We don’t reconcile harm. Any teaching that contradicts love of neighbour must be re-examined in light of Christ’s command.

In Depth

Why This Question Matters

For many Christians, there comes a point when they notice a tension between what they have been taught and the impact those teachings have on real people.

A teaching may be presented as biblical, traditional, or authoritative, yet leave people carrying shame, exclusion, fear, or lasting wounds.

When this happens, an important question emerges: if Jesus commands us to love our neighbour, what should we do when a teaching appears to produce the opposite?

This question is not about choosing love instead of scripture. It is about understanding how scripture itself teaches us to interpret and apply God’s truth.

Love Is Not a Secondary Christian Value

Love is sometimes treated as one value among many, sitting alongside a long list of Christian priorities. Jesus presents it very differently. When asked about the greatest commandment, he places love at the very centre of faithful living and teaches that all other commandments are understood through it.

This does not make love a soft alternative to truth or discipleship. Rather, it becomes the foundation upon which both are built. The way Christians interpret scripture, relate to others, and understand faith should all be shaped by the command to love God and love their neighbour.

For that reason, any belief, practice, or teaching that consistently undermines love deserves careful examination. If a message repeatedly produces fear, exclusion, or harm, Christians are right to ask whether it reflects the heart of the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed.

The Difference Between Discomfort & Harm

Not every difficult teaching is harmful. Growth often requires honest self-reflection, challenging conversations, and a willingness to reconsider long-held assumptions. Christian faith is not designed to simply affirm everything people already think, believe, or do.

The important question is what that challenge ultimately produces. Healthy teaching may be uncomfortable at times, but it tends to deepen wisdom, strengthen faith, nurture compassion, and help people build healthier relationships with both God and others.

A different pattern emerges when a teaching repeatedly leaves people trapped in shame, fear, isolation, or self-rejection. Rather than encouraging growth, it creates wounds. Instead of drawing people closer to God, it can leave them feeling disconnected, hopeless, or spiritually exhausted.

Recognising the difference between challenge and harm is an important part of Christian discernment. Not every uncomfortable truth should be avoided, but neither should the damaging effects of a teaching be ignored.

The Example Set by Jesus

The ministry of Jesus consistently places human wellbeing at the centre of religious life. Throughout the Gospels, he challenges interpretations of faith that create unnecessary burdens and questions traditions that have lost sight of compassion.

Whenever people are excluded, marginalised, or harmed by religious systems, Jesus moves towards them rather than away from them. Authority that causes suffering is confronted, while dignity and restoration are prioritised.

None of this suggests that truth is unimportant. Instead, the example of Jesus shows that truth and love belong together. Faithfulness is not measured simply by defending a belief, but also by whether that belief reflects the compassion, mercy, and humanity that characterised Christ’s ministry.

Why Teachings Must Be Examined

Christian theology has never been static. Throughout history, believers have revisited long-held assumptions as their understanding of scripture, culture, and human experience has deepened. Conversations surrounding slavery, women’s leadership, religious persecution, and social justice all demonstrate that Christians have often returned to familiar texts with fresh questions and new insights.

Re-examining a teaching is not necessarily a rejection of faith. In many cases, it is an expression of faithfulness and a desire to understand God’s truth more fully. The church has grown, learned, and sometimes corrected itself through this process.

Humility plays an important role in that journey. While Christians trust scripture, interpretation remains a human activity, and human beings can be mistaken. For that reason, faithful discipleship involves both conviction and openness, holding beliefs sincerely while remaining willing to listen, learn, and seek greater understanding.

Love Reveals Whether We Have Understood Correctly

A teaching can be defended passionately and still require re-examination. The issue is not simply whether a belief has been taught for a long time or held by many people. A deeper question remains: does it reflect the character of God revealed through Jesus Christ?

Love serves as an important measure because it sits at the heart of the Gospel and reflects God’s nature. When a teaching consistently produces harm, faithful Christians are right to pause and ask whether they have understood it correctly.

Careful discernment may involve revisiting the biblical context, examining long-held assumptions, and considering whether the interpretation aligns with the life, teachings, and fruit that Jesus described.

Far from being an act of rebellion, this kind of questioning can be an expression of faithfulness. Seeking truth with humility requires a willingness to ask difficult questions and an openness to the possibility that understanding can deepen over time.

Why Neighbours Are Not Abstract Ideas

The command to love our neighbour applies to real people, not abstract categories. Every person carries a unique story, shaped by experiences, relationships, struggles, and hopes that cannot be reduced to a theological argument.

Problems can arise when discussions about doctrine become disconnected from the lives they affect. In those moments, winning an argument may begin to matter more than understanding the people involved. The Gospels reveal a very different approach. Jesus continually brings the conversation back to human beings and the way they are treated.

That perspective reminds Christians that the impact of their beliefs matters. Compassion matters. Human dignity matters. Whenever a teaching affects the wellbeing of others, faithful discipleship requires more than being technically correct. It also requires asking whether people are being loved well.

What Faithful Love Looks Like

Faithful love is far more than tolerance. It actively seeks the wellbeing of others and takes their experiences seriously. Rather than remaining distant, it listens carefully, learns humbly, and responds when people are suffering.

This kind of love does not abandon truth. Instead, it recognises that truth cannot be separated from the way it is communicated or the impact it has on people’s lives. Christian love cares not only about what is said, but also about whether those words bring healing, wisdom, and hope.

Living this way requires courage. At times, it means questioning assumptions, revisiting familiar beliefs, and being willing to sit with uncomfortable realities. Yet throughout the Gospels, love is never presented as passive. It is an active commitment to seek the good of others while remaining rooted in the character of Christ.

Scripture

The Greatest Commandments

Matthew 22:37–40

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus places love at the centre of faithful living. Every other command is understood in relation to these foundational principles.

Love Does No Harm

Romans 13:10

“Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.”

Paul connects love directly to how Christians treat others. Harm is not presented as a faithful expression of God’s law.

Mercy Over Religious Rigidity

Matthew 12:7

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

Jesus challenges interpretations that prioritise religious correctness while causing unnecessary harm. Mercy remains central.

The Whole Law Is Fulfilled in Love

Galatians 5:14

“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”

Paul reinforces that love is not a peripheral teaching. It is the fulfilment of God’s intention for human relationships.

Good Trees Produce Good Fruit

Matthew 7:17–18

“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

Jesus encourages believers to evaluate teachings by their outcomes. The fruit matters.

Speak the Truth in Love

Ephesians 4:15

“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body…”

Truth and love are not presented as opposing forces. Christian maturity requires both.

In Summary

The command to love our neighbour is not a secondary principle within Christianity. Jesus places it at the very centre of faithful living, alongside love of God, and the rest of Christian ethics flows from that foundation.

Throughout scripture, a consistent pattern emerges. Mercy is valued. Human dignity is protected. Harm is taken seriously. The fruit a teaching produces matters. Again and again, God’s concern is not only what people believe, but how those beliefs shape the way they treat one another.

This does not mean Christians avoid difficult conversations or abandon theological disagreement. Honest faith requires wrestling with complex questions. At the same time, discipleship calls believers to consider whether a teaching reflects the character of Christ and what impact it has on real people’s lives.

When a belief consistently causes harm, faithful Christians are right to ask whether it has been understood correctly. The Gospel does not force a choice between truth and love. Rather, it presents them as inseparable. Truth, rightly understood, will always be consistent with the love, mercy, and compassion revealed through Jesus.

For that reason, any teaching that repeatedly contradicts love of neighbour deserves thoughtful, prayerful, and honest re-examination.