PRÉCIS ON THE CENTRALITY OF TRUTH TO THE GOSPEL: LOVE CANNOT WIN WITHOUT ITS ELDER BROTHER LEADING

SCRIPTURE. “For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.” – PSALM 33:4, NKJV

KEY TERM: “TRUTH.” ‘Emunah’ [אֱמוּנָה]: “Firmness, security, fidelity; faithfulness, steadfastness; it is used to describe God’s character and His actions; a Divine attribute that also describes honorable human conduct; truth, veracity; loyalty; firm adherence to allegiance and duty; strict adherence to injunctions, and to the duties of a station; consistent performance of promises, vows or covenants; constancy in affection.”

QUOTATION. “If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.” ― MARCUS AURELIUS, Roman Emperor, Meditations, 161-180 AD

COMMENTARY. “‘For the word of the Lord is right.’ – The revealed Word of God: the Law of God is right; its Precepts are holy, just, and good; its sanction or penalty is righteous; it is impartial unto all; it is just in condemning the wicked, and in acquitting believers on the account of Christ’s perfect righteousness, by which it is magnified and made honourable: The Gospel part of the Word is right; it publishes right and good things; it directs to the right way, to Heaven and happiness; it makes men right when it works effectually in them; it engages them to walk in right ways; and its Doctrines are right or plain to them that have a spiritual understanding given them; and all this is matter of joy and praise.

‘And all his works are done in truth.’ – His works of Creation are done in the Truth of things, with the utmost exactness and accuracy, and are a wonderful display of His power, wisdom, and goodness: His works of Providence are according to the counsel of His own will, and are done in the wisest and best manner; and His work of Redemption is a proof of His veracity and faithfulness to his Covenant Oath and Promise; and His work of Grace upon the hearts of his people is Truth in the inward parts; and which, as He has promised to carry on and finish, He is faithful and will do it; in short, His way of acting both towards the godly and ungodly agrees with His Promises to the one and his threatenings to the other, and so is in [unbending]Truth; and the whole of this is a reason why the saints should praise the Lord.” – JOHN GILL, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, 9 vols., 1746-1763; edited

DK. Thus shall it be for all who truly follow after God must be the very same: Faithful and True! But, beloved, we are not. We are not. American Christians today have chosen ‘Love Only’as their New Gospel, and a Man of abominable hatred to lead us toward it.

I often chide the Church about her obsession with Love, often indicting JOHN LENNON’S famous song about this as a romanticized, culturally twisted, highly Destructive Lie.

“In 1967, John Lennon wrote a song called, ‘All You Need Is Love’ (1967). He also beat both of his wives, abandoned one of his children, verbally abused his gay Jewish manager with homophobic and Anti-Semitic slurs, and once had a camera crew film him lying naked in his bed for an entire day.

Thirty-five years later, TRENT REZNOR from Nine Inch Nails wrote a song called ‘Love Is Not Enough.’ Reznor, despite being famous for his shocking stage performances and his grotesque and disturbing videos, got clean from all drugs and alcohol, married one woman, had two children with her, and then canceled entire albums and tours so that he could stay home and be a good husband and father.

One of these two men had a clear and realistic understanding of love. One of them did not. One of these men idealized love as the solution to all of his problems. One of them did not. One of these men was probably a narcissistic [expletive]. One of them was not.”          – MARK MANSON, “Love is Not Enough,” Blog, ret. June 10, 2024; edited

TRUTH, THEN LOVE. Here we have a painful Life Lesson for the Church: ‘Truth Defines Love, not the other way around.’ The Foundation of all Love therefore is the living Truth of Christ and His Gospel. Whether a follower of Christ or not, the Rules of Loving Engagement are defined by Him, and no other.

Therefore, without a massive, sustained and very heartfelt ‘Repentance from a dangerously romanticized American Gospel’ that preaches Love at nearly idolatrous levels , we are about to inherit the bitterest of Whirlwinds which we have sown for at least 120 years.

America’s Time is slipping away at alarming speed today, beloved. Let us not waste another minute to (1) ‘Prepare’ for what is coming and (2) ‘Speak’ the truth in love to all who are willing to listen.