Healthy plants have deep roots and strong pillars have solid foundations. If we are to be Christians who are deeply rooted in Christ and built on the solid Rock, then we need more than mere sound bites. One means that the Lord has used throughout church history to strengthen His people’s faith and witness is reading good books. This book review series is identifying books that can serve as shovels that help you dig deeper in your Christian life.
Book: Graciousness: Tempering Truth With Love by John Crotts.
This is a convicting book – probably because it is on a subject we do not often think about: being gracious, especially in our speech. This book is about the way we say things and how we convey the truth. In his opening chapter, the author explains what he means: “God cares about more than just the words you say. He also cares about how you say these words. It is not enough always to say the truth: you must also say the truth in love” (p. 2).
To help us understand what he means, the author sets before us the Lord Jesus as our primary Model (chapter 3). The apostle John describes Jesus as "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The Lord Jesus corrected and admonished those who needed it, but His corrections came with love, gentleness, and kindness, which the author sums up as graciousness. Sometimes in our zeal for the truth (which is necessary!), we can easily express the truth without any love for the person we are speaking to. Doing so undermines the truth of Scripture, we are seeking to uphold. Love is the chief fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23, 1 Cor. 13:1-3), and perfectly saturated all the words of Christ.
In Chapter 2: The Graciousness You Need, Crotts draws from various quotes and examples of the Bible to show the importance of expressing gentleness, kindness, and “speaking the truth in love, thereby “ministering grace unto the hearers” (Eph. 4:15, 29). The apostle Paul practiced what he preached by admonishing the Corinthian church for their sins, and yet displaying gentleness in rebuking the perpetrators (cf. 2 Cor. 7-8). For example, he says, ”I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live for you” (2 Cor. 7:3) and, “Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you” (v. 12). Paul even lists gentleness as a necessary characteristic of leaders in the church: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men… In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-25).
As you review your recent conversations and social media posts, are your words flowing from a desire to minister grace to your hearers? Are you seeking the true interest of others in both the content and the manner of your speech? We will see how we can grow in this in our next post.
Graciousness: Tempering Truth With Love by John Crotts. Published by Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2018. Softcover, 137 pages.
Buy this book here: https://reformedbookservices.com/products/9781601785862_-graciousness-tempering-truth-with-love?_pos=1&_sid=43b0c874a&_ss=r.
- This is adapted from Mrs. Ricky (Frederika) Pronk’s book reviews in The Messenger. She is a member of Grace Free Reformed Church in Brantford, Ontario and, together with her husband Rev. C. Pronk, is involved in Reformed Book Services