This is Love

If you know me at all, you know I am a stickler for doctrinal purity. You may also have recognized that God has given me the gift of teaching. I am happy to use my gift, and I enjoy doing it. There is one thing that sobers me, however. James cautions that teachers will come under stricter judgment than others because they present God’s Word with their teaching. Woe is me if I misrepresent the Word. This is why I read the Bible daily. This is why I have spent over fifty years in intense Bible study. This is why I learned Greek so that I did not have to rely on what someone else thinks the original text says. This is why I went to Bible college and then earned two graduate degrees in education from Christian institutions.

However, to echo Paul, none of that is worth a hill of beans if I don’t have love. I wrote recently that “love” in Paul’s Corinthian treatise on the subject is a verb in the original Greek. My point was that biblical love, agape love, is made evident by behavior. I am motivated by love for the Word and love for people to teach the Word as accurately as possible. Jesus did not say people will know I am His follower because I have pure doctrine; He said my love would show whom I follow. In my defense I will say that Jesus also said to love Him is to keep His commandments.

John stresses that in his second letter: “And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for but receive a full reward.” John seems to be implying that the antichrist is anyone who teaches that we don’t have to follow Christ’s commandments. If that is the case, we have plenty of antichrists around today.

John Mac Arthur comments, “Often Christians are willing to compromise sound doctrine for the sake of loving others. They believe that doctrinal precision is somehow divisive and unloving.” To the contrary, doctrinal purity is pure loving. Granted, we are told to speak the truth in love, meaning I suppose that our approach and tone should not be merely accusatory. I know better than most how difficult it is to be corrective without being critical, judgmental in my tone. The reason Paul recommended speaking the truth is to avoid being “carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness with deceitful scheming.” (MEV)

Crafty, deceitful scheming is precisely what you find if you dig into the teachings of the LGBTQ+ “theologians.” It is what leads adulterous couples into thinking their sin is acceptable because they love one another. It is what allows liberal denominations to abandon the Bible and preach a feel-good social gospel. It is what prosperity preachers use to fleece their followers. Paul said that we are not ignorant of the devil’s schemes; I think we are.

I’m afraid we have let the world’s definition of love color our thinking about what true love is. We have taken the old saw that says, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner” and made it into, “Love the sinners, but don’t do or say anything that would offend them.” In other words, I think many have come to believe that loving someone biblically precludes telling them that they are wrong in their thinking or behavior. I have been accused of hating people because I have called their sin “sin.” I don’t think our perfect Savior, Jesus Christ, hated the people He came to save, but He did not refrain from calling out their sin. Remember His numerous interchanges with the Pharisees. He spoke some very harsh words to them; I believe He did it out of His love for them. He would have loved to see them come to the truth.

Paul’s admonition to, “Speak the truth in love,” might be understood as, “Speak the truth out of your love for the sinner.” It is not a loving thing to ignore sinful behavior in another person. We know that sin not only displeases God, but it also affects the sinner, often in immediate, physical ways (think AIDS or alcoholism or broken marriages.) It should go without saying that habitual, intentional sin also affects the sinner eternally. I’m not suggesting that pointing out sin in an unbeliever is a good evangelistic strategy. However, a believer involved in a sinful lifestyle might be in for a shock on judgment day. The loving thing to do for those believers is to remind them of the consequences of willful sinful behavior. Speak the truth. This is what love does. This is love.

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