1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Introduction: In many ways we have started this year as confused, divided, and unsettled as we ended last year. As we look to the future as a church, people, and country, we must embrace the language of love. We might think we live in a peculiar time of division and despair, but in 1 Corinthians, Paul encouraged a church in a similar situation. The Corinthians were not only divided by who they followed, but also about what they emphasized. What we can learn from Paul is that it is easy to lose sight of what can guide us through our differences. We might have good intentions or concerned theology, but when we don’t have love, we miss out on everything that God intends for us. Not only that, but Paul defines what love means, so we must seek to understand and apply the way of love in our everyday lives.
A Quick Reminder:
Although the focus of our current series – 1 Corinthians 13 – is often read at weddings or blithely printed in picture frames, these uses tend to overlook the practical (and actual) reason Paul wrote this beautiful poem. This letter was written to a church that was trying to find its way through a mess of division, conflict, brokenness, immaturity and “outright sin”. 1 Corinthians 13:6 in particular is not part of some ethereal, fluffy inspirational poem. It is practical, real-life wisdom for messy, broken people and situations. This verse shows us the way of love for these situations and moments. How do we love people who are doing wrong, engaged in unrighteousness, or committing sin?
1. Love’s Constant Companion
In general, we tend to either be “love” people (tending toward a softer, accepting, affirming, approach), OR “truth” people (strong/firm opinions, a take-it-or-leave-it approach, no shades of gray). And sometimes we may lean differently depending on the context we are in (spouse, kids, work, church). Whatever the case, “love” people tend to see “truth” people as hard, harsh and self-righteous, while “truth” people see “love” people as soft, weak, and compromising.
But Paul – who taught that love is the greatest of all virtues, the one eternal virtue, final measure of our Christian maturity, and the fulfillment of the whole law of God – teaches here that true, genuine love has a necessary and constant companion: truth. To be a Christian is to be a “truth” and “love” person. Paul says that love never avoids or compromises the truth – love rejoices in the truth! BUT truth never moves forward without love – never acting or speaking for its own benefit, but out of a true concern for the well-being of the other. The catch is that we are not called to be 50% love and 50% truth – but rather 100% love AND 100% truth.
2. Love’s Necessary Grief
Focusing on the first half of v.6 – “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness” – two key ideas are present: A) love never finds any joy, in wrongdoing, sin, unrighteousness in others; but also B) love is never indifferent to wrong, sin or unrighteousness in others.
A. Love never finds any joy in the unrighteousness of others – on the surface this sounds self-evident, but consider the eagerness in our culture, even amongst Christians, to call out the wrongs, faults and mistakes of others. Underneath this eagerness there is a kind of joy – but not love’s joy. Rather, it is the joy of moral superiority. When we have that kind of joy, it’s a clear indicator that we don’t have love. Love’s joy is to see people moving closer to who God has made them to be.
B. Love is never indifferent to unrighteousness in others – in the earnest desire to avoid taking joy at others’ sin, should we simply support, accept or ignore everything that a person does? NO – Paul indicates that, rather than apathy, the opposite of finding joy in unrighteousness is to experience grief over unrighteousness in a person’s life. Genuine love is grieved over anything that keeps the truth out of someone’s life – evil, injustice, lies, self-deceit, hypocrisy, pretense – we are to grieve all these things. If we have the joy of superiority or the indifference to wrong, our response to other peoples’ issues will only cause harm.
3. Love’s Greatest Joy
There is no greater joy than to see another person live fully in the truth of who God is, who they are and who God has made/called them to be. The truth is what God says is good and right and is His vision/design for human flourishing. This is love’s greatest joy – to see someone we care about walking in this truth. It’s important we see that love does not rejoice in truth for truth’s sake – but for the sake of the other person’s well-being and flourishing. There is a big difference. When we take up a good, righteous cause or have a concern about someone’s choices/behavior, we need to ask: Am I doing it for their good? Or to be proved right? Truth is on the side of love and love is always about what is best for the other person.
So, how do we get and grow in this kind of love? It comes from the joy of receiving this kind of love from God. When we do not feel the joy of being loved by God, our treatment of others will lack either love or lack truth. Consider:
a) The gospel has the hardest truth of any belief system – that we are infected with sin in every part of us, we deserve judgment, and that we are unable to save ourselves. This is a hard truth, especially when other religions say that you can make yourself acceptable or righteous, if you just strive hard enough.
b) BUT the gospel also has the greatest love of any belief system – we are not loved because we do anything to earn or deserve it. We are loved 100%, without condition, with an everlasting love. We are loved with a love that knows us fully, in the fullest truth about us – yet accepts, receives and delights in us fully. This love has taken on our unrighteousness to make us righteous.
God’s joy is to see us live fully in the truth of who He is, who we are and who He has made/called us to be.He does not take joy in our sin, but our sin and unrighteousness cannot stop or change his love for us. When the full truth and the full love of God hit us at the same time – we discover a joy that sets us free from self-righteousness and self-condemnation to love as we have been loved.
REFLECT OR DISCUSS
Do you tend to be a “love person” or a “truth person”? How does this reveal itself in your relationships?
Where do you most struggle see how we can be 100% truth and 100% love people? ]
How is it that we can find joy in the unrighteousness and sin we see in others? How do we see this at work in our divided culture? How have you seen this at work in your own heart?
If the opposite of joy is grief, what does it look like to be grieved by the unrighteousness we see in others? Make it personal – how can your own moral superiority or indifference be turned to grief in a sin/wrong you see in others? This could be a personal or cultural wrong/unrighteousness.
How does the gospel turn up God’s truth dial to 100%? How does it at the same time turn up God’s love dial to 100%? Which dial is usually turned up highest for you? [It may be helpful onsider what happens when we have God’s truth dial turned up louder than His love and vice versa.
Consider the following applications – which do you most need to grow in?
If we love the issue or cause more than the people affected by the wrong/unrighteousness… it’s not love.
If we enjoy pointing out wrong, or if we are eager and quick to do so… it’s not love.
If we rarely rejoice over the good in others (even our opponents)… it’s not love.
If we are not able to see the truth about a person’s wrongdoing in the context of the greater, whole truth of the person (a person’s story, situation, suffering, etc)… it’s not love.