Rebuke is a strong word for scolding. No one likes to be rebuked at all. This is because when you are being rebuked, your wrongdoings are scrutinized, exposed and dealt with. You feel humbled, shamed, embarrassed. It is terrible to have such feelings. But if we understand the right place of rebuke in our Christian life, it helps us to learn to rightly appreciate the purpose of rebuke that comes upon us. Salomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:5 that it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. There is great wisdom in receiving rebuke with a right attitude: we learn the lesson well and not commit the same mistake ever again. Failing that would make us fools.

Rebuke is often applied when it is used to address sin. The Bible has defined sin to be the transgression of the law of God. In other words, it is the rebuke that comes when God’s law is broken or not kept faithfully. Without rebuke, we may think that everything is well when it is not. Is it good when one’s sins are overlooked and not dealt with? When this happens, it may give others the wrong impression that this person has done nothing wrong since he is not rebuked. Worse still, others may follow him to commit the same sin without knowing that it is wrong. That is why Solomon said, “Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Prov 27:5). Secret love is a kind of love that keeps silent even when a sin is committed. Why keep quiet? Is it because you are afraid of hurting the person’s feeling if you rebuke him for his sins, and therefore you chose to keep quiet? It is true that open rebuke can hurt and damage fellowship and relationship when it is not handled properly. But open rebuke means you do not keep quiet when a person has committed a sin. When a person has done something wrong, he must know it is wrong and is to be punished for it. Otherwise they will never learn and will keep doing the wrong thing before God and stumbling others. If we truly love them, we will not want them to keep sinning against God at any time. Sin must be addressed, not covered up. Let us help one another that we will continue to do that which is right and well pleasing to God. May God help us. Amen.