Love brings joy when we are immersed in the truth. This daily devotional looks at how love is associated with joy and shows the four factors that make up love.
Nuggets
- Love rejoices in the truth about God.
- Love is complex and overarching.
Devotions in How to Love Our Neighbors series
Paul had just completed a list of components that make up love. He showed us the positive and negative things associated with love. From there, Paul moved on to an overview of love.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Sin and Truth
“it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (I Cor. 13: 6 ESV)
Love rejoices in the truth about God.
God does not want us to rejoice in committing acts of sin. Rather, He wants us to rejoice in being made perfect and righteous.
Here, the word is translated wrongdoing. I don’t know. To me, that kind of sugarcoats it.
In the King James Version, the word is translated iniquity. Iniquities are sins of wanting to be like everyone else instead of God.
We can’t look only at the first part of the verse and skip the second part. It isn’t just about doing what is right and what is wrong. It is about our relationship with God.
So, let’s take another swing at iniquities/wrongdoing. Cross had a little different definition. He wrote, “… a want of rectitude or moral principle.”
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The Holman Bible Dictionary combined both definitions. According to them, iniquity means “… almost any action in opposition to God’s standard of righteousness.”
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Righteousness is the indwelling goodness that is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of conscientious obedience to God’s laws and commandments and from which all virtues flow.
Let’s connect some dots on iniquities.
- We are choosing not to gain God’s goodness, i.e., be like God.
- We are choosing not to follow God’s laws and commandments, which show us God’s character and provide us with moral principles.
The only difference in the definitions is that – wherever I got it from and put it into my own words – stressed that we choose to be more like the worldview when we commit sins of iniquity.
Cross saw iniquities as being in contradiction of God’s love. Practicing iniquities does not give God the honor that He deserves because it undermines His authority.
That doesn’t give us cause to rejoice!
Instead, we are to rejoice in truth. Cross defined Truth as “… God’s gracious revelation to man contained in His written Word.” We practice truth by conforming to His revelation.
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Love brings us joy. Love is in the truth because God is love and truth is about God.
Wilkinson cautioned us that we can’t be too humble or too loving. That might lead to arrogance.
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Worldview people can balk at our saying God’s revelation is true. They don’t realize that His revelation is wisdom. He is all-knowing and pure, so He knows what is right and what is wrong.
The Four Corners of Love
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Cor. 13: 7 ESV)
Love is complex and overarching.
Hmmm. I know the saying goes that love is blind. That kind of fits here.
Barfield argued that, in reality, this is more of a hide-the-faults instead of identify-the-faults.
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I think in today’s vernacular we would say that we give others the benefit of the doubt. We don’t lead thinking they are full of evil and unsaveable.
This goes along with what Peter said. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (I Pet. 4: 8 ESV).
No, that doesn’t mean people won’t be held accountable for their sins. Proverbs makes that abundantly clear. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov. 28: 13 ESV).
We also have to realize Peter was talking to the church here, not unbelievers. We are to approach others in love.
It is up to them to confess their own sins. Other than us witnessing and telling them about Jesus, they don’t need any help from us. It is between them and God.
Love helps us to endure without having a running negative commentary. To help others, we will stand firm and bear anything in silence — without complaining.
Robertson tied this back to spiritual gifts. Remember, we said this chapter was talking about spiritual gifts rather than love for our soul mate.
Spiritual gifts have a purpose. They are given to sanctify us to become more like God in character. They are our reward for when we do.
Love, on the other hand, is the fruit — perfection.
Robertson said Paul will explain this more in verses 11 and 12. (So, check back for the next devotion and have it made clearer.)
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Spurgeon took it a different way. He said that the identification of the four factors — bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring — show how complex and difficult it is to love others.
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We do see how the four factors are connected. They can’t work alone — or even without just one.
We are promised hope. Our faith gives us hope for ourselves and hope for others.
Love will be victorious. We know that God will win in the end, and God is love.
We are called to endure to the end by being Christlike in our walk. “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 24: 13 ESV).
Making the Connections
We have to remember that Paul does not limit our actions toward others in any way. This isn’t be polite toward one set of people, but you don’t have to be polite to that set.
We are to love all.
How Do We Apply This?
- Show love through kindness freely.
- Follow the Golden Rule.
- Possess a meek and gentle spirit.
- Strive to offend no one.
- Be humble and modest.
- Endure sufferings as Jesus did.
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Father God. You are love. You are truth. We want to be like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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