(Love) “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;” 1 Corinthians 13:6Have you ever heard someone say, “They got what they deserved” or “Too bad they made their bed and now they have to lie in it”? These are very common sayings when we hear of a person who ends up in trouble. But these sayings and others like them do not come from God. God is love and God’s love flowing through us never rejoices when the news of someone else’s suffering is reported. True love that comes from God only rejoices in the truth and the truth is that no one can ever do anything that can outstretch the arm of God’s love.
There are always consequences in the natural for poor choices or bad decisions but the heart of the believer should never rejoice when they hear of those consequences. Sometimes it is easy to feel justified in our attitudes especially when we see someone who has done something horribly wrong. But when we understand God’s amazing love for all people we don’t react from our humanistic mindset, but rather we allow the Spirit of God to remind us of the truth. This leads us to pray for the person found in a fault instead of judging them and condemning them for the sin they have committed. When we see someone fall into sin we are to grieve for them and pray that they will come to the place of repentance. All of us are one choice away from falling into a temptation to sin and none of us are without sin.
Jesus died once and for all for all sin and our sins are forgiven but that doesn’t mean that we won’t ever sin again. The heart of the person who understands these truths will never rejoice in iniquity. They understand what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 when he said, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”When our hearts are so in tuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit we are able to discern the truth of God’s Word and that truth keeps our minds fixed on loving all people with a Christ centered love, even the hardened criminal. I know that sometimes we want to see justice done to the person who has committed a sin and there are laws of the land that will bring justice; but that doesn’t mean we are to become embittered at the person because at any point they could turn their heart towards God and repent.
I have seen many people who were hardened criminals give their hearts to Christ and completely turn their lives around. Paul was one of these people himself! The modern day church is built on the writings of Paul and yet if Paul was alive today and did what he did and then repented; I can guarantee that 99% of the churches would never have him in to speak to their congregations. Have you ever thought about that before? The very writings we quote from when leading people to the Lord or mentoring people are written by a hardened criminal who murdered people! When we operate in a mindset of love we can discern the difference between reality and truth. A person’s reality may bear witness to a life of sin, but the truth is that sin was already paid for by the blood of Jesus! So the truth is that when God’s love is present and the heart of the one who has committed a sin repents; they are restored by the truth and that truth makes them free. So as disciples of Jesus Christ we are to let love lead us in how we think, speak, and act towards the person who has committed a sin and we are to let that love guard our hearts so that we don’t become prideful and in danger of falling into a sin ourselves.
The reason love rejoices in the truth is because the truth always reveals the heart of God! And the heart of God is not shaken at the sight of man’s sin. He is steadfast and unwavering in His love for all mankind no matter what sin they have committed. It is man who is moved at the sight of another man’s sin, not God. It is man who condemns the sinner, not God. God doesn’t condemn anyone, no matter how much they have sinned. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” So my challenge to all of us today is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of our hearts that need to be healed of the sin of judgment for the sinner. And to ask Him to give us wisdom and understanding of the truth so that we can rejoice in that truth whenever iniquity is present and not be moved by what our eyes see or our ears hear. This will prepare us for our study tomorrow so that we are able to understand what it means to operate in a mindset of love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7)
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