Best Affections

KJV 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Just learn’t this term the other day…had to look it up after I heard it to figure out what was meant…. “best affection”…I immediately understood it and could see it’s application…So often I have seen people repent of sin and feel a real sense of forgiveness.  They leave a place of prayer satisfied with their spiritual condition only to find themselves repeating the same sin, and then needing the same forgiveness. God’s way is to forgive us, then cleanse us so we won’t continue in the habitual pattern of besetting sin. We are to get freed from it…
In today’s society people are really hung up on things…
…and they are looking for the truth! And truth must be spoken in love to be effective.

I’ve met scores of people who think they’re doing right by being very outspoken. Then, they put a veneer of respectability on what they say by commenting, “Well, I believe in telling the truth. You will always know how I feel.” Sometimes I want to say, “Who cares?”

On the other hand, some people are afraid of the truth. They are afraid of hurting others or of losing their love. They don’t realize that truth, spoken in love, is the only way to show real love.  This type of behavior is a backward type of love…This is called “best affections.”

Let me illustrate it for you…If I am preaching and someone hands me a note in the middle of the sermon, and the note says that a member’s house is burning down-at that very moment-what should I do?  That person is in danger of losing everything. But if I interrupt my message and tell him about it, I am going to startle and upset him and possibly make him feel bad. It might even hurt him. Because I do not want him to be distressed, hurt, or upset, I withhold the information. Later after church, the frantic parishioner comes crying, “My house burned down.” “Yes,” I respond. “I know.” The distressed man looks wide–eyed at me. “?You know.” “Yes,” I say, “Do you remember the note that was handed to me in the middle of the service? It said your house was on fire.” “Well if you knew why didn’t you tell me?” And my simple reply is – “I didn’t want to tell you because I knew I would make you feel bad.”

It is ridiculous…Yet we see it being done every day.

We don’t tell people the truth because it hurts them….we don’t tell them they are in sin, we don’t tell them that God will surely forgive their sin…we don’t tell them that they can confess that sin that they don’t have to stay in sin and that that sin can cease and its power be broken….Yet how many people are going without hearing the Word of God…. because someone doesn’t want to make them feel bad, or cause them to be upset by talking about sin and hell? 

Come on. Really?