We are studying the practice of love. This is our fifth study of verses 4-7 which give us the characteristics of love. This study has been very convicting for me and hopefully it has been life changing. I really hate to end this study because I want to keep these precepts fresh in my thinking so that I can flash them out. How many of you feel that you have mastered this material and are living in complete obedience to them? I know that I haven't. Maybe we should start over and continue to study this subject until we have it mastered. There is nothing more important in our lives than learning to love like this. As we have seen the NT teaches that love is preeminent. It is the ultimate priority in the life of a Christian. More than anything else in our lives the Lord wants us to love Him and love one another. Without love we are nothing. Life minus love equals zero.
I hope that you understand that we are all personally responsible to love one another. In the NT we are continually exhorted to love. We are told to:
Put on love (Col. 3:14)
Follow after love (1 Cor. 14:1)
Abound in love (Phil. 1:9)
Continue in love (Heb. 13:1)
Increase in love (Thess. 3:12)
Be fervent in love (1 Pet. 4:8)
Be consistent in love (Phil. 2:2)
Be sincere in love (2 Cor. 8:8)
Love is the pinnacle of life. The healthy, happy, positive, glowing, useful Christian is the one who loves. We have a personal responsibility to love and I think you understand this. But do you know that we're responsible to help each other love? I am not only commanded to live like this but I am also commanded to help you live like this. Look with me at:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The word consider is from the Greek word, katanoeo (kat-an-o-eh'-o). Katanoeo is a compound word composed of kata which means down and noeo which means to exercise the mind. It has the idea of thoroughly and carefully noticing someone or some thing. A good English equivalent would be to contemplate. This is a strong and emphatic exhortation: consider others, contemplate others.
Do you realize that individually you and I are personally responsible for the physical and spiritual welfare of each other? This exhortation to consider is not given to the church elders--it is given to all believers. We all are to consider one another. We are to look to the needs, problems, struggles, and temptations of one another. The spirit of rugged individualism so prevalent in America is wholly incompatible with the church of Jesus Christ. We may think that we have discharged our responsibility to the Lord because we are individually walking in love, but we are wrong: we are not only to look out for our own lives, but we are to consider others. Christianity is others oriented! But most of us care only about meeting our own needs; we ignore the many instructions in the Bible about our responsibility to others.
We need each other if we are truly going to be what God has called us to be. Each believer has unique gifts and insights that are invaluable for building up the body of Christ. Christianity is to be lived out in community and God has created us to be dependant both on Him and on one another.
Notice the purpose of our considering one another according to Hebrews 10:25: "to provoke unto love and good works." The word "provoke" is from the Greek word paroxusmos (par-ox-oos-mos') which is a strong word implying a real effort to prod each other onto love and good works. We are not only to live our lives loving others but we are to also be constantly encouraging others to walk in love. If you are going to encourage someone else to walk in love you must be doing it yourself, you need to set the example and then encourage them to follow. Paul told Timothy to be an example of love.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV) Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
So far we have seen that love is patient; it is patient with people, it has a long fuse, it doesn't retaliate. It is also kind; this has the idea of being useful, or good. Love is useful to those who have a need whether they are friends or enemies. We also saw the characteristics that love does not demonstrate. Love is not jealous, Love does not boast, love is not proud, it does not see itself as superior to others but esteems others better than itself. Love is not rude, it is not intentionally discourteous or disrespectful. Love is not selfish, it views others very highly and gives itself for them. Love forgoes its own comfort, its own preferences, its own schedule, its own desires for the benefit of another. Love is not provoked. Love does not get angry at others when they say or do something that displeases us or when they prevent us from having our own way. Love does not keep a record of wrongs done to it, it quickly forgives any offense.
Paul continues the characteristics of love by saying:
1 Corinthians 13:6 (NKJV) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
This sentence is perfectly balanced with two clauses that feature the same verb but have direct objects that are opposites: iniquity and truth. First we see the negative.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity,
The word rejoice is the Greek word chairo, (khah'ee-ro) to be cheerful, happy or glad, to have joy. It is translated as glad in Luke 15 and 1 Cor 16
Luke 15:32 (NKJV) 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"
1 Corinthians 16:17 (NKJV) I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and A-cha-i-cus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied.
So it has the idea of being happy, glad, to be joyful. We are told that love does not rejoice, or is not glad with iniquity. We could also say that love does not sympathize with iniquity. Iniquity is the Greek word adikia, (ad-ee-kee'-a) which means iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong. The general drift of this passage represents love in its relations to others. And injustice has to do with our treatment of our fellow men. So I think we could translate this, "Love takes no joy in the sin of others."
If you remember we looked at the word justice several weeks ago. We said that justice has two major aspects. First, it is the standard by which penalties are assigned for breaking the obligations of society. Second, justice is the standard by which the advantages of social life are handed out, including material goods, rights of participation, opportunities, and liberties. It is the standard for both punishment and benefits.
The second table of the law deals with our relationship with men. To break the first table is to act ungodly. Ungodliness focuses on our relationship with God. To break the second table of the law is to act unjust, to not love others.
Exodus 20:13-17 (NKJV) "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
Love does not take joy in any of these actions. If you love someone you won't murder them and you won't find joy in others who murder. Do we rejoice in these things? Do we rejoice in murder or adultery? Love gets no joy from the sin of others, but too often we do. You might be saying surely a Christian wouldn't rejoice in the sin of another. Oh really? The Corinthians did.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 (NKJV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles; that a man has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
They were actually proud, boasting and thus rejoicing in the sin of this man. Why? Maybe because it made them feel superior, or self-righteous. Or maybe they were rejoicing in the fact that they tolerated even the worst of sinners. Often we rejoice in other peoples' sin because it makes us feel superior. Gossip would be a way of rejoicing in iniquity. Love never takes satisfaction from sin, whether our own sin or that of others. We tend to rejoice in the downfall of others who we do not particularly like. They might commit a heinous sin and we take delight in it. Their injustice actually brings us joy. Do you know what I'm talking about? It is quite popular today to take joy in the injustice of our president. President Clinton's alleged immoral sexual escapades are something that comedians use for material for their jokes. And we laugh, we take joy in iniquity.
We know that the world does this, but shouldn't we be different? Knowing the damage that sin brings shouldn't we mourn and weep over it instead of rejoicing in it? The world rejoices in the sin of others.
Romans 1:32 (NKJV) who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Revelation 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
The sad thing is that it's not just the world that rejoices in iniquity, we do it ourselves. Don't many of the movies today teach us to rejoice in murder? Don't they teach us to rejoice in adultery? I read an ad in a magazine this week for the video "Bridges over Madison County" that said, "Bring home the most romantic movie of our generation tonight. Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, cinema's most notable stars, together in this enchanting performance of a life-changing romance. " This movie exalts adultery, it rejoices in adultery which is injustice. Love doesn't rejoice in injustice. Do you? We watch a movie or read a book and often we sympathize with evil. This poem taken from a United Methodist newsletter has a lot of truth to it. Does it apply to you?
The TV is my shepherd, my spiritual growth shall want.
It maketh me to sit down and do nothing for His name's sake.
It keepeth me from doing my duty as a Christian, because it presenteth so many good programs that I must see.
It restoreth my knowledge of the things of this world, and keepeth me from the study of God's Word.
It leadeth me into the paths of failing to attend the evening church services, and doing nothing for the Kingdom of God.
Yet, though I live to be one hundred, I shall keep viewing my TV so long as it shall work, for it is my closest companion.
Its sounds and its pictures, they comfort me.
It presenteth entertainment before me and keepeth me from doing important things with my family.
It filleth my head with ideas which differ from those in the Word of God.
Surely no good thing will come of my life because of so many wasted hours, and I shall dwell in my regrets and remorse forever.
-- Taken from a United Meth. Newsletter, Rustburg, VA.
Today's TV and movies truly fill our head with ideas which differ from those in the Word of God. They teach us to sympathize with iniquity. The world rejoices in the sins of others but they should cause us to mourn and grieve. This was David's attitude.
Psalms 69:9 (NKJV) Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
What David is saying, is that when God is dishonored he is in agony. You can't rejoice in iniquity if you love God.
Psalms 97:10 (NKJV) You who love the LORD, hate evil!
How do we know what is evil and what we are to hate?
Psalms 119:104 (NKJV) Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
Only by time spent in God's Word will we know what is evil and what it is that God hates.
The positive side of this is that Love rejoices with the truth aletheia,( al-ay'-thi-a) truth:--true, verity.
Why does Paul compare those two? Because justice is predicated upon truth. You can't be just until you have behaved yourself in accord with God's truth. Justice and truth are connected in the Scripture.
Isaiah 59:4 (KJV) None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
Isaiah 59:14 (KJV) And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
Truth is used in the sense of something to be done.
John 3:21 (NKJV) "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
1 John 1:6 (NKJV) If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
What brings joy to your heart? Bad or good? If you hear something bad about someone who is your enemy or whom you do not like, do you rejoice? Or does it make you sad to see your enemy involved in sin? Love takes no joy in the sin of others but rejoices when others walk in the truth.
3 John 1:3-6 (NKJV) For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, 6 who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,
If you love someone you certainly won't be glad when they sin, knowing that sin brings with it destruction and misery. When you love someone you will rejoice when they walk in truth.
Paul concludes this poetic section with a fourfold summary of the positive force of love.
1 Corinthians 13:7 (NKJV) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love bears all things. Bears is the Greek word stego, (steg'-o) This verb is difficult to be dogmatic on because it has two possible uses. It could mean, to roof over, i.e. (fig.) to cover with silence or it could mean to endure patiently.
Because the last of these four deals with endurance I think it's best to see this as "covers with silence." Love covers. When it learns something unpleasant about another it does not run and scatter it all over the church or neighborhood. It does not take delight in some of the misdeeds of others. Love covers it over, keeps it silent. Not that it will not do something about it, but it does not spread it about for others to hear.
It's normal for our flesh to want to uncover everybody's sin. We see this in our children don't we? They love to tattle on each other. It's sad to say but some people never grow out of that. That is not love, love covers the sin of others, it does not expose them.
1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."
Proverbs 10:12 (NKJV) Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
Have you ever noticed how easily you dismiss the faults of those you love? But how do you respond when someone you don't particularly like does something wrong? Do you cover it or expose it? Are you like Ham or like Shem and Japheth?
Genesis 9:22-23 (NKJV) And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
Love will warn, and exhort, and rebuke, and discipline, but love will also cover that sin and not expose it. Love throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person.
The adjective "pas" occurs four times in succession with four different verbs. It can be translated as "all things," but it can also serve adverbially and signify "always." Either way they must be interpreted with limitations. Love certainly would not cover in silence a rape or murder, but report them to the police.
Love "believes all things." pisteuo, (pist-yoo'-o) to have faith (in or with respect to, a person or thing). The context here requires us to understand this of the conduct of others. It doesn't mean that we should join the ecumenical movement and have no discrimination in regard to what we believe. It also does not mean that love is gullible. When Jesus was kissed by Judas in the garden he did not say to him, "Oh, Judas, what a beautiful kiss. I'm so glad you have changed your mind and are showing this." No, he understood that this was a traitorous action. He said to Judas, "Would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" He was not gullible. He did not believe that action of Judas. Nevertheless, love is ready to believe anything that has a ground of reality to it. It is always ready to start over. What this phrase means is that it is ready to trust somebody anew. It does not assume the attitude, "Well you've done that three times before, and you did not do it right again, so I'm not going to trust you anymore." If somebody wants another chance love grants it. Love is not suspicious, it does not read between the lines and come out with the worst. Because we are naturally malicious, we are also suspicious, and take the wrong meaning out of everything. Love believes the best of people. Often when we interpret the actions of others we tend to view them negatively. But if we love them we will interpret their actions in the best possible light.
Adam Clark who was a great theologian was very slow to learn in school. One day a distinguished visitor paid a visit to the school, and the teacher singled out Adam Clark and said. "That is the stupidest boy in the school." Before he left the school, the visitor came to the boy and said kindly, "Never mind, my boy, you may be a great scholar some day. Don't be discouraged but try hard, and keep on trying." The teacher did not believe in Adam Clark, but the visitor did. Who knows, it may have been that word of faith which made Adam Clark what he one day became. Love believes all things.
Last Friday night at our cell meeting Tom was sharing with the group a prayer request for someone who had lost their job because they had violated the company policy. Ligia said, "They didn't do it willfully, it was an accident." And Tom looked at her and said, "how do you know, you didn't even talk to them?" Ligia knew because love believes the best and Ligia loves this person.
If you are going to make a mistake about somebody's character, do yourself a favor and err on the side of love. Make a mistake in the fact that you trusted and believed in them too much. It's better to err on the side of love. Don't be like one of Job's friends. Job's friends were quick to accuse, weren't they? "We all know what you're problem is ,Job: you're evil. That is why you are having all these problems." Job listened to their accusations for as long as he could then he responded.
Job 21:27 (NKJV) "Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
In other words, "all you do is think evil about me." Had they loved Job they would have thought the best and not the worst of him. When you don't like someone, you try to find faults in them. But when you love someone you will cover their faults. If a loved one is accused of something wrong, love will consider him innocent until proven guilty. If he turns out to be guilty, love will give credit for the best motives.
Some people are so negative they always think the worst!
I read a story last week about a farmer that had a brilliant dog? He had a neighbor that just absolutely was negative, no matter what. If it was raining, the farmer would say to his neighbor, "Boy, look at it rain, God's sort of washing it clean." "Yeah, but if it keeps up it's gonna flood." Then the sun would come out and he'd say, "If it keeps that up, it's gonna just scorch the crops."
The farmer thought, "What am I gonna do to win this guy?" So he trained his dog to walk on water. He didn't tell his neighbor, he just took him duck hunting. Boom! Boom! They brought these ducks out of the sky, and said to his dog, "Go get 'em." The dog went across, picked them up, and hopped back in the boat, nothing wet -- just his paws. The farmer said, "What do you think of that?"
The neighbor said, "He can't swim, can he?" Don't be a negative person, believe the best of people. Love believes all things, do you? Do you believe the best in people?
Then, third, love "hopes all things" elpizo, (el-pid'-zo) from "to expect or confide": This also refers to the conduct of others. Rather than having a negative and critical spirit, it is always positive and hopeful. Love is hopelessly optimistic, it never stops hoping. No cause, no situation, no person is ever regarded as totally hopeless. Love says, "God is still God and He can do it; so that's what I have hope in." Love refuses to take failure as final. There is always a place to begin again. Love will find it; it never gives up hope.
A few years ago the psychology department of Duke University carried on an interesting experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim.
In one container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He swam a few moments and then ducked his head to drown. In the other container they made the hope of escape possible for the rat. The rat swam for several hours before finally drowning. The conclusion of the experiment was just the opposite of our common conclusion. We usually say, "As long as there is life, there is hope." The Duke experiment proved, "As long as there is hope, there is life." Hope gives us endurance, the Scriptures teach us this.
Romans 8:25 (KJV) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
We can endure a lot when we have hope! Without hope, we easily cave in to pressures and trials. When we hope, in some one we hang on, we keep believing in them.
Thus Paul adds the final word in this section, love "endures all things." hupomeno, is a military term that has to do with being positioned in the middle of a violent battle. ; to stay under, remain, have fortitude, persevere. Love stands against incredible opposition and still loves. Love never quits; it never gives up on anyone. It cares too much to give up.
Loves covers the faults of others; it believes what otherwise is unbelievable; it hopes in what otherwise is hopeless; and it endures when anything less than love would give up.
Love is the character of Christ. That is what the Holy Spirit is seeking to reproduce in us, so that becoming Christlike means becoming a more loving person. This is the measure of our spiritual growth. I know Christians who do not seem to have changed in twenty years. They are just as querulous and cantankerous and difficult twenty years after they became Christians as they were at the beginning. Something is wrong in a life like that. The whole purpose and thrust of the work of the Spirit is to teach us to be loving, patient, kind, forgiving, understanding, giving others a second chance, trying over again, open to correction and instruction ourselves, easy to be entreated. These are all the qualities that can be produced in a Christian life. That is what makes life worth living. This is the measure of true Christian spirituality.
The solution to your deepest and most complex problem is love. Take your problem, just consider it for a moment. Maybe it's your marriage, or it could be a conflict with your children or parents, maybe it is a sin or temptation that you have not been able to gain the victory over, maybe it's someone you haven't forgiven. What is your problem this morning? Wouldn't this kind of love solve your problem? All problems are not spiritual problems, but all problems have a spiritual solution. And the solution to many of your problems is this kind of love in your life. You might say "yes that kind of love would solve my problem but I don't have that kind of love". This love is the fruit of the Spirit. Only God can produce this love in your life. Only as you walk in fellowship with God can you live like this. The Corinthians were carnal and therefore they did not love like this. Only the Spiritual man can live in love.
So the real solution to your problems is to cultivate your spiritual life. As you grow in your spiritual life the Spirit of God will produce this fruit of love which will solve each one of your problems. The solution to your problems is a good spiritual life. How is your relationship with God? I think our relationship with God is evident by the love that we demonstrate.
Love is not for the halfhearted, the sentimental or the weakling. To live by love is one of the most difficult things there is. It takes the most strength, the most discipline, the most commitment, and the most faith of anything I've ever discovered in the Bible. But without it we're nothing.
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