Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning (Proverbs 9:8-9)
We are not allowed to reprove or rebuke wicked man; unbelievers, who haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour. But we may correct and rebuke those, who are part of the body of Christ; the church. When you rebuke a wise man; a believer, and confront him/her with his/her sin, you will do it out of love. Because you want to prevent the believer from walking on the path of unrighteousness, which will lead to death.
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you
Many times, sins are being allowed and approved in the body of Christ. They approve sins and iniquities and call it love and grace to justify sins. But when you accept sin and iniquity in the church, and don’t correct and rebuke, then you don’t walk in love. Because the truth is, that you will let that person live in the bondage of the devil, and send that person directly to hell. How cruel is that?
When someone lives in sin, or when someone returns to his old lifestyle and began to walk in sin again, then that person is not saved from death Because everyone who does sin, is a sinner; a slave of sin (a slave of the devil), and the fruit of sin is death.
Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin (Jn 8:34)
Many preachers, who are also teachers, are open graves
Jesus said to the Pharisees, that they were open graves. And in our time, nothing has changed. Many preachers, pastors, and other leaders of the church allow and accept sin in the church, and use words like love and the grace of God to approve those sins. But they are open graves and lead many people to hell. They approve sin, while God is very clear in His Word, and tells us exactly how He feels about certain things and what His will is. He is also clear about the final destination of a sinner; a person who habitually lives in sin.
When you warn a person for danger than that person will be grateful. It’s the same with believers.
When you correct and rebuke a wise man; a brother or a sister in Jesus Christ, and tell him/her to let go of that sin, then (s)he shall eventually love you and be grateful. Because you showed that brother, or sister that you love him/her and don’t want anything bad for him/her to happen.
You don’t want your brother or sister being misled by all these lies that are being preached from the pulpit, which will lead many to hell. No! You want to save him/her for any harm, and that’s why you rebuke the person (in love). Now that is true love!
It is not only important to rebuke a wise man, but also give instruction and teach him in Gods Word, so that he will become wiser, and increase in learning.
The purpose of the believers is that they grow up in the Word of God, and become a doer of the Word. So that, they become like the Word and walk in holiness and righteousness, just like Jesus walked upon this earth.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
