Part of Continuing the Reformation is Maintaining Peacefulness While Preaching the Truth!
There's the truth that you can tell the truth without loving but you can never love without telling the truth. It's time to ask why do you tell people the truth? Do you tell them the truth because you have selfish motives such as revenge or getting even or do you tell them the truth because you love them? As much as false doctrine must be reproved and no Christian should have any involvement in the works of darkness but love must be the motive.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says this truth:
It's absolutely necessary to have knowledge of the Scripture to grow. Christians can be guilty of some form of legalism when they're just increasing in knowledge in the Scriptures just because it's necessary. It's a very common rebuke when I'm told that while it's good that I have knowledge but not sharing the truth in love is absolutely dangerous. Not having love for people means all the knowledge of the world profits nothing. Jesus didn't share the truth just to share it but He shared it in love.
The call for the Christian is to share the truth while maintaining inner peace. Just because Jesus said that He didn't come to bring worldly peace but a sword is no call for the Christian to be quarrelsome towards the unsaved. They are called to still maintain inner peace even if the whole world is at war with them. They are still called to love their enemies, to pray for them who persecute them and to do good to those who hate them. All these are part of applying the knowledge in Scripture and not just merely accumulating it.
See also:
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says this truth:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
It's absolutely necessary to have knowledge of the Scripture to grow. Christians can be guilty of some form of legalism when they're just increasing in knowledge in the Scriptures just because it's necessary. It's a very common rebuke when I'm told that while it's good that I have knowledge but not sharing the truth in love is absolutely dangerous. Not having love for people means all the knowledge of the world profits nothing. Jesus didn't share the truth just to share it but He shared it in love.
The call for the Christian is to share the truth while maintaining inner peace. Just because Jesus said that He didn't come to bring worldly peace but a sword is no call for the Christian to be quarrelsome towards the unsaved. They are called to still maintain inner peace even if the whole world is at war with them. They are still called to love their enemies, to pray for them who persecute them and to do good to those who hate them. All these are part of applying the knowledge in Scripture and not just merely accumulating it.
See also: