Have you ever known parents who claimed that they loved their children too much to spank them? Ever known someone who tried to justify having sex outside of marriage because they loved the person? Ever known a Christian who would not rebuke and correct religious errors because they loved others too much to hurt their feelings in this way? I submit that in each of these cases, love is being blamed for something that it has nothing to do with.<\/p>\n
The Bible plainly teaches that love motivates us to do exactly the opposite of what was described in each of the preceding examples.<\/p>\n
Love will cause us to discipline our children. “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly<\/em>” (Proverbs 13:24).<\/p>\n Love demands that we abstain from sexual immorality. If we love someone, we are not going to participate with them in an act that will condemn their soul! If we do, we are being selfish, not loving. In Ephesians 5:2-3, God’s word explains that walking in love involves avoiding fornication: “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication . . . let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints<\/em>” (Ephesians 5:2-3).<\/p>\n Love will move us to rebuke sin and correct error. Love will not allow us to stand idly by and watch those we care about lose their souls by committing sins or believing doctrinal errors. Jesus said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten<\/em>” (Revelation 3:19). The apostle Paul strongly rebuked the Corinthians. In II Corinthians 2:4 he explains why: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.<\/em>“<\/p>\n The right kind of love will never cause us to do the wrong kind of thing. Love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth<\/em>” (I Corinthians 13:6). Real love will never be used to justify sin; rather, it will be used to help us identify what is right and good. The Lord’s will is “that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent<\/em>” (Philippians 1:9-10).<\/p>\n Love always seeks the most lasting good for the one who is being loved. Momentary pain or pleasure is not love’s greatest concern. Love is focused on the eternal welfare of the one who is loved. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth<\/em>” (I John 3:18)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Steve Klein Have you ever known parents who claimed that they loved their children too much to spank them? Ever known someone who tried to justify having sex outside of marriage because they loved the person? Ever known a Christian who would not rebuke and correct religious errors because they loved others too much…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1028],"tags":[665,65,29,107,1598],"class_list":["post-57559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-parenting","tag-child-rearing","tag-love","tag-parenting","tag-raising-children","tag-rebukes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":82724,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-necessary-things-in-christian-parenting\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":0},"title":"Two Necessary Things in Christian Parenting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jen Venuso Whether or not you make New Year's resolutions (I've been both), you're likely reflecting on the past and looking forward to the next year. Right now, I'm heavily in the throes of parenting, so much of my reflection settles there. As a bio\/foster\/adoptive mom to seven kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/children-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40356,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-is-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":1},"title":"God Is Love","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 4:7-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is love? How would you define it? How would you know if you have it? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a common question that teens have. How while I know I\u2019m in love? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bible gives two definitions: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Song of Solomon 8:6-8 describes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30183,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-fathers-gift\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":2},"title":"A Father’s Gift","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant Fathers are often clueless about gift-giving for their children. That's Mom's job. But when we think of gifts, we usually think of material gifts-toys for toddlers, clothes, games, and sports equipment for teens. Or maybe the ultimate gift for a teen-a car! Many who are reading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/father-and-daughter-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36531,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/parenting-pre-school-children-obedience-training\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":3},"title":"Parenting Pre-School Children – Obedience Training","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-4 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Simply because limits are placed, it doesn\u2019t mean that they are always followed \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Children of this age have a fair ability to communicate \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A source of endless \u201cWhy?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is no longer enough to know something exists, they want a reason. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58748,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-there-be-love-in-heaven-when-sinners-are-in-hell\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":4},"title":"How can there be love in heaven when sinners are in hell?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good Evening, Thank you so much for all the resources included on the La Vista Church of Christ website.\u00a0 My son and I have been using these articles for years.\u00a0Unfortunately, my son is now a wayward Christian, and he asked me the following questions in a recent Bible study\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92659,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-great-a-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":57559,"position":5},"title":"How Great a Love!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson One of life's greatest blessings is knowing someone loves us, despite our faults and failures. I never doubted that my parents loved me, or that my wife loved me. And doesn't their love have a way of bringing out the best in us? We don't want to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}