Weakness, Disobedience, False Love, and Self-love Masking itself as Tolerance

Recently, while seeking to shut down, hinder exposing Satan and his evil human agents, one said: “Love is the only thing that really matters. 1 Cor 13:1.” My Response: “But you left out verse 6 which describes true love in contrast with false love – “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” …. God’s love, when resident in a man, will expose error, heresies, doctrines of devils. If not, he has no love at all from God. “Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Proverbs 27:5-6

“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.”  Leviticus 19:17

Here the LORD equates hating one’s brother to the neglect of rebuking and allowing sin to prosper in his life. The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death,” and so to allow sin to prosper in our brethren is to hate them (Rom. 6:23). “Open rebuke is better than secret love” right? (Prov. 27:5-6) We should admonish, correct, and at times even rebuke each other for espousing unbiblical teachings and/or living in sin.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

In Colossians 3:16 we are told to:

• “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly”
• Handle the Word of God “in all wisdom”
• “teach and admonish one another”
• “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”

Hatred withholds truth that would otherwise set someone free, as only the truth can do when communicated and adhered to (Jn. 8:31-32, 36). This applies not only to sin, but also to loving our neighbor enough to wisely and lovingly attempt to guard him with truth from being deceived and drawn away from pure devotion to the One who died to save us.

Some of us act as if it is a Christian virtue to tolerate any and everything that comes down the pike – “every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). We mask our selfish preservation and self-idolatry behind a false “love” that has no reconciliation with Bible truth.

In his book Man to Man, Richard Halverson wrote:

“There are times when tolerance is not a virtue, but weakness. There is certainly no virtue in being tolerant if one holds no convictions, and it is not uncommon for the man who believes nothing, who speaks the most of tolerance, to be the most intolerant of one who really believes something. Jesus’ absolute intolerance of sin and error was in no way inconsistent with His love for men, even the sinner or the liar.” (p. 59)

Martin Luther said:

“I was born to fight devils and factions. It is my business to remove obstructions, to cut down thorns, to fill up quagmires, and to open and make straight paths. But if I must have some failing, let me rather speak the truth with too great severity than once to act the hypocrite and conceal the truth.”

When teachings that flood the church world would bring God’s people into spiritual deception are speared and exposed, God will bless.

“Real valor consists not in being insensible to danger, but in being prompt to confront and disarm it.” ~ Sir Walter Scott

God rewards those who vigilantly expose, when He leads them to do so in accordance to the instruction of His Word. The LORD can only use us inasmuch as we have His Word in our hearts, are deny self, and being raised up by His Spirit, having been crucified to self. Thank God for the modern-day Jaels (Judges 5:24). The LORD be praised for the valiant Phinehas’ of today who spear the sin of false doctrine out of their zeal for our LORD and in His blessed righteousness (not their own). These are the resolute defenders of God’s glory who decisively deal with the evil corruption of the divine image in their own hearts and also in the minds and hearts of His people.

When the LORD leads one of His sons to expose untruths with divine truth, God will bless (Num. 25; Judges 5:24-31).

When God’s love is truly made perfect in us, we will speak His truth with boldness and kindness (Eph. 4:15).

The Love Walk

Obedience or Love – Which is Most Important?

“Work of Faith, and Labour of Love” [podcast]