Mini-Series Introduction
There’s been some controversy in Evangelical Christian circles the past year about “empathy,” with some saying, “empathy is sinful.” For 36 years (since 1985), I’ve equipped God’s people for compassionate, empathetic one-another care. So, this issue has been important to me long before the current controversy. In this blog mini-series, rather than giving you a negative critique of posts that say, “empathy is sinful,” I’m seeking to offer a positive presentation of what the Bible says about empathetic one-another care. Simply stated: I desire to present a brief biblical case for biblical empathy—what it is, why it’s vital, and how we minister Christlike empathy to one another. And, rather than “re-inventing the wheel,” I’m taking this series from the culmination of 36 years of thinking about this topic, as summarized in my equipping book, Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ.
Emphasizing What the Bible Emphasizes
I continue to see writings that warn against “untethered empathy,” “untethered compassion,” and the “sin of empathy.” I disagree with the emphasis of these posts because they reverse the Bible’s emphasis on speaking the truth in loving empathy. They reverse the Bible’s emphasis on rebuking the error of untethering truth from loving empathy.
So, reluctantly—because I prefer avoiding such controversies—I’m going to wade in. Here’s why:
The Bible consistently rebukes truth untethered from loving empathy especially when addressing how leaders minister to God’s flock.
Or, said positively:
The Bible consistently commands that shepherds always tether truth to love, compassion, comfort, tender care, and empathy—like Jesus.
Let’s put our emphasis where the Bible does—on rebuking the error of untethering truth from loving empathy.
The Bible Rebukes Untethered Truth: A Brief Bullet Point Biblical Journey
Let’s put our emphasis where the Bible does—on rebuking the error of untethering truth from loving empathy.
Here’s a bullet point look at how the Bible blends truth and love with an emphasis on tethering truth to love, compassion, and empathy for others.
The Trinity embodies Shepherding Care that is compassionate, comforting, sympathetic, and empathetic:
- God the Father is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our Father never untethers truth from compassion and comfort.
- God the Son is our Sympathetic High Priest who is able “to empathize with our weaknesses” and from whom “we receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). Our Savior never untethers truth from empathy, mercy, help, and grace.
- God the Son embodies the perfect tethered infinite blending of truth and love—“full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
- God the Spirit is our groaning Encourager Who groans with us in our suffering (Romans 8:17-27) and Who never leaves us as orphans but comes along side of us and inside of us to help us in our time of need (John 14-16).
The body of Christ is to embody empathy:
- In the context of applying gospel truth (Romans 1-11) to daily life (Romans 12-16), Paul highlights empathy as a core Christian calling: “mourn with those who mourn” (“weep with those who weep”) (Romans 12:15).
- In the context of the spiritual maturity of the body of Christ, Christians are commanded and encouraged to empathize with one another. “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it so that there should be no division in the body, but that it parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).
- In the context of spurring one another on in love and encouraging one another in hope, Christians are to suffer with one another in empathetic understanding. “Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” (Hebrews 10:33-34).
- In the context of loving Christians within the body of Christ and of loving those outside the body of Christ, the Bible exhorts us to experience the experiences and emotions of others: “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3).
Jesus commands loving empathy.
- Jesus reserves His most fierce rebuke for non-caring, unempathetic shepherds who talk truth but “tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:4).
- Jesus rebukes pastors-shepherds-leaders who neglect “the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24).
- In the context of relationships that model how Kingdom citizens relate to people from different cultures, Jesus commands and commends pity, compassion, mercy, and active empathy (Luke 10:25-37).
Paul commands loving empathy, and he rebukes untethered truth.
- Paul, in the context of pastoral shepherding, warns that we must tether truth to love: “but speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We must tether truth to agape love—Jesus-like sacrificial, giving, caring, compassionate, empathetic love.
- Paul, in the context of pastoral ministry, insists that we must not give God’s people only Scripture, but also our own souls. “But we were gentle among you, just like a nursing mother caring for her own children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well because you were dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
- In the context of how to relate to one another in the church, Paul warns against untethered truth. “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).
- In the context of how to exercise mutual ministry in the church, and in the context of teaching truth with the eloquence of angels, Paul warns against untethered truth. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol” (1 Corinthians 13:1).
In the context of pastoral training through the Pastoral Epistles—the seminary of the day:
- Paul insists that the goal of truth-telling is love. Love is the telos, our purpose in shepherding. “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).
- Paul describes the inner loving character of God’s shepherds: not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, but taking care tenderly of God’s flock (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
- Paul commands pastoral leaders not to have “anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments” but to be “the Lord’s servant” who “must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone.” Opponents “must be gently instructed” (2 Timothy 2:23-25).
Lexically, what is this biblical loving empathy? Exegeting Hebrews 4:15, where we are told that Christ is our sympathetic/empathetic High Priest, Westcott explains that the word συμπαθέω:
“Expresses not simply the compassion of one who regards suffering from without, but the feeling of one who enters into the suffering and makes it his own” (Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 107, emphasis added).
Westcott bases this lexical meaning on the usage of συμπαθέω “in classical writers from Ieocrates downwards” (107).
Similarly, Sigrud Grindheim, in The Letter to the Hebrews, examines συμπαθέω linguistically, studying the history of the word in the Hellenistic world. He concludes that,
“The idea is to draw on one’s experience to be able to put oneself in someone else’s situation and participate in another’s suffering…. In contemporary English, the best translation may be ‘empathize,’ rather than ‘sympathize’ (265, n. 13, emphasis added).
The author of Hebrews uses συμπαθέω again in Hebrews 10:33-34.
“…you became one with (κοινωνός) those who were treated in that way, for in fact you shared the suffering (συμπαθέω) of those in prison…” (Mounce).
Here again, the context describes not simply feeling for, but feeling with and entering into the experience and emotion of another and, as Westcott explained, making those feelings one’s own.
Let’s Put Our Emphasis Where the Bible Does
Yes, of course, truth is essential, vital, foundational.
Yes, of course, love is essential, vital, foundational. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and Prophets hand on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Yes, of course, truth and love/care/compassion/empathy must be tethered together.
Within the contexts of church shepherding leadership and the context of daily Christian relationships, the Bible emphasizes warnings against the danger of untethering truth from love, compassion, comfort, care, concern, and empathy.
Again, our main point:
Let’s put our emphasis where the Bible does—on rebuking the error of untethering truth from loving empathy.
Join the Conversation
I awoke at 2 AM thinking about this topic. From 2-3 AM I crafted these 16 initial bullet points. I’m sure they’ll grow over time.
What additional biblical passages would you add that demonstrate that the Bible highlights warnings against the danger of untethering truth from love, compassion, comfort, care, concern, and empathy?
Thank you so much for sharing these important “truths” with “love.” I am increasingly encountering Christians who want to “bludgeon” both non-believers (gospel truth) and believers (spiritual maturity truth) alike with their “knowledge” and “doctrine” and “dogma.” Where is the love? “Sometimes a harsh word is the only way they will hear,” they say. “Truth is a lion. He roars; he doesn’t purr.” These are things I’ve recently encountered. Grateful for your words of balance. The Christian life is, if nothing else, about balance, especially when it comes to balancing the message of truth with love/compassion/empathy. Bless you in your ministry.
This is a much needed topic for believers. I am a good listener. Many people, believer & non-believer alike turn to me because they know I will listen. Empathy is piwerful & definitely a Christian virtue. So many times I have turned to brothers in Christ & received a cold shoulder. I have known non-believers with more compassion & understanding. Were it not for God’s saving grace in my life I would totally flee from the faith for this very subject. One of my “brethren” asked what he should do when I came to him for help. A man who told me to leave him alone. I was his best man at his wedding.
What I would ask him today is, if someone asked for food would you tell that person to seek Jesus, or would you be Jesus and feed them. We are called to be Jesus to whomever comes across our path. It is a cross we carry, a burden we bare, & a share of participating in His crucifixion. Dying to ourselves & living for Him. In serving others we serve Him.
Are “empathy “ and “sympathy “ synonyms? I think not.
Andy, Thanks for chiming in. Could you share where you get your definitions of “empathy” and “sympathy” from? And how do you differently define them? I’d be interested to hear. You may want to read Part 4, Part 9, and Part 10, for more on how I view empathy and sympathy. I’ve spent the past 40 years studying what the Scriptures say about a “semantic range” of “co-experiencing” examining such biblical/lexical words as compassion (co-passion), comfort, encouragement, suffer with, weep with, etc. I’ve also studied church history and how they have used words and phrases like “compassionate commisseration.” And I’ve studied empathy/sympathy in the historic Black Church in the US. I’ve also examined how biblical counselors, Christian integrative counselors, and secular counselors tend to use the modern terms “sympathy” and empathy.” If I had to summarize, based upon all of these usages, I would say sympathy and empathy have an overlapping semantic range, with empathy actually being the more intense word. Sympathy is to feel with–sym-pathos. Empathy is to feel in–em-pathos–to experience the pathos, or passion, or depths of emotion another person experiences. Sympathy–“I feel for you.” Empathy–“I experience your pain with you.” This is where compassion comes in–co-passion. This is where suffer with in 1 Cor. 10 comes in. This is where weep with in Rom. 12 comes in. So our English word-usage of empathy fits more with the biblical picture than our English word usage of sympathy, because empathy is the more intense personal experience of what another person experiences. And, based upon 2 Cor. 1:3-4, I would say that no one can experience true empathy for another person without the work of the Father’s empathy. He comforts us with His compassionate empathy so that we can comfort others with compassionate empathy in whatever soul situation they are experiencing. The best comfort-givers, the most empathetic people, are those who go to the Ultimate Comfort-Giver–God, receive His empathetic co-passion and then are empowered and enlightened and enabled to comfort others with God’s comforting, compassionate em-pathos. I hope that helps. Again, I’d be intrigued to hear your definitions of empathy and sympathy and where you get those definitions from. Bottom line–are empathy and sympathy identical? No, they are overlapping, with empathy the more intense experience. I would say that the better English word to translate Jesus as our High Priest would be to combine a number of these English words: Jesus our Empathetic/Sympathetic High Priest–our comforting, com-passion, co-passionate High Priest.
In Hebrews 4:15, the Greek word is: συμπαθῆσαι + sumpathēsai + from sumpathés It is actually more like how we use “empathy” in English than like how we tend to use “sympathy” in English. The Greek sumpathes used of Christ is much more intensive than the English “sympathy.” Perhaps that’s why some translations make it “sympathy” and others, like NIV, make it “empathy.” And why some make it “touched with the feelings of…” The Greek idea, according to Calvin and Ellicott is “fellow feelings with, compassion (co-passion). Calvin says, “he was tried by our infirmities, that he might condole with us (sumpatheia,) … to teach us that we have not to go far to seek a Mediator, since Christ of his own accord extends his hand to us, that we have no reason to dread the majesty of Christ since he is our brother, and that there is no cause to fear, lest he, as one unacquainted with evils, should not be touched by any feelings of humanity, so as to bring us help, since he took upon him our infirmities, in order that he might be more inclined to succor us. Meyer’s calls it “to have compassionate feelings.” Vincent says, “Touched with the feeling (συνπαθῆσαι): Only here and Hebrews 10:34. This is more than knowledge of human infirmity. It is feeling it by reason of a common experience with (σύν) men.” Bensons says, “who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities — Or, who cannot, συμπαθησαι ταις ασθενειαις ημων, sympathize with our weaknesses, our temptations, trials, and troubles, of whatever kind they may be, ghostly or bodily. The Son of God, having been made flesh, experienced all the temptations and miseries incident to mankind, sin excepted; consequently he must always have a lively feeling of our infirmities; of our wants, weaknesses, miseries, dangers.” Expositors Greek says, “Συνπαθέω [to be distinguished from συνπάσχω which occurs in Romans 8:17 and 1 Corinthians 12:26, and means to suffer along with one, to suffer the same ills as another] means to feel for, or sympathise with, and occurs also in Hebrews 10:34, and is peculiar in N.T. to this writer but found in Aristotle, Isocrates and Plutarch, and in the touching expression of Acts of Paul and Thekla, 17, ὃς μόνος συνεπάθησεν πλανωμένῳ κόσμῳ.”
Thank you for this Bob! A recent rhetoric that empathy is a ‘new age’ concept and un-christian has me baffled. Indeed it is a matter of asking people what their definitions are and from where.
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First let me say thank you for these words. They are well thought out, and speak to me in no small way. I am convicted by the Holy Sprit through what you have said in that I have suddenly realized the unkind manner in which I have been speaking to my own children. In what can only be described as self-righteous behavior, I have repeatedly blasted my children with the truth regarding their behavior, and their apathy toward life. As a father, it angers me to see them throwing away their lives in exchange for the ease and comforts of a world without care for their fellow man. All of their lives I have tried repeatedly to teach them to love God, and to love others. Only now I read these words and realize that although I have spoken to them the Truth, I have not tethered it to the love of the Father. By not doing this I have only judged them for heir behavior. Surely, Truth without empathy is not just sin, but it is the sin of passing judgement on someone who does not conform to our interpretation of the Kingdom of God. For this I must repent. Thank you for following the leading of the Holy Spirit and “wading in”. It takes courage to rebuke the Church for its sin. It takes love to back it up with scripture and let the Word of God serve as your voice. I appreciate that more than you’ll know. I’ll end with this. My paternal grandparents were home missionaries to the Native Americans in Oklahoma back in the 70s. I remember as a little boy going to their house and seeing on the wall a plaque that said, “Great Spirit, grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked for two moons in his moccasins.” Yes, we have the right to speak to a cause, but not until we’ve been there, and done that in Jesus’ name.