The apostle Paul gave the young preacher, Timothy, the following advice. “Reprove, rebuke and exhort with all long suffering.” Paul also said the following in 1Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

The dictionary defines encourage as to inspire with courage, to give approval, to promote, to advance or foster.

The definition of admonish is to caution, advise or counsel against something, to reprove or scold or to urge to duty, or to remind.

These are both ways to try to help other to see the importance of obeying God’s will. Encouraging is a positive action and is likely to be received more readily than to be admonished. We all like to have others build us up. Admonishing or reproving someone is a more negative approach than encouraging. It is more a corrective or directive approach.

Whether one offers encouragement or admonition would likely be dependent upon the situation. In either case we must be gentle, sensitive, caring and thinking of the good of the other person. It is good to build up but there are also times that call for reproof or admonition. Before we reprove another, we must examine ourselves to be sure that we have our life in order. We must be gentle and not harsh in our admonition. It should be more alone the line of I want to help you and not to harm you. It must be done with genuine love and compassion for the other person. It should say because I love you, I come in meekness to tell you that what you are doing will harm you.

Some shy away from admonishing and reproving, preferring only to say positive things, but the scriptures we have just studied show that there are times to admonish and times to reprove. If we do not help each other to see our error how will we make the changes that God desires. Scripture says that every man thinks his way is right. Sometimes we need help to see that our way is not the right way. When someone loves us enough to help us be closer to what God wants us to be then we should be grateful for one that takes the risk to tell us the truth in love.

A part of growing up in Christ is learning to take correction without being offended. It is not something that we naturally feel, but then there are many things that God ask of us that go against human nature, like loving your enemies, etc. May we be ever so careful in our conduct with each other that we truly show the love of God whether we are encouraging or admonishing.

–June Smith