W.L. Totty (Deceased)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16.) In that statement John expressed the epitome of love.
We hear so much about “preaching the gospel in love.” We all agree that we must preach the gospel in love. Love for lost souls should be what prompts men to preach the gospel. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16.) When we hear a person today talking about “preaching the gospel in love,” and that we must “have love,” generally that person is advocating a compromise with error to keep from offending someone.
We have examples of Christ’s preaching in love, and we are to follow him. Speaking to the Pharisees, he said, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt. 15:7-9.) It seems that the disciples were surprised that Jesus would condemn the Pharisees so severely and asked him, “Knowest though that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?” (V. 12.) The way we hear some people talk about “preaching the gospel in love,” one who does not know the scriptures would conclude that Jesus then went to the Pharisees and told them he was sorry for what he had said to them, that he had not exhibited as much love as he should. When his disciples asked that question, he answered, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (V. 14.) Would anyone say Jesus was not preaching in love? He did not apologize; and if we imitate Christ, we will have no necessity for apology.
When Christ had preached in the synagogue at Capernaum, he knew that some of his disciples murmured because they thought his teaching was “hard”; and Jesus asked them, “Doth this offend you?” (John 6:61.) Instead of apologizing, he said, “...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life….Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” (John 6:63,65.) And the Bible says, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” (V. 66.) Jesus did not apologize but, rather, turned to the twelve and asked them, “Will ye also go away?” (V. 67.) Then Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Vs. 68-69.) Jesus preached the truth, and the people could accept it or reject it. We likewise have no other to whom we can go; therefore, we must preach the truth in love of truth, not in love of error.
Not only did Christ preach in a straightforward manner, but his apostles and those who worked with them preached it without fear or favor. Stephen said to the unbelieving Jews, “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” (Acts 7:51-52.) The people were so enraged at Stephen’s preaching that they killed him; yet, it did not call for an apology on his part.
If Paul had compromised the truth and apologized for everything that offended the people, there would have been no necessity of his having to escape their wrath by being let down over the wall of the city of Damascus at night in a basket. At Philippi Paul condemned error and was beaten and put in jail. Moreover, he wrote to the church at Thessalonica that he had preached the gospel to them with much contention. (I Thess. 2:2.) To the church at Corinth he said, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” (I Cor. 4:16.) Paul was following Christ, for in I Cor. 11:1, he said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” His condemning of error in preaching the gospel finally resulted in his being killed.
When Peter and John were threatened in Jerusalem by the Jewish authorities, Peter answered, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20.) Again, when he had been charged by the high priest with having filled Jerusalem with his doctrine and of accusing the Jews of being guilty of the blood of Christ, Peter answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
We must love the truth of God enough to follow the example of Jesus, Paul, Peter and others and be willing to die, if necessary, in order to preach it; and we must “hate every false way.” (Psa. 119:4.)