THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH
In 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12, Paul reveals to us a mentality that is crucial in our ability to obtain the assurance of salvation. Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit writes,
“Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness”.
First of all, it must be noted that the context of these verses deal with the Man of Lawlessness, whom Paul (by means of the Holy Spirit) predicted would come. Paul predicted that many will perish due to the work of this man because of the simple fact that they “did not receive the love of the truth”. Likewise, it also must be noted, that Paul in this context is primarily teaching that unbelievers are the ones who will fall for the deceptive tactics of this man. Nevertheless, I still believe that what is taught here by Paul can also be applied to believers of God as well. We likewise can perish due to a lack of sincere love for God’s truth.
The Bible teaches us what truth is – “sanctify them in the truth, Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). When we take both of the afore-mentioned verses into consideration and look at all the principles taught in each of them, I believe we glean a principle of prime importance. God expects for His people to have the strongest expression of love (agape love) for His word. The same degree of love that we show to our parents, spouses and children should be shown to the word of God. When a person loves God’s word to this extent, they will honor, protect and uphold it (1Timothy 3:15). When a person loves God’s word to this extent they will read it daily and meditate upon it day and night (Psalm 1:1-6). When a person loves God’s word to this extent they will “rightly handle” it in their lives (2Timothy 2:15). When a person loves God’s word to this extent, they will hold it in high regard and allow for it to guide every aspect of their lives (2Timothy 3:16-17). When a person loves God’s word to this extent, it will have sole authority over their lives – not the cultural norms, social standards or philosophies of the world (Col. 2:8), God’s word is God’s truth that provides His children with redemption, protection and eternal salvation (John 8:32). Therefore, we find that Scripture teaches that if we desire assurance of salvation it is not enough for us to just know God’s truth – we must learn to love it (Psalm 119:97-104). Does your life display a sincere love of the truth?
— Sam Barclay
