

Ephesians 4:13

With the doctrine established in our younger years,

As we live, maturity should be evident,

For perfected love dispels all our doubts and fears,

Having heard God’s Word and then knowing what it meant.

As we fully mature in Christ, we seek to please

The Lord who watches to see what kind of steward

We have become. As our all-wise Father, He sees

Not just the outward appearance but the inward

Thoughts and motives of the hearts of daughters and sons

Who are no longer children looking to be fed

But as new creations in Christ, His chosen ones,

Not as carnal, we choose to speak the truth in love instead.

Toward a mature expression of Christ, we must strive

And pursue it with passion until we arrive.

We close with Ephesians 4:14-15 Lyric Video featuring Songs from the Loop:

Speaking the truth in love

Although the Verse of the Day for April 30, 2016 comes from Ephesians 4:15, we also need to look at verse 14. These two verses contrast God’s desire that believers no longer behave as children but that they “grow up” or mature:

Ephesians 4:14-15 (KJV):

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Throughout the Scriptures we find references to those who speak the truth. One of the attributes of those who desire to dwell in the presence of God is described in Psalm 15:1-2 (New Living Translation):

1Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

Psalm 37:30 (Amplified Bible) expresses the same sentiment concerning the righteous:

The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice and truth.

Zechariah 8:16 (AMP) also outlines how those who are godly should conduct their lives:

These are the things which you should do: speak the truth with one another; judge with truth and pronounce the judgment that brings peace in [the courts at] your gates.

Jesus Christ, the embodiment of truth itself, offered these words:

John 7:18 (NLT):

Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.

The Verse of the Day reminds us that believers are to grow up, to mature, and not behave like children. Not only are we to speak the truth, but we are to speak the truth in love. In Ephesians 4:22-25 we find a similar exhortation to change, to renew our minds:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another

To sum up our discussion, the contemporary Christian vocal group “A cappella” asks, “Are we teaching the truth in love?”