“… because they did not receive the love of the truth

“… because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…” (2Thessalonians 2:10,11)

Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonians: “…they did not receive the love of the truth….”, so what is ‘the love of the truth’ that one should receive? It is worth looking into this text more deeply, as Paul continues explaining the serious consequences for those who do not accept it.

When one looks at the people of God who received the Law of Commandments from the hands of Moses, can it be said that they had cognised the truth, or that they had a love of the truth? If they had cognised it, would they have even needed the law at all? I think that one who has cognised the truth does not need the law, because the one who has cognised the love of the truth will become one who fulfils the law. The one who has received the love of the truth in one’s heart receives an understanding of life in the love of the truth. I think the very expression ‘love of the truth’ reveals to us the love that is of the Divine nature from the True One, it is received from the knowledge of His truth. Such a person is filled with the love of God, which can only be found in truth, that is why the Bible says: “…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) and “Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.” (Romans 13:10).

The law is the righteousness of God, by which the whole world will be judged. The love of the truth is the meaning and essence of the law, it is in itself the judgment of the law. Those who have cognised it and live in it will judge the world and judge those who lived by the letter of the law: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Corinthians 6:2)

The holiness of a person is a life in the love of the truth. It will be given to them to judge the world. One who lives according to the law without cognising the love of the truth will be breaking the law, since the law does not lead to perfection and is given as a condemnation of sin, not as justification of man: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20), “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;)” (Romans 2:12-13). The fulfilment of the law is the love of the truth. It is necessary for one to accept with faith the love and truth that came down in Jesus Christ, as a gift of grace and mercy. The law is spiritual, and the one who has not cognised the spirit of the law cannot fulfil it. In order to fulfil it one must cognise it, and cognition of the law is possible through receiving the love of the truth. Truth is uncompromising, it cannot be used for one's own interests. In order to cover over one’s unrighteous intentions, it is possible for a person to adjust the law to suit oneself, but the truth always exposes any unrighteous thought. Pharisaism, or religiosity, hides behind the law but faith fulfils the law in truth. Those who live by the letter of the law are looking for ways to get around it, because they are not driven by the love of the truth, but by the fear of condemnation. This is what Jesus rebuked when He saw the hearts of the scribes: “Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, “Honour your father and your mother”; and, “He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God’ - then he need not honour his father or mother.” Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”.” (Matthew 15:1-9). Jesus came to fulfil the law, and the fulfilment of the law was in love and truth, that is why to the one who had not cognised the truth it looked like Jesus was breaking the law. Knowledge of the law is very different from cognition of the truth. Parisaism, or religiosity, was condemned by Jesus: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” (Matthew 23:2). In other words, dry religion had taken the place of faith and love, meekness and humility.  Following this, the whole twenty third chapter of Matthew speaks abut the condemnation of the pharisees. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!…” (Matthew 23:13-14).

God’s love is called a love of the truth. Can this love be accepted by those who want to use the law to hide from the truth? Certainly not; those who use the law to hide behind are fulfilling their own whims and conceal their lustful hearts. The love within them is of a different nature, inherited from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it bears the fruit of death. Only sincere hearts seek true love, not directed towards themselves, but love that is the nature of God. The love of the truth is always directed towards the source of love, towards God. It draws a person to the depths of its knowledge, to life in it. The mind and conscience of one who is filled with the love of the truth differs radically from that of a religious person, and is shown through their responses and assessments to life situations. Their judgments are also different, just as the judgments of Jesus were different from those of the Pharisees and scribes. They condemned Jesus for violating the law, but in doing so they were exposed before the Lord, receiving condemnation for being ignorant of the law of God's love and ignorant of the truth.

Jesus said: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1). Those who accept life according to the letter of the law immediately take upon themselves the responsibility of judgement. However, they judge about the righteousness and truth of the law according to their own understanding. Without cognising the spirit of the law in the love of the truth, they fall under condemnation. Those in whom God judges by His Holy Spirit are given to judge: “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:15-16). The truth judges the fulfilment of the law, it is not the law that judges truth.

“…who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honour, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath,” (Romans 2:6-8). The choice to submit to the truth or not to submit always remains with a person. To accept the love of the truth for one's salvation means to accept a way of life in the love of truth. It is impossible to accept the love of the truth and not want to live in it - this is the choice of love, spiritual attraction.

Accepting the love of the truth is the path to cognising its width, length, depth and height. The life of such a person is filled with movement, struggle, seeking and gaining, falling and rising, like climbing a steep mountain, where there is a risk and an effort is made to negotiate the height. There are slips and bruises, falls and getting up again. But the goal chosen by the person is so great (which is to get to the top of the mountain, meeting with the Lord and having intimacy with Him) that all difficulties and sorrows mean nothing. Those who attempted to climb the mountain but, after meeting with difficulties, chose the path along the valley find themselves in marshy places; there they are sucked in by a quagmire, since any deviation from God's paths, from the search for truth, leads to destruction: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). God calls everyone to the mountain of the Lord, to Zion, not to the valley of Armageddon where those who fight against the Lord and fight against the people of God will be defeated.

Although it is possible for a person to be forced to live according to the letter of the law, conversely it is totally impossible for a person to accept the love of the truth by force, just as one cannot be forced to accept and have the Holy Spirit. That is why even Jesus Himself, Who was the love of the truth revealed, did not use force to bring anyone to truth and love. But only those who are drawn by the Father are drawn to the Son. Only those who are drawn by heights are drawn to climbing Mount Zion. Only those who seek the righteousness of the Kingdom of God will cognise the love of the truth for their salvation. They live in it, not seeking justification for their deeds, but seeking the truth before they act, so that their deeds will be righteous.

Pastor Taysa Kotov

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