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Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ (Ephesians 4:15, ESV).
I have a great brother-in-law who would do anything for anyone, anytime.
I’ve appreciated his ministry over the years, through his faithful calling to God’s people in Haiti. Recently, with many fleeing Haiti, he traveled there to teach at a pastors’ conference.
Wow! (But he’s still wrong.)
Ephesians 4:15 teaches that we are to speak the truth in love. There are many nuances in the Greek for the words “truth” and “love,” and noting the full Biblical flavoring of these words, let me give my OGV (Old Guy Version) of Ephesians 4:15:
Tell the truth to others, with a willingness to speak boldly your understanding of Scripture, but in humility, realizing that you may be wrong, while approaching all disagreement with honor and respect to those with whom you disagree.
Following the principles of my own translation of Ephesians 4:15, I admit that my brother-in-law could be right, which means that I could be wrong. However, especially when it comes to my brother-in-law, I prefer being right!
Some background. As honored and respected readers of Interruptions know, I believe the covenants of blessing that God made with Israel in the Old Testament, though diminished for a season of time, will be fulfilled in the end times with Israel as a nation and the Jews as a people.
My brother-in-law sways toward a theological viewpoint known as “Replacement Theology,” which asserts that the church has “replaced” Israel and that the promises mentioned throughout the Old Testament about Israel were fulfilled in Jesus. Let me quote an article that he recently sent to me …
Jesus didn’t teach a two-people plan. He fulfilled the promises to Israel in Himself—He is the True Son, the Final Temple, the Perfect Sacrifice, the Reigning King. His Church isn’t plan B. It’s the continuation of God’s plan through Christ, drawing Jew and Gentile alike into one new humanity through faith in Him.
HHHHMMMHHM! A nice statement, well written, concise, direct, and convincing — but still wrong! I’ll go with the Apostle Paul when he said …
For if you (Gentiles) were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches (Israel and Jews), be grafted back into their own olive tree. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:24-26a, ESV).
Even though I think I’m right and my brother-in-law thinks he’s right (and he could be), I still believe that he is wrong. However, when debating issues of interest and importance, we don’t condemn each other but give one another honor and respect.
Read closely …
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ (Ephesians 4:15).
By speaking the truth in love in our conversations, we release a promise in Scripture that both my brother-in-law and I will mature in every way in Christ, like iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17a).
Some of you are thinking, “I wonder what family gatherings are going to be like this Christmas with Pastor Grant writing that his brother-in-law is wrong?” We’ll be okay, as my brother-in-law has this ministry with the word “grace” in the title, so he must put up with me!