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.📅 Contending for the Word Q&A – September 28, 2025
Love Without Truth Is Not Love
Question
What is the danger of redefining love apart from truth?
Answer
Our culture often repeats slogans such as “Love is love,” or defines love as unconditional affirmation of someone’s choices. But Scripture makes it clear that if love is separated from God’s truth, it ceases to be love at all. True love is rooted in the character of God, revealed in His Word, and expressed in obedience to His commands.
Love and Truth in Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 13:6 – Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, it rejoices with the truth.
- Ephesians 4:15 – We are to speak the truth in love.
- John 14:6 – Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
- Romans 13:10 – Love fulfills the law because it seeks the good of others according to God’s standards.
The Dangers of Redefining Love
- Affirming Sin – Calling sin love leaves people in spiritual bondage (Isaiah 5:20).
- Distorting the Gospel – A love without truth reduces Jesus to a tolerant life coach, not the Savior who calls sinners to repent and believe.
- Undermining Holiness – God’s love is holy, and it never contradicts His standards of righteousness (1 Peter 1:15–16).
- Counterfeit Unity – Unity sought by compromising truth is not biblical unity. True unity is found in Christ and His Word (John 17:17–21).
- False Hope – Love divorced from truth may comfort temporarily, but it cannot save eternally.
A Biblical Response
- Define Love by God’s Word – Love is patient and kind, but it is also righteous and truthful (1 Corinthians 13).
- Speak the Truth in Love – Truth must never be wielded as a weapon, nor should love be used as an excuse to hide truth. Both belong together.
- Point to Christ – God’s greatest act of love was sending His Son to bear the penalty for sin (Romans 5:8).
- Live Out Genuine Love – Real love seeks the eternal good of others, even when it means saying what is hard to hear.
Conclusion
The danger of redefining love apart from truth is that it ceases to be biblical love. It may appear compassionate, but in the end it deceives and destroys. True love flows from God’s truth. It confronts sin, proclaims the gospel, and seeks the eternal good of others. As Christians, we must never separate what God has joined together: love and truth.
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Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
