LOVE’S DELIGHT

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth – 1 Corinthians 13: 6 (NIV).

…doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth… – 1 Corinthians 13:6 (Message).

Love does not delight or rejoice in evil, unrighteousness and iniquity…Love rejoices with truth.

Interestingly, the words evil (unrighteousness) and truth are juxtaposed in this description of love. This means, those who truly love do not enjoy seeing others fall or stumble into evil. They’ll rather rejoice when others live in tune with the truth of the gospel and according to the Word of God – which is Truth (Jh.17:17). That love “covers a multitude of sin” does not infer that love condones sin! 1Corinthian 5:1-2, 6 suggest that members of the Church at Corinth were enjoying, or at least glossing over the immorality occurring among them. Such an attitude demonstrated a lack of love for the individuals living in sin. Sin is a sinker of destinies. Sin destroys people’s lives; hence, rejoicing in other people’s sin is like rejoicing in their destruction. This is where the admonition to love the sinner and hate the sin perhaps applies.

We sometimes excuse our conscience in not being directly involved in certain sins. Yet, we indirectly condone the performance of such in our very presence or in our domains. It is possible to be free from the practice of adultery and fornication while being ensnared in the virtual sensuality of pornographic. We may be vehemently opposed to physical violence, but delight in scenes of violence on TV or the Internet! We may feign innocence, but virtual delight in evil is association with it. A truly loving heart will never rejoice in evil behaviour, whether in self or in others.

Love does not stay neutral. Love does not “sit on the fence.” Love rejoices with and in truth. Love takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. Love’s companion is truth fully exposed to the light. Love is eternally divorced from lies, falsehood, and unfaithfulness. Love might be humbled by the truth but it still finds its deepest fidelity is for the truth. Love is never preferential to a person in order to thwart the truth. Love does not seek for applause or try to impress people while burying the truth. Love invites and welcomes the truth, even to its hurt!