Open rebuke is better than love that stays hidden or is withheld. Honest reproof is more valuable than hidden love and is to be prized above flattery. A rebuke can be an act of love, with even a painful warning meant to heal and give hope. Those who are tempted or have done wrong need such tender correction.
Open rebuke is necessary when defiance of God's counsel endangers others, so that others will not be ensnared. Staying silent to spare feelings or to protect a wrongdoer's influence supports falsehood. Rejecting repeated warnings and the Holy Spirit's reproof hardens the heart and brings spiritual darkness.
Open rebuke is better than love that stays hidden or is withheld. Honest reproof is more valuable than hidden love and is to be prized above flattery. A rebuke can be an act of love, with even a painful warning meant to heal and give hope. Those who are tempted or have done wrong need such tender correction.
Open rebuke is necessary when defiance of God's counsel endangers others, so that others will not be ensnared. Staying silent to spare feelings or to protect a wrongdoer's influence supports falsehood. Rejecting repeated warnings and the Holy Spirit's reproof hardens the heart and brings spiritual darkness.