by Jim Miller
Gray, Maine
True love is more than just an emotion, it involves caring about those around you enough to be tough when necessary. What most today define as love is really just an act if you ask me and I will tell you why. Love has been redefined so that it no longer includes correction, rebuke or reproof of any kind. Most people today think that love is overlooking the sins of others and just trying to see the good in all people. They tell you that love will not allow chastisement. Preachers and teachers are often accused of lacking love because they rebuke and reprove. If anybody lacks love they are nothing, but by the redefinition of love today you are told that rebuke and reproof do not manifest true love and so the watering down of the word begins.
Preaching and teaching the hard things the whole counsel of God is done out of the love for souls and the truth of God. Today the liberal will not tell you that one way God shows his love is by chastening (Heb. 12:6), and parents do the same (Prov. 13:24). True love necessitates chastisement. True love will not compromise truth or overlook wrong. The liberal flatterer and the compromiser are the ones who lack true love. They are only interested in themselves.
Today men and women are taught that love will not permit you to hate anything. "If one hates, he doesn't love" expresses the attitude. Yet, all through the Bible we are taught to to hate certain things. The Psalmist said, "I hate every false way" (Psa. 119: 104). Christ hates iniquity (Heb. 1:9) and false doctrine (Rev. 2: 15). Solomon said of God, "These six things doeth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him" (Prov. 6:16). Yet, God is love (I Jn. 4:8).
The liberals redefinition of love seeks to nullify obedience. "If we love God with all our hearts, he will overlook a lack of strict obedience to his will" is their idea today. However, strict obedience to Gods word is how we show our love. John wrote, "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected . . ." (I Jn. 2:5). Genuine love produces obedience. One who will not obey does not love as he ought to love. The liberal just sees one side of God. They forget that God is a God of severity as well as a God of goodness.
There are a good many things the liberal will try to pass off as love which are not really love. There is their disposition to treat love as some kind of sweet, syrupy kind of sentimentalism. This is clearly shown by the liberal with reference to the comments that they make when it becomes necessary to rebuke the doctrinal or ethical errors of a brother. Liberals most often act as if the man who rebukes the errors of another does not have love for him. The fact is, a good many of the rebukes which are made spring from Christian love.
When one recognizes that this brother needs to be rebuked to call him back to the way of truth the liberal will stand against doing so when we have clear examples such as the manner of Paul, who from a spirit of love, withstood Peter to the face (Gal. 2:11-14). Paul manifested the spirit of love toward Peter in rebuking him. Had he ignored Peter's conduct, Peter might have continued in his sin and lost his soul; we do know that Peter stood condemned. Yet, Paul's rebuke called him back to the way of righteousness; he restored his brother, covered a multitude of sin, and saved a soul from death.
We simply must recognize that sometime it is for the best good of a man for him to be rebuked and punished! When it is for the man's good, the one who loves him will administer such a rebuke and punishment.
The redefining of words such as love so as to remove its true meaning has a stranglehold in many churches today. I warn you beware these men who preach smooth things teaching all is peace and love without correction and with no intent in preaching the whole counsel of God. They will surly lead you to hell.
Preach it brother!
Bro. Jim,
Another good lesson that we all need to follow! I have had many people (family include) tell me that I am too hard on my children. I am as strict as their offense needs me to be. It has all been out of love for them and so they will not repeat whatever it may have been they have done. My youngest son is just like I was when I was growing up. He is extremely quiet. I pray everyday that he will not be that way as long as I was. When I have to ask him to repeat something he has said, I remind him that there are people out there in the world (employers, spouses, etc.) who will not like having to have something repeated because someone does not speak loud enough. This may seem like a minor thing to a lot of people, but it can actually be a big thing.
In His Service,
Rodney