"For the entire Law is fulfilled in in this one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."—Gal 5:14

The carrot or the stick? Should we beat people into spiritual health?

Added on by Lucas Necessary.

If you really lay into someone about their sin, they should come around, right? Let 'em have it about their transgressions? God says that we should be,

"With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition...and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." (2 Tim 2)

When we attack someone for their sins, we put them on the defensive. The fight-or-flight response kicks in. Catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline  or noradrenaline , facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action.  Our digestive systems shut down, along with the parts of our brain associated with cognitive deliberation. We lose the ability to calmly reason. In effect, we truly lose our senses. 

Someone trapped in sin doesn't need to be attacked. They need our gentleness and patience, which can help them come to their senses and reason together, which is what God wants. (Isaiah 1:18)