While only commanded as “admonish one another” in two places (Romans 15:14 and Colossians 3:16), the command is implied in all its uses, with especial consideration for leaders. Though only used eight times in the New Testament-all by Paul (7x in his Epistles 1x in Acts)-the word “admonish” (noutheteō) lays a special charge on believers. But what does that look like? The idea is so foreign to modern versions of love. In short, love corrects, instructs, warns, and admonishes. Because God hates evil and evil-doers (see Psalms 5:5 11:5), he teaches that genuine love cannot turn a blind eye to sin, it must rejoice with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:5).Īccordingly, those who claim to know him will embrace his truth and willingly speak to one another with loving correction. In the Bible, love does not gloss over sin it teaches sinners they need pardon for their sin and that-miracle of miracles!-God has provided that in Jesus Christ. The man who loves creation more than the Creator is an idolater (1 John 2:15–17) and the man who loves to drink from his own broken cisterns invites the wrath of God (Jeremiah 2:13).Īgainst a culture that says, “If you love me, you will accept me and never question me,” the Bible says “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). More to the point, love can be wrong according to the Bible. Whereas the world defines love in any number of ways-rather, it doesn’t define love it simply uses it as a cipher to get whatever it wants-the Bible secures love in God’s covenant faithfulness and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. By contrast, in Scripture “love” defines who God is (1 John 4:8), summarizes the law (Romans 13:8), motivates God to sacrifice his son (John 3:16 Romans 5:10), impels our evangelistic efforts (2 Corinthians 5:14), and so much more.
In countless ad campaigns “love” is the word of choice: “I love you man.” “I’m loving it.” “Love is on.” “For the love of the game.” In these various commercials contexts, love becomes an economic commodity or an ephemeral catch-phrase. The word is the same but contexts couldn’t be any more different.
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