LOVE IS SOUND DOCTRINE
There is a kind of preaching that wins arguments; and there is a kind of preaching that wins souls. The first may fill a room with applause; the second fills heaven with rejoicing. The Apostle Paul, writing as an old soldier of the cross to his young son in the faith, declared that the aim of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5). Doctrine is not given merely to sharpen our tongues; it is given to soften our hearts.
Sound doctrine is not cold doctrine. It is not a museum of correct ideas encased in glass. It is living truth — truth that breathes, truth that convicts, truth that heals. Paul warned that a time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires would heap up teachers for themselves (2 Timothy 4:3). Why? Because sound doctrine demands something. It demands repentance. It demands humility. And above all, it demands love.
When the Lord Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He did not begin with ceremony or systems; He began with love — love for God with all the heart, soul, and mind, and love for neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-39). On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. In other words, love is not the abandonment of doctrine; it is the fulfillment of it. If our theology does not lead us to love God more deeply and love people more sacrificially, then something has gone terribly wrong in our understanding.
The Apostle John, that aged disciple who leaned upon the Lord’s breast, wrote plainly that whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8). Notice, he did not say that love is God — as though sentiment were sovereign — but that God is love. Love flows from His nature. Therefore, sound doctrine must reflect His character. Orthodoxy without charity is just wrong.
Paul described love in words that search the heart: love suffers long and is kind; it does not envy; it does not parade itself; it is not puffed up; it does not behave rudely; it does not seek its own; it is not provoked; it thinks no evil (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Those are not merely wedding verses; they are doctrinal guardrails. If I can define justification precisely but cannot forgive my brother, I have missed the point. If I can articulate the mysteries of prophecy but treat my neighbor with contempt, my theology has not yet reached my knees.
Even in matters of church discipline and correction, love remains the foundation. The servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, correcting those in opposition with humility (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Truth is never served by cruelty. We only defend the faith when we reflect the Savior.
And what is the purest expression of sound doctrine? The cross. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). There, justice and mercy met; there, righteousness and peace embraced. The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is not a cold formula; it is blazing love. Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). He did not wait for us to improve; He moved toward us in our ruin.
Love is not compromise. Love does not wink at sin. Love tells the truth about sin — and then points to the Lamb of God. Love calls men to repentance because love longs for reconciliation. Love guards the flock because love values the sheep. Love contends for the faith because love treasures the gospel.
If we are to be faithful in our generation we must hold tightly to the Word of God and hold tenderly to the people for whom Christ died. Let our doctrine be precise; let our hearts be warm. Let us speak clearly; let us weep freely. For the gospel we preach is not merely information — it is the revelation of holy love.
In the end, faith will become sight, and hope will be fulfilled; but love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). That is not sentimentalism; that is sound doctrine.
May the Lord teach us truth — and make us loving.
BDD
