October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Clark G. Gilbert › Adults
Courage and Charity, Together
From “Teach Truth with Love,” by Elder Clark G. Gilbert · Sunday afternoon session, October 2026 General Conference
The big idea
Disciples of Jesus Christ stand for truth and show love at the same time, and the Lord will help us do both.
Objective
Learners will identify whether they most need greater conviction or greater charity and choose one of Elder Gilbert's five principles to practice in a real relationship this week.
Before you teach
- Read Elder Clark G. Gilbert's talk, Teach Truth with Love, and mark the five principles.
- Write TRUTH and LOVE on the board as two column headings, with space between them.
- Bring paper and pens for silent writing.
- Ask learners to open the talk on their phones or bring a few printed copies for groups.
- Pray to know who in your class is carrying a strained relationship, and teach with them in mind.
Lesson plan
Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.
Which is harder for you?
- Begin with prayer. Then describe a generic situation: at a family dinner, a relative you love speaks sharply against something you hold sacred. Everyone looks at you.
- Point to the two headings on the board. Ask the first question below and let two or three people answer briefly.
- Read the first key quote (T36.01) aloud. Explain that Elder Gilbert, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, amplified five principles that President Oaks once taught for standing for truth with love.
- In a moment like that, which comes less naturally to you: speaking up for what is true, or staying loving while you do?
Look inward first
- Tell how Elder Gilbert said that when President Nelson spoke on peacemaking, he started a mental list of everyone he thought needed the message. President Nelson then cautioned listeners to look into their own hearts.
- Read the invitation from T36.02 (see invitations). Point out that Elder Gilbert extended it to all of us.
- Hand out paper. Give one quiet minute for each person to write the name or initials of one relationship where truth and love feel hard to hold together. No one will be asked to share it.
Five principles in small groups
- Divide into five groups (or pairs) and give each one principle from the talk: 1. Avoid overly contentious settings. 2. Find common ground. 3. Be a light. 4. Hold to truth even in our outreach. 5. Stay anchored in Jesus Christ.
- Ask each group to read that section of the talk and prepare a one-minute report answering the two questions below. Allow five minutes.
- Hear the five reports, one minute each. As groups report, write a short phrase for each principle on the board between TRUTH and LOVE.
- When principle 1 is reported, add Elder Andersen's words (see aligned quotes). When principle 2 is reported, make sure the class hears that Elder Gilbert listened for nearly two hours before he invited.
- What did Elder Gilbert teach or tell in this section that stays with you?
- Where could this principle change an ordinary conversation at home, at work, or online?
How the Savior held both
- Read John 8:1–11 together, with learners following in their own scriptures. Ask them to look for what the Savior did that showed love and what He said that held to truth.
- Read President Holland's words that Elder Gilbert quoted (see aligned quotes).
- Read the key quote from T36.17 about minimizing God's laws. Discuss the questions below. Let learners carry the conversation; add little.
- What do you learn about the Savior from the way He treated this woman?
- When has someone told you a hard truth in a way that left you sure you were loved? What did that person do?
A charity check
- Explain that for the fifth principle Elder Gilbert asked us to check ourselves against the attributes of charity.
- Invite everyone to read Moroni 7:45 silently with the relationship they wrote down in mind, and to mark one phrase they do well and one phrase they want the Lord's help with.
- Ask one or two volunteers to share the phrase they chose and why. This is your check for understanding: listen for whether learners connect charity with standing for truth, not with staying silent about it.
- Which phrase in this verse would most change the way you speak up for truth?
Choose and act
- Read the key quote from T36.20. Point out Elder Gilbert's observation that for some this will require greater conviction and for others greater charity.
- Ask each person to write under the name on their paper: which one do I need more of, and which of the five principles will I practice with this person this week?
- Share Elder Gilbert's promise: he knows the Lord will help us as we strive to teach truth with love. Bear your own brief testimony of the Savior.
- Tell the class you will begin next week by asking for one or two experiences of listening longer, staying quiet with dignity, or speaking a truth more kindly.
Key passages from the talk
“It takes courage to stand for truth. It takes even more courage to stand for truth with love.”
“I may have won the debate in the moment, but I lost the Spirit and I failed to help my struggling friend.”
“When we try to love others by minimizing God’s laws, we separate ourselves from the one person who loves them the very most.”
“For disciples of Jesus Christ, truth and love always walk together.”
The speaker’s direct invitation
“I also hope that you will look deeply into your [own] heart to see if there are shards of pride or jealousy that prevent you from becoming a peacemaker.’ I extend that same invitation to all of us today.”
Scriptures
- John 8:1–11 Read together in the fourth segment. Look for what the Savior did that showed love and what He said that held to truth; Elder Gilbert cites verse 11.
- Moroni 7:45 Read silently in the fifth segment as a personal check. Mark one attribute of charity you do well and one you want the Lord's help with.
- 1 John 4:19 Optional: read when the group reports on finding common ground, and ask how being loved first makes a person ready to hear truth.
Other voices that agree
“As near as I can tell, Christ never once withheld His love from anyone, but He also never once said to anyone, ‘Because I love you, you are exempt from keeping my commandments.’”
“There are times when being a peacemaker means that we resist the impulse to respond and instead, with dignity, remain quiet.”
Three things to remember
- Truth and love are not rivals; in Jesus Christ they always walk together.
- Listening first and living my covenants often open more doors than an argument.
- The Lord will help me as I strive to teach truth with love.
Ways to act this week
- Before a conversation you expect to be tense, pray by name for the person and ask what he or she may be carrying that you cannot see.
- In one conversation this week, listen without interrupting until the other person has finished, then find one thing you truly agree on before you say anything else.
- Read Moroni 7:45 each morning this week and choose one attribute to practice that day.
- If you have spoken a truth harshly to someone, go back and apologize for the way you said it, without withdrawing the truth.
Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.
Music
- Lord, I Would Follow Thee
- Our Savior's Love
Adapting the lesson
- At home or in a very small group: skip the groups. Read the five principle headings aloud, let each person choose the one that speaks to them, and read that section together.
- In a large class: form groups by rows and assign the five principles more than once; hear one report per principle.
- If time is short: keep the silent writing, the John 8 discussion, and the closing choice. Summarize the five principles from the board in one minute.
This lesson is an independent study aid written for this site. It is not an official lesson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quotations are word for word from the official talk; paragraph numbers count the paragraphs of the talk as published at churchofjesuschrist.org, not counting headings or picture captions. The activities, questions and ideas for acting are suggestions; follow the Spirit and adapt them to those you teach.