The Deception of Love Without Truth
To the Editor:
Our nation is in the midst of a type of civil war. It is the biblically-based versus the non-biblically-based, and also the true Christians versus the deceived professed “Christians.”
The non-biblically-based has eroded much of society to a point where evil is now front and center. No longer is it just tolerated or ignored, but is now celebrated and flaunted, and constant efforts are being made to protect it. Isaiah 5:20 reads… “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…” The deceived professed Christians just add another layer to the problem. I see these as “moderates” and counterfeit conservatives.
Why is this? One of the root causes is the deception of “love” without truth, which conforms to the world. A major priority of so many churches is to grow attendance by attracting the world by being friends with it. That means minimizing or eliminating things that might be offensive to people and doing whatever it takes to make them happy and comfortable. People get the impression that God is only gentle, affirming and comforting, and never confronting. We preach “Jesus is love” like a slogan, but we refuse the kind of love Jesus actually requires.
The phrase “nobody’s perfect” is so popular because it makes people feel much more comfortable in their sin. Of course no one is perfect, but you never see such phrases anywhere in the Bible that offer comfort for sinfulness. When Jesus prevented the prostitute from being stoned, he made a direct statement to her afterward – “Go, and sin no more.” He did not try to make her feel better by saying “Go and try not to sin, but if you do, hey, no worries, nobody’s perfect.” Ultimately, sin results in anything but comfort.
Because of this most people don’t know what love is anymore. They think love means agreement, acceptance, tolerance and inclusiveness. Love means “don’t judge me” and “let me live how I want and still call it grace.” Love means crying during an emotional praise song. But that’s not Christian love. That’s modern emotionalism, based on human thoughts, feelings and desires. If you dare rebuke this counterfeit love, (according to 2 Timothy 16-17) bringing up Scripture, boundaries, holiness, or repentance, it will be called judgmental and unloving.
Real love tells the whole truth. It warns and it corrects. It refuses to tolerate, much less celebrate, what God calls sin. Real love is not whatever makes people comfortable. Real love is deeply concerned for eternal souls and through the unfiltered Word of God, brings those truly searching for Christ to Him —fully, honestly, obediently. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousnes.” 2 Timothy 3:16 Jesus never separated love from truth to be a mascot for our feelings. He preached the Word of his Father with authority. He came with commands, not nice suggestions. He said “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” John 14:15. That means love isn’t proven by passion but is proven by obedience.
That’s why this quote is so accurate: “The modern church is producing passionate people with empty heads who love a Jesus they don’t know very well. Because you can’t love Jesus while ignoring or watering down His words. You can’t call it compassion when you’re just refusing to confront all sin—starting with your own.”
Our society is putting “love” above truth. It treats truth like the enemy and feelings like the Holy Spirit. It wants a church that avoids offensiveness, challenges, accountability and expectations. One that seldom, if ever, calls anyone out. One that does whatever it takes to keep peace and harmony, so that a constant “warm and fuzzy” can be maintained. That type of “love” is spiritual anesthesia, which numbs and spreads.
The Bible says God is love (1 John 4:8), but it also says God disciplines the ones He loves (Hebrews 12:6). It says Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Not grace without truth. Not truth without grace. Both. Always.
If love has no backbone it is not love. If “love” can’t say “stop,” or seldom corrects, warns, or calls to repentance— then it’s not Christlike. That love is spiritual cowardice, disguised as kindness.
Many congregations are producing more enthusiastic fans of Jesus than genuine followers. Jesus fans that are mainly chasing emotions and feelings, not holiness. That explains why they so often crumble under temptation. They are being taught to feel God, not fear God. They are taught that God understands, much more than God commands. (Recommended book: “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman) It is for these reasons that Jesus gave this dire warning… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “ (Matthew 7:21-23). In today’s world, this could translate to “Lord, Lord, didn’t we go to church, go on mission trips, give generously, attend bible studies, do good deeds…” Jesus of the Bible does not negotiate with sin. He calls us out of it. Don’t take my word for it, or anyone else’s. Read the bible for yourself. Quality time spent in the Word and prayer, daily, is where the answers are - the answers to the issues mentioned here, along with answers to the ramped epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression, that has saturated today’s world.
Real happiness is found in contentment, security and peace of mind. The world around us gives just the opposite. James 4:4 says “You adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
These things can only be found in the God that created you. Probably 90% of medications today could be eliminated through seeking God and His word. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” We need to understand that “…all these things…” means exactly that – everything you truly need for a genuinely happy and abundant life.