Does Commanding Ever Serve Love? Philemon 8–14, Part 3

Does Commanding Ever Serve Love? Philemon 8–14, Part 3

From Look at the Book by Desiring God

May 16, 2026

About this episode

The episode explores the tension between commanding and loving in the context of Christian teachings.

Jesus commanded us to love one another, but Paul seems to imply that commanding diminishes love. So, which does love prefer — commands or appeals?

Topics covered

  • love
  • commands
  • appeals
  • Philemon
  • Christian teachings

Keywords

  • love
  • commands
  • Philemon
  • Christianity
  • spirituality
  • Paul
  • Jesus

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