"Love vs Love"- Pastor John D. Putnam
February 01, 2026
Pastor John D. Putnam
In this week’s sermon, Pastor Putnam delivers a timely and deeply challenging message titled “Love vs. Love.” Speaking into a culture saturated with sentimental and self-centered ideas of love, Pastor Putnam draws a sharp and biblical contrast between the world’s definition of love and the transforming, covenantal love of God. Using Valentine’s Day as a cultural backdrop, this message exposes the emptiness of emotion-driven, convenience-based love and points listeners to the enduring power of Christlike love found in Scripture. Anchored in 1 Corinthians 13, Pastor Putnam walks verse-by-verse through the defining attributes of true love—patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, perseverance, and truth—revealing how essential these qualities are to authentic Christian living. This teaching challenges believers to examine not just what they believe, but how they love. Listeners are reminded that spiritual gifts, knowledge, sacrifice, and even faith itself are meaningless without love flowing from God’s heart. Biblical love, Pastor Putnam explains, is not self-seeking, easily offended, or record-keeping—but is rooted in commitment, grace, and surrender. It is a central truth: real love cannot be manufactured by human effort. It must be received from God and lived out through His Spirit. Whether addressing wounds from the past, struggles with anger, pride, or unforgiveness, this message offers hope, healing, and a call to allow God’s love to reshape the heart. A call to reject counterfeit love and embrace the agape love of Christ that restores relationships, transforms lives, and reflects the gospel to the world. To learn more about what God is doing at the Pentecostals of Sheboygan County and beyond, visit us at posc.church!
Episode Notes
Main Point: What the world calls love is often self-centered and conditional—but God’s love is patient, sacrificial, and transformational.
- The world defines love as emotion, attraction, convenience, and personal happiness—but these definitions often fail when feelings change.
- Biblical love is rooted in commitment, character, sacrifice, and covenant, not convenience.
- Without God’s love flowing through us, spiritual gifts, knowledge, sacrifice, and faith amount to nothing but noise.
- 1 Corinthians 13 reveals that true love must grow out of God’s love for us—not from human effort alone.
- God’s love is the standard by which all Christian living, relationships, and witness must be measured.
Key Scriptures:
- 1 Corinthians 13:1–8 – The defining passage of Christlike love.
- Romans 5:8 – “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- James 3:16 – Where envy and selfish ambition exist, disorder follows.
- Proverbs 16:18 – Pride leads to destruction.
- Matthew 22:37–40 – Love God and love others: the foundation of all truth.
Major Themes:
- Noise vs. Substance: Spiritual activity without love is empty and ineffective.
- Patience and Kindness: God’s love endures failure and responds with mercy.
- Freedom from Envy and Pride: Love celebrates others instead of competing with them.
- Respect and Humility: Love is never rude, arrogant, or self-promoting.
- Forgiveness and Perseverance: Love keeps no record of wrongs and refuses to quit.
Reflection Questions:
- Is my definition of love shaped more by culture or by Scripture?
- Do my actions reflect patience, kindness, and humility toward others?
- Are there wounds or habits that have made loving others difficult for me?
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