As Christians, the building blocks of our lives are faith, hope, and love. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6); hope is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19); and, love is our badge of discipleship, proving to the world that we are followers of Jesus (John 13:34-35).
Of these three, love is the greatest because it will never end (1 Corinthians 13:8, 13). If we are going to be pleasing to God now, and have a home in heaven after a while, we must have this vital characteristic. We must love everyone!
So far we have looked at nine traits of love. Let us consider the next two.
1 Corinthians 13:6 (ESV)
6 It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Anything that is contrary to the will of God is wrongdoing. Six times the Greek word for wrongdoing is translated as iniquity, leaving no doubt about what is under consideration—Paul is referring to anything sinful. True love takes no pleasure in sin, but instead abhors that which is evil (Romans 12:9).
One thing that I like about the ESV’s translation of “wrongdoing” is that it emphasizes that sin does not happen by itself. It is the doing of something wrong and, of course, wherever you have wrongdoing you have to have a wrongdoer. The Christian (who loves as he should) hates sin because he knows what it does to the soul of the wrongdoer. How could love ever rejoice over something that causes people to be condemned and eternally lost? Love does not act like that.
So, the one who does not rejoice at wrongdoing, will not support the wrongdoer. He will not sweep sin under the rug. He will not extend fellowship to those who are living in sin, but instead will be offended by the sin involved in the wrongdoing.
Ephesians 5:11 (KJV)
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Love rejoices with the truth. What a contrast there is between sin and truth. Sin causes one to be in bondage, but truth sets one free.
John 8:31-32 (ESV)
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In John 17:17, Jesus tells us that the Word is truth. Love causes us to rejoice in God’s Word and the liberty that we enjoy as a result of it. If we are filled with agapé, the truth brings us a great deal of joy. We love to study it, teach it, and live by it. Furthermore, we love to see others walking in it.
3 John 1:4 (ESV)
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Just like sin brings eternal damnation, walking in truth brings eternal life. No wonder Paul said that love rejoices in the truth. We love the truth because we know it comes from God and gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and because, in the end, it will lead us to heaven.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.