Galatians 4:16

“So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

Confronting someone with unpleasant truth shouldn’t make someone your enemy. It is really a sign of love. And for a true Christian it is being faithful in your ministry.

Does someone truly love a person if they withhold truth that will enable another person to avoid serious harm and even possibly death? Anyone who would do such a thing does not have your best interest at heart.

In addition, Biblically faithful ministry requires speaking truth in all matters.

A biblically faithful ministry is rooted in the uncompromising, accurate, and loving proclamation of God’s truth, which is considered essential for true spiritual health and integrity. Such ministry requires holding fast to sound doctrine rather than seeking to appease, watering down, or tailoring messages to avoid uncomfortable truths.

Hearing the truth doesn’t necessarily make the hearer feel good. Hearing the truth often causes discomfort, anxiety, or pain because it can shatter comfortable illusions, threaten self-esteem, or force changes that individuals are not prepared to make.

While truth is often valued theoretically, people frequently prioritize emotional comfort over reality, resisting facts that challenge their identity, beliefs, or sense of safety.

Often, hearing the truth can be painful. Why?

(1)) When the truth contradicts deeply held beliefs or self-perception, it forces uncomfortable mental realignment. This is called cognitive dissonance.

(2) Truth can bring unpleasant realizations about health (both physical and spiritual), relationships, or personal failures, leading to fear or shame. This can create a sense of vulnerability in someone who up to that point, has had felt self-assured in how they have been living their faith and life.

(3) Acknowledging the truth can sometimes make people feel their world or social standing is under threat. Hearing the truth may be a threat to a person’s identity.

(4) Upon hearing and realizing the truth of a matter as opposed to what they believed was the truth, a person may be left feeling powerless. If the truth highlights a situation that feels uncontrollable, it causes distress.

To avoid these outcomes, people often retreat into a state of denial. And the bearer of truth becomes their ENEMY.

Its sad to say, but many people prefer comfortable lies.

For some people, it is more appealing to be lied to rather than to hear painful truths. They tend to seek comfort and avoid emotional pain. This makes comforting lies more appealing than painful truths.

So unlike the apostle Paul who spoke the bitter truth to the Galatians, many would-be pastors avoid subjects like ‘repentance’ because the subject makes alot of people uncomfortable.

As was mention earlier, people are often self-assured in how they have been living their life. To protect their ego and sense of self, individuals may avoid truths that make them look bad or responsible for mistakes.

There are those for whom the short-term painful sting of the truth is more difficult to bear than adapting to the truth and gaining the long-term benefit of living in reality. It is better to them to believe and live a lie.

The Bible warns in that people will perish because they “refused to love the truth” and instead took pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

10 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And because of this, God sends them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

12 in order that all might be judged who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Because they reject the truth that brings salvation, God sends a “strong delusion” so they believe a lie and face condemnation. This passage emphasizes that loving the truth is essential for salvation, as opposed to simply having knowledge of it.

People are condemned not just for sinning, but for willfully rejecting the truth of God and loving wickedness instead.

The apostle Paul had become an enemy to some of the brothers and sisters in the church in Galatia because he bore witness of the truth. His was an act of love that should have been well-received. Instead, there were those who became hostile toward Paul.

The same often occurs to us today who share the truth of God and His word. We are treated like enemies by those who love not the truth but prefer rather to be lied to.

Because of this decision, the words we find in the Second Letter the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians falls upon them to be fulfilled.

2 Thessalonians 2:11

11 And because of this, God sends them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

When you see the many professed Christians teaching and believing in unbiblical doctrines, it is because they have rejected the truth of the Gospel as written in Holy Scripture. It should be no wonder then that they treat you, the bearer of these truths, as an enemy. But regardless of their hatred of you, continue speaking the truth and remain faithful in your ministry.

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