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Love Rejoices With The Truth

by Micky Galloway

I Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love suffereth long, (and) is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth …”

The failure to create and maintain an atmosphere of love is a primary hindrance to the church and to the family. All of the characteristics Paul mentioned are ways in which love is demonstrated in our relationships with one another. Paul did this because it was necessary for the Corinthians to know how love should be manifested toward one another. There were contentions and strife among them; there were suspicions and jealousies; there would be unkind judging, the manifestations of improper motives, and selfishness; there was envy, pride, and boasting, all of which were inconsistent with love. Paul was attempting to correct these things and show them what could be produced by them.

Love cannot be taken for granted. Love does not just happen, infatuation may. However love (agape), grows and demands time, nurturing, and just plain hard work to keep it alive, especially in this modern chaotic, pressure driven world. The “wear and tear” of the reality of daily living can do much to destroy a loving atmosphere. Immaturity (which often shows itself in an uncontrolled temper), selfishness (which seeks its own happiness at the expense of the happiness of others), and other childish things must be put away (I Corinthians 13:11). An atmosphere of love produces a feeling of stability and security that is worth more than all the riches of time. To be loved is to be wanted! Who can measure the happiness of the member of the family of God, or the physical family (child, wife, or husband), that is comforted by that secure wanted feeling? On the other hand, who can measure the harm done by producing the feeling that one is not wanted? This love Paul describes will provide the forbearance needed as a saving quality when disturbances threaten the future and security of the church or home.

Love does not rejoice in the faults of others. God had no delight in the faults of Israel, but instructed Ezekiel, “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11). Wicked men often find pleasure in finding the faults of others and rejoice when others have fallen into sin and have disgraced and ruined themselves. People of the world often find some kind of sick pleasure in the report, and in the evidence that a member of the church has fallen. There is no joy when even an enemy is caught in some evil practice.

King Saul had acted presumptuously in offering the burnt offering in Gilgal, before the prophet / priest, Samuel arrived. “And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Jehovah: I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt-offering (I Samuel 13:11-12). In his panic, with the Philistine army assembling around him and his own army fleeing, Saul said “I forced myself” and offered the burnt offering. Samuel told him he had done foolishly and reminded him of what could have been. “Now would Jehovah have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue …” (I Samuel 13:13-14). Later, Saul failed to utterly destroy the Amalekites as God had instructed, but planned to offer the best of the Amalekites as a sacrifice to God. Samuel ask him, “Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah?” Samuel rebuked him, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (I Samuel 15:22-23). There was NOTHING to be glad about concerning King Saul’s fall. In fact, “Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Jehovah repented that he had made Saul king over Israel” (I Samuel 15:35).

The Israelites had intermarried with the people of the land contrary to the commandment of God (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). Even the princes and rulers had lead in this transgression (Ezra 9:2; cf. Deuteronomy 17:17). The text says when Ezra learned of this, “I rent my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded” (Ezra 9:3). He prayed to God, “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens” (Ezra 9:6). In fact when it became apparent that they must “put away all the wives and such as are born of them according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God …,” Ezra “… did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity” (Ezra 10:3-6). There was NOTHING to rejoice about in their sin.

Paul made clear his love for his Jewish brethren according to the flesh. “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1-3). What caused Paul such pain in his heart? These had rejected the saving gospel and had sought to establish a righteousness according to the Law of Moses. He prayed, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1-3). There is NOTHING to rejoice about when one rejects the gospel and continues in a life of sin.

Perhaps one of the reasons we are not as passionate about teaching the lost, whether it be those who have never obeyed the gospel, or those of our brethren who have erred, is that we do not feel a genuine grief for the sinful condition into which they have entered and the awful consequence it brings. How can we be complacent when we know ourselves what it means to be lost?

Love rejoiceth with the truth. Here truth stands opposed to unrighteousness. Do not rejoice in the error of another, but rejoice in his virtues. When some sought to do Paul harm, he found occasion to rejoice in the good they accomplished. Writing from a Roman prison he said, “Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things (which happened) unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel; so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest; and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one (do it) of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel; but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds. What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice (Philippians 1:12-18).

How much better it would be if Christians would learn to love like this? Learning to restrain themselves from finding faults of others and circulating reports that are nothing more than malicious gossip (cf. James 3:5ff). What a different world it would be if there were none to rejoice in unrighteousness; and the church would be a different church if there were none but those who rejoiced in the truth. Can you imagine the impact this kind of love would have on our families?

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