Tough love is described as the act of treating a person sternly with the intent of helping them in the long run. After a brief greeting, listen to what Paul told the church in Galatia. I will use the Message translation.

Galatians 1:6-7, “I can’t believe how you waver, how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing an alternative message! It is not a minor variation, you know; it is completely other, an alien message, a no-message, a lie about God.” In the Amplified version, Paul said he was irritated with them. That’s strong. He goes on to say, “If I were trying to please people, to gain popularity, to hear your applause, I wouldn’t be saying this.”

Paul’s tough love continued throughout the book. Paul said in chapter 3, “You crazy Galatians, did someone put a spell on you, have you taken leave of your senses?” If a pastor were to say that to his congregation today, he’d probably be calling U-Haul.

Paul softened his approach in Chapter 4 when he referred to them as his “dear friends.” In Chapter 5, he reminds them of how well they had once run the Christian race and calls them to return to that, to be led by the Spirit. And then, to stress the importance of his call to repentance, he said, “If you keep living like this, you will not go to heaven.”

This must have been a difficult letter for Paul to write. But he rebuked the Galatian church because he loved them. They were his spiritual children. If he didn’t care about them or their salvation, he would not have spoken so plainly to them. Paul was angry with the false teachers who had led the Galatians astray, and he was passionate about helping those he loved.

In our day, when so much false doctrine abounds, we need someone who will speak from a heart of love yet speak the truth. And that is not always an easy thing to do.