1 Corinthians 13:6 – “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”  (NIV)

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (KJV)

This is perhaps the most neglected phrase in 1 Corinthians 13.  When people think about the great “love chapter” from Paul’s letters, they usually think of the nice, pleasant character traits listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.  It is very rare to hear a sermon that talks about “love” in the sense of rejoicing in truth or recoiling from wrongdoing.

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“Love . . . keeps no record of wrongs.” – 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil…” (KJV)

The Greek phrase Paul employed here can mean “to think about evil” or “to keep an accounting of evils or wrongs.”  That is why the KJV translates it a little differently than most modern versions.  The original text encompasses both ideas, because the main point is dwelling on the other person’s faults. A person living in love will not keep a mental record of another church member’s wrongdoings, nor will they constantly focus on evil things, contemplating how to get revenge or how they would like to lecture the other person.

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Leviticus 14:49-53 - ”To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.  Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

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Deuteronomy 21:11-13 - “…if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.  Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails, and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured.  After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.“

This passage gives us a prophetic illustration of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, that is, how the Spirit transforms our lives when we are born again.  It also shows the preparation of the Bride of Christ, the faithful church, for the Rapture.  Shaving the hair represents the complete change of mentality, attitudes, and opinions that must accompany our conversion experience and spiritual growth.  Trimming the nails refers to the “work of our hands,” as we devote our efforts to God’s Work instead of sinful things.  Clothes refer to our lifestyle, the testimony given by the way we live. continue