Flattery is praise that goes beyond what is due. In other words, flattery is lying. It ignores important, if inconvenient truth, as it accentuates only the positive. This desire to only emphasize the positive could be misconstrued as noble, as true love. But it is actually the opposite of love – this passage equates it with hate and ruin. Christians, well aware of the responsibility to edify and encourage, often fall into the trap of flattery, which again is lying and reflects hatred as opposed to love. The encounter of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery is often referred to as a model of interaction with sinners. And it is. But, we must remember that while Christ did not condemn, He did not flatter. He did not ignore the presence of her sin. He exhibited grace both in His forgiveness and in His exhortation to her that she turn from her sin. And this is exactly the balance that we need. We need the grace of Christ in our relationships to avoid a critical, harsh, demeaning spirit. And, in equal measure, we need the truth of Christ in our relationships to promote truth, even in the form of rebuke or correction. Flattery enables sin, while truth frees from sin.