“The Holy Spirit and God’s Word are the very best spiritual heart surgeons. Trust their precision!”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 10, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Galatians 6:1, NLT
There is a tension between empathy and enablement…grace and truth. Jesus followers, by God’s grace, are to hate the sin and love the sinner. Yet, I find myself easily making judgments from a distance when I have no “skin in the game.” But, when I am face-to-face with the sin of a friend or family member, how am I to respond? What is my role and responsibility? Different ideas compete in my mind. I can ignore their behavior, but this seems like a cop out, especially if they claim to follow Christ. I can reject them…in the name of turning them over to the devil…but this seems harsh. I can accommodate them to the point that their behavior is normalized and not treated as sin…this seems unloving, and lazy, since I’m leaving them in an unhealthy lifestyle. Fortunately, there is a better way that honors the Lord in the process… redemptive empathy.
Allie Beth Stuckey, a conservative Christian podcaster, gives us helpful guidance in her new book, Toxic Empathy, on how to show empathy without endorsing a sinful lifestyle:
“To have empathy… it is to put your feelings on my feelings, to feel what you feel. … That can lead you maybe to a good place … but it can also be extremely blinding because feelings are powerful. … You could actually obscure reality and morality. Empathy that leads you to validate lies, affirm sin, &/or support destructive policies is toxic.” True empathy loves by seeking to help the deceived move away from sin into a healthy relationship with the Lord and others.
“Toxic empathy” sounds contradictory—how can compassion be poisonous? Yet when empathy operates without truth’s guardrails, it becomes destructive. It’s the difference between helping someone heal versus enabling their harm. Redemptive empathy doesn’t excuse sin or endorse what damages souls; it courageously loves people toward wholeness. When we feel deeply but think shallowly, our good intentions can lead others astray. Biblical empathy weeps with those who weep while also pointing toward righteousness. Compassion without truth isn’t love—it’s sentimentality that ultimately serves no one. Healthy empathy gives the heart grace and the head truth. How do we get to this point? How can we have these hard conversations and be helpful?
“We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
When praying for others, envision Jesus standing beside you—fully God yet genuinely human, Spirit-filled and relationally wise. How would He engage your skeptical neighbor? Your rebellious friend? Your struggling fellow believer? Notice how Christ loved without lowering standards, confronted without condemning, and extended grace without excusing sin. Jesus loved both the tax collector and the Pharisee equally but used different approaches. He welcomed Zacchaeus with gentle invitation, the woman at the well with patient questions, and religious leaders with direct challenges. His love remained steady, but His methods were tailored. The question isn’t whether we love—it’s whether we love wisely. Jesus teaches us that authentic love speaks truth prayerfully, offers healing to the hurting, and meets people exactly where they are while refusing to leave them there. Healthy empathy loves like Jesus in a way that draws others closer to Jesus. Be approachable without accommodating sin and loving without compromising. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word are the very best spiritual heart surgeons. Trust their precision!
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, NASB).
Prayer
Lord, help me show empathy that reflects Your heart—kind, compassionate, and patient—without compromising Your truth. Teach me to love wisely, speak gently, and stay anchored in Your Word always. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Who needs your redemptive empathy to help them become healthy?
Related Reading
Proverbs 27:5; Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:15; Colossians 3:12
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