what does the bible say?
Flattery is the giving of excessive, insincere praise, especially that which is given in order to further one's personal interests. The Bible strongly condemns flattery. Flattery is connected with those seeking to deceive, lie, and preserve personal agendas. It is associated with seductresses and false teachers. When false teachers flatter their followers, they build up their followers' self-importance. This is in opposition to the message that Jesus taught: that we must die to ourselves to serve God and others. We must daily choose to put God above everything else in our lives. We shall not allow anyone control over our perception of Christ's message through stroking our egos. Instead of flattery, we should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We should follow Paul’s example when he taught the church to never use flattery to gain followers for Christ, saying, "For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness" (1 Thessalonians 2:5). We are called to follow Christ and speak the truth with other people's benefit in mind.