When The Truth Makes Enemies - November 8

Read Galatians 4:12-16 

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 

Reflect 

Have you ever been rejected because you spoke the truth? 

Sometimes people just don’t want to hear the truth. In fact, many people today consider it more loving to affirm someone’s lies and delusions than it is to tell them the truth. In our culture, offending someone is to be avoided at all costs and truth is relative. So, telling the absolute truth is a surefire way to make enemies. But that doesn’t mean we should shy away from it.  

Earlier in Galatians 4, we read that Paul wondered if he had labored for the Galatians in vain. In today’s verses, Paul continued to get personal with them. You see, Paul and the Galatians had a history. When he first preached the Gospel to them, he was suffering from an illness. We don’t know the specifics of that illness but we do know that whatever it was, it was bad enough that it could have given those in Galatia cause to be disgusted and repulsed by it. Paul even considered his physical ailment to be a trial or a burden to them.  

And yet, despite this health issue, the Galatians welcomed him and cared for him. They received him as a messenger from God and recognized that he was a true apostle of Jesus Christ. They accepted his message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. And out of gratitude, they were a blessing to him in return. The fact that Paul said they would have been willing to gouge out their eyes for him to use instead has led some scholars to believe that Paul’s ailment may have affected his eyesight. Regardless, this detail demonstrates just how much the Galatians loved Paul. They were willing to sacrifice greatly for his health and well-being.  

But when the Judaizers arrived on the scene, some in Galatia changed their tune. Instead of becoming like Paul, who gave up his legalism in exchange for the grace of Christ, many Galatians returned to the bondage of the law. They accepted the false teaching promoted by the Judaizers. Those who had embraced these false teachings went from loving and accepting Paul and the Gospel message he preached to rejecting him and considering him an enemy. How painful that must have been for him. What did he do to deserve such treatment? He told them the Gospel truth.  

Friends, we have been warned that if we proclaim the truth of the Gospel, we will face rejection and hatred as well. Jesus faced it and said: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). John experienced it and said, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). Peter experienced it and echoed John’s message not to be surprised “at the fiery trial” but rather “rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13). And we know that Paul experienced it, even by those who had once highly regarded him and considered him a dear friend. 

But none of them stopped preaching the truth simply because of the cost—not Paul, not Peter, not John, and certainly not Jesus. They knew that when you love someone, you tell them the truth at all costs, especially when that truth has eternal significance. They told everyone what they needed to hear even if it wasn’t what they wanted to hear because they cared for these people’s souls. May we be like them and never shy away from the truth of the Gospel no matter the cost. 

Respond  

Jesus, You warned us that the world will hate us just as it hated You. It can be intimidating to speak the truth out loud in the face of rejection. Still, I know that You are the Truth that the world needs to hear about. Give me the courage to never compromise the Truth of the Gospel even if I make enemies by telling Your Truth. Amen. 

Reveal  

Think of someone in your life who’s drifting toward a harmful belief or choice—not someone you can “fix,” but someone you genuinely care about. Instead of confronting them with arguments, reach out in a way that reminds them of your love. Maybe write a note sharing one specific thing you appreciate about them, or invite them to coffee simply to listen and understand what’s going on beneath the surface. If the opportunity naturally comes, speak one small truth—not as a lecture, but as something that’s shaped your own life. When truth is carried on the back of compassion, it has a way of landing softly—even when it challenges what someone believes.