The Danger of Undisciplined Affection
Philippians 1.9-11
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
In this passage the apostle Paul prays two things for us: 1) That our love would continuously grow and abound; and, 2) That our love would be guided by knowledge and discernment. The result of this, Paul says, is that we will be able to “approve what is excellent” and thereby live fruitful lives that are pleasing to God.
The message here is that the Lord wants love that is informed, wise, and discerning. Love that is untethered from wisdom is a very dangerous thing, because it is love driven by feelings. Without discernment, love becomes undisciplined affection, which is impetuous and inconsistent. It is capricious and easily manipulated. It is naive, and at times even blind.
The danger that Paul is warning against is that of giving our affection to the wrong things or in the wrong way. Passion without discipline is dangerous. It’s an unguided missile. Everyone has passion, but not everyone has the discipline to properly focus and manage their passion. This is the great challenge of humanity.
Proverbs gives the same warning: “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way” (Proverbs 19.2). “He dies for lack of discipline (musar), and because of his great folly he is led astray.” (Proverbs 5.22-23)
So does the apostle Peter: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
Peter also spoke to this in his first epistle: “Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.”
The book of Ecclesiastes provides this commentary: “All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied … Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite.” (Ecclesiastes 6.7-9)
Again, everyone has affection for something. Everyone has some kind of “love” in their life. The question is, what is the object of your affection? What does your love want? The desires of our new nature are good. The desires of our old, sinful nature are not good.
Be loving and discerning. Beware the dangers of undisciplined affection.
