Niceness and Hospitality as the Parameter of Acceptance, Not Truth and Righteousness

In our day foolishness reigns supreme as never before. You could say its the chief characteristic of mankind in our present time, for we dwell in a world of fools, both religious and non-religious, who on a daily basis reveal their foolishness. This is of course evident quite plainly in the secular arena, a given there and likely worse there than ever, but its not merely confined to the unreligious; we also find this supreme among those that profess Christianity, where its likewise worse than ever before. Gods Word speaks to this, the context being false teachers and irreligious men:

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3:13)

The people who are easiest to fool in the world are those for whom the quality of niceness and/or hospitality has become the overriding condition or standard of their lives. That's a lot of people today, especially amongst neo-evangelicals, where its extremely prevalent. You've got to be nice (which is falsely correlated with gracious) and thus you've got to be hospitable, and these are treated as the parameter of truth. Of course they probably wouldn't outright say that, but they say it in other ways. These are the most important traits for those easy to fool. They latch on to those who are nice to them.

There is many, masses, among neo-evangelicals, contemporary Christianity, Protestantism, Catholicism, Reformed Calvinists, Baptists, etc, that believe that being “nice” will change minds and showing “love” to wicked people will change those people. They are not only naive and gullible, they are foolish. This isn’t showing humility or some sort of humbleness, but rather stupidity. Yet this is how the world of evangelicalism and mainstream Christianity flows today, with their effeminate version of "Christianity."

Just Be Nice. Nice Trumps Truth. If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Say Nothing At All — Neo-Evangelicalism 101

If you want to gain someone, say nice things to them, offer positive remarks (never negative!), tell them how great they are or how wonderful they look, how smart they are, brag them up, they will usually trust you, that is, you'll gain their confidence. Before any criticism takes place, a certain amount of nice relation has to occur first. If you are not nice to them, that being the one redeeming trait, they reject you. So just be nice to them. Never say an unkind word to them or criticize them. Hit "heart" and "like" on every post, and make a nice upbeat comment, and you've got yourself at least a superficial supporter. Never criticize, never be negative, and in your eternal endeavour of “never,” never ever say something “harshly” even if it is a Biblical reproof that could change the course of their life, yea, even if it's life saving.

When you follow this strategy, you might even be asked to become a church leader.

Indeed, niceness and hospitality is even a qualifier of truth for choosing Church leaders, at least among some evangelical Mennonites. The deeply compromised and heretical EBMC denomination chooses their deacons based upon the measurement of "niceness" and "hospitality" (and likely their pastors to). (They might argue against this, but there is proof). You see, the nicer and more hospitable you are, the easier it is to become a deacon, at the exclusion, or at last undermining, of all the other critical criteria (1 Tim 3:8-13, but likewise the criteria for pastors vv. 2-7). Everyone sees how nice and hospitable you are, how you make everyone laugh and like you, so no need to even apply for the position; we will do it for you. We see you. We like what we see. You are our man. Or rather, our “deacon couple.”Even if you don't want it, you've got it. They successfully passed the Rorschach test.

But it’s all a con. An imposter. A counterfeit. A lie. And its much worse than just pragmatism.

The same happy-go-lucky and positive-only crowd will also say it’s not “nice” to be judgmental. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all! God however says its not only nice, it is loving, obedient and fulfilling God's will (Phil 1:9; Pr 21:3, 15; 1 Cor 2:15; 6:1-5; 10:15; Jn 7:24; Lk 12:57; etc). Jesus commanded, "Judge not according to the appearance [the visage], but judge righteous judgment,” (Jn 7:24), a quote from Lev 19:15, 35-37, so a principle and command as old as the antiquity of the sun. To some Christ asked, “Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" (Lk 12:57), while to others, "Thou hast rightly judged" (Lk 7:43), always expecting judgment from the people, righteous judgement which is judgment by the Scriptures. Paul also demanded his teachings to be judged: “I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say” (1 Cor 10:15), including his gospel (Gal 1:8-9). Those that did exactly that, he called “more noble” (Ac 17:11). A bit of a difference from the foaming at the mouth evangelical or reformed crowd. Wise men—the saved—judge. Fools—the lost—do not (or at least they say that, while in reality every person judges, but they do hate being judged because they have never allowed the Word of God to judge them). The fool believes every word without berean analysis and judgement (Pr 14:15, 18; Rom 16:18). God indeed loves judgment, which dovetails with justice: “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" (Pr 21:3).

Speaking the truth by reproving and rebuking error and sin is decried as hateful and cruel and not nice. If you expose it and them publicly, you move into even another different but related realm beyond not nice. We, at 20/20, are not nice. We are mean and unkind.

Pr 15:10, among many passages on correction, reproof and rebuke, declares:

“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.”

Correcting someones error or sin or worldliness or something else that requires correction is grievous to the one bearing the problem, the one forsaking the way of truth. He won’t like it when confronted and reproved for it. ‘He was trying and you are not nice for reproving him’ says the “lets-always-be-nice” crowd. ‘You can’t be doing this publicly because the atheistic world will see it and hinder their salvation,’ cries this unBiblical, illiterate, disobedient and gainsaying “nice” mostly evangelical crowd. This is a horrible red herring, reflective of the false Christianity they have adopted, with the false Jesus and false gospel, being led by another spirit (2 Cor 11:4), which is “the spirit of error” (1 Jn 4:1-6). This kind is referred to by Paul the Apostle in 1 Tim 4:1-2,

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”

Gods Word makes it clear that "he that hateth reproof is brutish" (Pr 12:1), and "brutish" actually means stupid.

This problem of the doctrine of "niceness" at the expense of truth is so excessively bad in neo-evangelicalism and other brands of false religion, it essentially dominates the entire landscape. Through preaching, writing, television, radio, and more, this unscriptural philosophy is transmitted into ears that itch for these fables (2 Tim 4:3-4).

When someone comes along and presents true Biblical Christianity, the actual truth, sound doctrine and obedience to the Word of God, warning about error, false doctrine and false teachers such as us here at 20/20 concerning the EMC denomination, or here concerning the EBMC denomination, or concerning heretics and false teachers or deeply compromised men such as Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, Tim Keller, John MacArthur, Mike Hovland, R.C. Sproul, James White, Eric and Leslie Ludy, Protestant Reformers such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Jack Hyles, Michael Sullivant and PVBC, Gordon Conner, Reg Kelly, Caleb Garraway, Baptist College of Ministry and Falls Baptist Church, S.M. Davis, John R. Rice, Spencer Smith, Rick Flanders, Other IFB False Teachers, Paul Juss and Victory North Association, John Wimber and Vineyard Churches, The Getty's, Brian Doerksen, High Valley, Mark Hall and Casting Crowns, Rick Warren, Francis Chan, Augustine, David Lynn, Sarah Young, Asbury College, Justin Johnson and Grace Ambassadors Church, Charles Ryrie, Hannah Whittal Smith, Warren Wiersbe, Roy Hession, C.S. Lewis, John Hagee, John Maxwell, K.P. Yohannan and Gospel for Asia, Charles Finney, Choo Thomas, Martin Richling, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr, etc, we is not being nice. The ones that are being nice, however aren’t being very nice either, when they vilify, slander, malign and disparage those who speak the truth. But that is unsurprising, seeing that this follows the behaviour of false teachers and their people, who speak evil of those who are of the truth (2 Pet 2:1-3).

Speaking the truth may not always sound “nice.” It should, however, sound necessary, and it is essential to penetrate the hearts of people with the Sword of the Spirit (Heb 4:12), motivated by love for God and His Word (Jn 14:23-24; 1 Jn 2:3-5) which then naturally follows with love and compassion for one’s neighbour and brethren (1 Jn 5:2-3; Matt 22:39).

The "niceness" expressed by the hospitable and nice people in opposition to the truth is a chief replacement for biblical love. Actual true Biblical love isn't a con however. It truly does care about what is best and most important for a person. Love isn't fooling anyone, or beating around the bush or sugarcoating what needs to be said. It tells the truth. When I say truth, I mean, what Scripture or God says about whatever subject. Love says and does what is best for another person, which also includes reproof and rebuke. But those actions aren't “nice” to the "nice" people.

In Gen 3, we see how nice Satan was to Eve. Notice how Satan framed God, that God wasn't being nice to Eve. Satan was "nice" but God wasn't nice. Eve went with "nice." The following chapter, God wasn't nice to Cain. He didn't just accept his offering. On the other hand, He was nice to Abel, which was grounds for Cain murdering his brother.

I like the dictionary definition of "nice," because it fits with what I'm talking about. “Nice" is defined as pleasant and agreeable. The example given in a dictionary for "niceness" is also appropriate: “Her sheer niceness won her many friends." Being super-duper nice, will gain you many friends, kinda like money does. But when "niceness" runs out, like money, guess what happens. Of all the prey to niceness, women are the most vulnerable, and especially young women. Hence the words of 2 Tim 3:6, "they [false teachers] . . . lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." It is why younger women in the church need to submit to older or more mature women (Ti 2:4-5). Con men themselves say that young women are the easiest marks, especially under the influence of a little bit older man. He does this by saying and doing nice things to and for her. This is how young women give away their purity and virginity. They also stop listening to their parents. They give themselves over to Satan by their rebellion, and it comes about because of “niceness.”

Niceness becomes the currency of societal acceptance. It is a requirement on social media. You can accumulate many friends on social media by using your niceness currency. Someone uses the Lord's name in vain. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone uses a foul word. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone lies. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone shows up naked. Don't reprove, be nice. Women dresses and appears like a man. Don't reprove, be nice. Boy comes out as a girl. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone sins openly. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone misuses Gods Word for selfish purposes. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone corrupts and wrests God’s Word. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone teaches false doctrine. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone promotes compromised or heretical teachers. Don't reprove, be nice. Someone promotes worldly and ungodly, unBiblical music (I.e. “Christian” Contemporary Music or other rock music or country music, etc). Don't reprove, be nice. You get the idea. If you don't reprove, and are nice, you get along with all of them, and they "like you." You recognize that you've got keep being nice. That's all it takes. As society crumbles around you, taking that steep slide toward Sodom and Gomorrah, you just keep being nice. As the ship you are on keeps sliding further into its watery grave, you just keep being nice. Be nice and set up the chairs on the deck of the titanic so that people can enjoy their favourite genre as they glide down to the cold abyss. Everybody can get along with this singular ethic of being nice.

But its a facade. Its fake. Its not based on truth. And its certainly not loving or Biblical!

If you aren't nice, you won't be treated nice. You know that. A whole theology can be developed around niceness until every interpretation of scripture submits to niceness. But thats called eisegesis and its always the mark of a false believer/teacher (2 Pet 3:16-17). Every point of view they take relates itself to niceness. It's acceptable belief and practice if it conforms to niceness.

Don’t get me wrong. Not at any point am I saying don't be nice to people. We all should be nice whenever we can. But it’s simply not that important though. Being nice all the time is not only not required, but it's required not to be nice in many cases. You can't love someone and be nice all the time. Nice and truth will butt heads, but sadly in most “evangelical” and religious camps and homes, “nice” will always win. That is why people are suckered into false religion. ‘They just seem to be such nice people.’ There you go; the barometer to whether someone is actually and truly nice and real is not the truth but how “nice” nd friendly and hospitable they are. No wonder the churches today are flooded with heresy, false teachings, false teachers, divisions, disunity, and the foundational problem: false professions, all riding the back of "nice." Majority of "nice" churches and "Christians" will be in hell one day (Matt 7:13, 21-23).

Does God want you to be nice to everyone on every occasion? No. What I've encountered is that people won't be nice, when you're not nice. This is the point, I believe, of Pr 18:24, which reads: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” It's good to be friendly, because you'll have friends then. Being friendly is almost identical to "be nice." If you want to have a lot of friends, just always be nice. Keeping friends however by being "nice" to them is a recipe for disaster. The friendliness of what this "niceness" speaks is a type of perversion, because it is pandering to people. You aren't causing necessary division, required by God in scripture, by not being nice to people who don't believe right or do right. True friendship doesn't demand friendliness, just like true nice doesn't demand niceness. Psalm 101:3-5 provide a contrast:

"I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.  A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer."

This is David saying, I'm not going to be nice to some people. Being nice to people who are living in sin without genuine repentance, only results in more sinful living, and its unrighteous on my part. We don't want that. This is why 2 Th 3:14 says:

"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."

Separation is righteousness, and walking in righteousness. People that are righteous, will walk in righteousness (1 Jn 2:29; 3:10).

When someone gets separation wrong or gets it unbiblical, he doesn't just get separation wrong. When someone misrepresents or corrupts separation, he also gets God, scripture, the truth, the church, and even the gospel wrong. Every doctrine relates to separation. The wrong view of separation corrupts a Christian worldview. You may ask, "What do you mean?" God doesn't condone sin or error. God will not deny Himself. He becomes that when we teach separation erroneously or deny it. That's a different God. He isn't holy any longer and He can't be just either. Scripture isn't plain any more. The truth is either this or that. The church accepts error. The gospel doesn't quite change a person or isn't quite following Jesus or it's a different Jesus. The true Biblical Christian worldview is one truth and this permits two.

We do need men who will stop being nice, and take their model as the Lord Jesus Christ. It's easy to say that Jesus was hated in His time on earth, because He wasn't nice. Many, many didn't like Him, they hated Him with the ungodly wrath of man that worketh not the righteousness of God, and Jesus said they will do the same to His children, to those who genuinely belong to Him:

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." (Jn 15:18-20)

Satan is a liar and the father of it (Jn 8:44). The effectiveness of his lies, as seen from the very beginning, relate to how nice he is. He's lying, but he's a very nice liar. He keeps people under the deceit of his lies by the niceness of them. Everything will keep being nice for people all the way into Hell.

Niceness and Hospitality Is Certainly Not More Important Than Truth

Between truth and hospitality, truth is the priority. Hospitality is essentially unity. You are welcoming. You are being nice. Come on in. Be with us. Stay with us. Cooperate with us. Associate with us.

John warns about this in 2 Jn 1:7-11:

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

Those who see most everything through this lens of niceness due to a reduction of standards, do not have the discernment to repel and stand against false gospels. They've been fooled by niceness. But they do know when someone is allegedly not treating them nice. So what does the false and deceptive teacher do? He treats them "nicely" and he knows he's got them (cf. Rom 16:18; Ac 20:30). Whatever they want to do gets approval, except for the lone standard of niceness. This is why and how they are able to "creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts," (2 Tim 3:6). We see this everywhere in evangelicalism, and other groups. The women run the show and this is one of the reasons for it. Unsaved easily deceivable women will latch onto niceness like a bear to honey comb. The most important cause however for this absence of discernment and corruption of truth is an absolute absence of true Biblical conversion. These people are not saved, though they may claim that. They are not. Its not even possible.

"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;" (Rom 3:4a)

The deceived people that embrace this unBiblical standard of all-things-nice and hospitality at the detriment to truth, say they are showing love. The raise their standard of niceness behaviour to that of Biblical love. But its not. The Bible tells us what Biblical love is, and this ain't it. You can't have love without the truth. Hospitality is necessary, but it isn't love if it isn't compatible with the truth. Love is the truth. True agape love ("charity") "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" (1 Cor 13:6). Love is walking in the truth toward God and other people. It is fulfilling God's law toward God and people. God couldn't love us if He was contaminated by falsehood or error. You can't bear someone else's burden before you bear your own. Before you restore, you must consider yourself. When you consider yourself, you aren't comparing yourself to others, but to the truth. But fools "measur[e] themselves by themselves, and compar[e] themselves among themselves" (2 Cor 10:12).

Since love wasn't happening without the truth noted in John's epistles, the truth was priority. That meant you couldn't show acceptance to whom?  As we consider John's example in 2 John, I've noticed people get very specific as to where they draw lines. Is that what John meant for us to do, when we consider this epistle and its context of Johannine writings? Is it only specific truths that form a boundary line for the limitations John brings into 2 Jn 7-11? 

When you read the first 6 verses of 2 John, it's all about truth. We should assume all the truth, especially when we read what Jesus taught John in Jn 14-17. Jesus said all His words, commandments, and sayings. Love isn’t walking in selected commandments. When Jesus said we were saved and sanctified by the truth, was it just the truth about His nature, that He was God manifest in the flesh? No. Much more than that. That idea is also contradictory to many other passages on separation and unity. The false philosophy of some doctrines being essential and some non-essential or secondary, also opposes the truth of Scripture, which is the whole counsel of God as important.

John rejoiced that the household to which he wrote (v. 1), which was a women and her children, was walking in the truth (v. 4), which was walking in the Lord's words and commandments (v. 6). That was love:

"And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." (v. 6).

John didn't want that to change because of the influence of false teachers that they might welcome without limitation. John wanted limitation. He didn't want "niceness" and "hospitality" to be the parameter of acceptance, but the truth. Alone.

History tells us that docetism was a unique problem that the elder lady and her children were facing, a false teaching affected by Babylonian mysticism and present in the Hellenized and Roman world of the apostle John. The doctrine of docetism was important in Gnosticism, holding to that Christ's body was not human but either a phantasm or of real but celestial substance, and that his sufferings therefore were only apparent. It clashed with and contradicted the truth. But that is not the only false doctrine of Christ that John wanted the believers to separate from. It wasn't comprehensive. People corrupt this teaching of John by claiming it only applies to those who are messed up in a very narrow category of false doctrine that sets in motion the actions that John prescribes in 2 Jn 1:10-11, but that is certainly not what is meant here at all, and those who come up with this erroneous philosophy do so through the heretical interpretation methodology of eisegesis. Churches and born again believers apply this separation and no-wishing of Godspeed to those who deny any biblical truth that "transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ." (v. 9).

John wanted God's children walking in the truth. Anyone who comes along and tells lies, he didn't want to abide. I'm saying he's giving a specific example of false teaching, but its not limited to that. Many other NT texts mention many other falsehoods from which to separate (e.g. Rom 16:17; Phil 3:17-19; 1 Cor 5; 2 Th 3; 3 Jn; Eph 5:5-11; 1 Tim 6:3-5; 2 Tim 3:5-9; etc).

It's clear any false doctrine about Christ should set in motion the shunning and separation of 2 Jn 1:10-11, however, anyone who allows for any error becomes a partaker in that error when he will not separate over it. The principle always works the same. "For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (v. 11). It's axiomatic. You are a partaker of the false teaching, whatever it is, when it is false, not just false doctrine about Christ.

Essentially no evangelicals and many fundamentalists even practice the specific case of 2 Jn 1:7-11, let alone the overall teaching about treatment of doctrinal and practical errors or lies. They reject the doctrine of separation, which was the foundational error of neo-evangelcialism back in the mid 20th century. God is a God of separation John wanted all the truth protected and the people protected, whom error would harm. 

John was providing an example for what to do when lies came along. Specific false doctrine about Christ was merely a case study, not comprehensive, that is, the only doctrine to merit the treatment that John prescribes. Truth trumped hospitality, but for many reading here, especially neo-evangelicals, hospitality and niceness trumps truth. They wouldn't stand up for truth if their live depended upon it. And that is because the Spirit of truth does not dwell in many, if not all, of such, so their is no boldness. No Spirit, no boldness.

A Case Where "Niceness and Hospitality" over Truth, Leads to a Heinous Crime

This story is a good example where "niceness" and "hospitality" was extremely foolish by a professing Christian missionary and his wife, of the reformed-Calvinist flavour, who adopted an abused and very angry, violent boy from the Ukraine, who had been housed in a prison-orphanage. They were aware of this info on the boy, but continued with the adoption, trying to prove to the world that "niceness" changes people. No. It. Doesn't. They were fools. These idolatrous charlatans spent their life savings and adopted the 14 year boy so they could change his violent nature and demonic possession with their “love” and “kindness” and "niceness." They claimed they were led by “Gods sovereignty + love + sunrise of a new day + prayer + prayers received + court + hearing + judgment” to get their adopted son “Dima James Tower.” (Source).

NO, God had nothing to do with it. At. All. False professors are corrupt thieves using God's name as a crutch to fulfill the lusts of their flesh and selfish-glory (2 Pet 3:3).

How utterly foolish and naive so-called simple Christian’s are in our times, and simple doesn’t mean innocent but stupid, foolish, naive and gullible, a major characteristic of unsaved religious people who are in a false pretence of Christianity (Pr 14:15, 18; Pr 1:20-30). Feeding the lusts of the boys flesh, because they were being "nice," did nothing to change his nature or character. This boy would go on (surprise, surprise) to demonstrate major rage issues, getting into fights in school and even with his adopted dad, giving him a black eye. Eventually this would end with blood-thirsty murder, with the boy literally slaughtering his adopted parents who had shown him only “love” and “niceness”  by showering him with everything he wanted, birthday presents and gifts and trips to Disney and amusement parks and anything he really wanted, but not the truth, not with the Bible, not with reality, not with the rod and reproof, because that wasn't being "nice." After he slaughtered his parents by knife, he fled in the car that they had bought for him.

I believe this is a timely example, though it be tragic, of niceness and hospitality being the parameter of acceptance, not truth and righteousness. It’s also a good reminder of scripture being fulfilled when truth is exchanged for fables and fantasies that fulfill the lusts of the scoffers flesh (2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 Pet 3:3), which is destruction (Matt 7:13-14). The Bible doesn't warn in vain, "Evil pursueth sinners:" (Pr 13:21a). Neo-evangelical and reformed charlatans have a continual need to fulfill their carnal lusts and have their itches scratched. Even the dog idolatry, which seems to be about on par in this day of great apostasy (Rom 1:18-22), on it’s own reflects the great apostasy of most so-called Christian homes in the western world today.

Truth Must be the Parameter of Everything

Hospitality is important, but not at the expense of truth. Truth is the boundary of acceptance.

All lies, all falsehoods harm. They are contradictory to God, Who is Truth. When Paul said in 1 Tim 1:3 to "teach no other doctrine," he wasn't being selective and ranking doctrines. He said "no other doctrine." No false doctrine should be allowed in a church or Christian's life. All lies and errors and falsehoods must be fought against, contended against, reproved, and exposed.

But beware, speaking truth and contending for the truth makes many enemies.

Even as Paul the Apostle knew:

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Gal 4:16)

In our age of tolerance, making enemies is about the worst sin a person can commit. Of course we are not promoting the purposeful making of enemies. God's Word says that when a man’s ways please the Lord, even his enemies will be at peace with him. But the Word of God also states that some who are told the truth will esteem the truth-tellers to be enemies. Love of truth must come before love of friendship or fellowship. If we love the truth and speak it in love, and those who hear it count us as enemies, we must love truth more than people. In this verse, Paul continues to speak to and try to help those who counted him as an enemy the Galatians. But he did not change his message or water it down. He did not leave some truth out that was not important or not essential, because all TRUTH is important and essential.

We have to be biblical in belief and practice. If the Bible teaches it, that's what we ought to believe and practice. We have to be open to change, not change according to someones opinion but change according to the Bible. We don’t get to treat anything that God says like tomatoes falling off the back of a produce truck. Not striving for sound doctrine or holding to sound doctrine disrespects God, His Word, the perspicuity of His Word, the authority of His Word. True Christian niceness and hospitality is grounded in truth (1 Jn. 2:3-6; 2 Jn. 1; 3 Jn. 1), which is sound doctrine.

Characteristic of a true born again preacher is that he preaches the truth. Truth is a larger category than just some fundamentals or just the gospel. John loved in the truth, not in just some truths or essential truths. If you want to preserve the truth, you can’t let any truth go by the wayside. You shouldn’t allow any lie to be taught and preachers of lies should not be given any opportunity to spread their lies. If you are in a church that is apostate, you are in a church that is preaching lies. You greatly dishonour God by associating with error and apostasy.

It is critical that people get hold of the truth that error is not only that which is outrageously wrong, but anything and everything that contradicts or opposes the truth of Scriptures, regardless how minute or minuscule it might seem, including putting "niceness" and "hospitality" above truth.