The Bible says the Church matures as saints speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) — and we have neglected both. We have accepted a dichotomy between these virtues that doesn’t in fact exist and have reaped the impotence our disobedience deserves. 

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbour, lest you incur sin because of him.” (Leviticus 19:17)

When it comes to speech, Christians have been catechized by the world far more than the Scriptures. Consider how we cringe at open statements of the truth and balk at hard words delivered in boldness. Or how we instinctively wince at correction and assume, in synchrony with our culture, that any word that fails to affirm another’s perceived identity is necessarily unloving. To say to someone, as Jesus did, “You are quite wrong,” immediately strikes us as inappropriate (Mk. 12:27). Worse still, we conceal our cowardice by telling ourselves we’re simply being kind or that we’re looking for a way to tell the truth without being divisive. 

The glaring reality remains, however, that we are far less biblical than we imagine. The only thing that binds our tongues is fear, not love. 

The trouble with these mistaken notions is that the conduit of love in the Scriptures is very often hard words.

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