Sermon Tone Analysis

Love rejoices when truth triumphs (13:6).

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

or rude.

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love rejoices when truth triumphs (13:6).

Defining unrighteousness and truth.

Unrighteousness is a general “disregard for what is right.”[1]

Our specific context establishes that it is a disregard for truth.

Paul writes of this in Romans as well, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” ( ESV).

Unrighteousness is the rejection of truth and its practical implications.

Truth in this context is more than simple propositional statements, although it includes those statements.

Too often we limit truth to a list of specific statements.

God is love.

Mankind is born into a state of sin and misery.

Man is to glorify God.

Sin is falling short of God’s glory.

Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind.

God is the creator of all things . . .

and on and on we go.

If we limit “truth” to just these statements, we can look at them from a distance with no real impact on our lives.

Each one of those truth statements has a coinciding practical outworking.

God is the creator of all things, so I must submit to His will each day.

God is sovereign so I have no reason to be anxious or worried.

Mankind is sinful and this demands my repentance and humility.

Christ died for my sins so I must rely on him for my salvation.

And, this reliance should continue throughout every day of my life.

Truth statements work themselves out in truth actions.

Paul rejoiced when he saw this reality in the life of the Colossian believers.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints . . .

Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel . . .

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ( ESV).

Simply put, Paul rejoices that they have received the truth (or the gospel) and he continues to pray that those truths work themselves out in “bearing fruit in every good work.”

So then, love for others will result in our joy when others choose to embrace the truth and live lives reflective of those truths.

The reverse is as well true, if we are truly loving them, we will be broken when we see those we love not embrace the truth and choose to live in unrighteousness.

We can’t “rejoice with those who rejoice” when they are rejoicing in actions that are contrary to truth.

True love does not rejoice when others choose to make unrighteous decisions.

THISELTON.

Love takes no pleasure in someone else’s failure, and delights in integrity and reality.

If the situation is bad, love wants to help; if the situation is good, love wants to celebrate.[2]

The Corinthian Church rejoiced in unrighteousness.

This rejoicing in unrighteousness may take a number of different forms.

(1) It appeared as arrogance in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and the interaction with the man who was with his father’s wife.

Paul writes “you are arrogant!

Ought you not rather to mourn?” ().

It seems most likely that the church saw their dealings with this man as some type of wonderful expression of patience and tolerance.

They probably considered themselves loving and understanding.

They may have thought, “We have an open mind.

We’re not judgmental.”

And yet, in leaving this man in this sin, they were actually unloving towards this man.

(2) The Corinthians were as well rejoicing in unrighteous behavior as they took each other to court and rejoiced as they defeated those who had offended them in some way.

A vindictive heart is not loving.

(3) There also seemed to be a great deal of status seeking in the Corinthian Church.

Typically, as you try to establish a position or status for yourself, you rejoice when you leave others behind.

You rejoice when you see others fail making room for you to step in.

This is as well rejoicing in unrighteousness.

LANGE.

The trait here brought out, is that disposition to rejoice in the downfall or injury of others, which springs out of ill-will or jealousy, and which is gladdened when those who are envied for their advantages are compelled through some misstep to come down from their high position and incur disgrace.

[3]

Reasons we may rejoice in wrongdoing.

Sadly this is evidenced in the modern church just as often.

Every time we find some kind of sordid joy when someone we didn’t really like falls or fails, we are rejoicing in unrighteousness.

We seem to like others being knocked down because it places us just a bit higher – if not only in our minds.

Every time we see someone fail, allowing us to correct and admonish them, we are rejoicing in unrighteousness.

When we enjoy the feeling of vindication when someone else fails or falls, we are rejoicing in unrighteousness.

Social media and the news are full of reports of disaster and evil deeds.

People crave reports of others failing.

There is something within our flesh that appeals to this sordid pleasure.

Whatever it is, it is not love.

Love is stubbornly optimistic (13:7).

Overview of chiasm.

Let’s look at these four positive characteristics of love as a set.

I don’t want to overemphasize this, but it appears that Paul is writing these four characteristics in chiastic structure.

If so, he is paralleling bears with endures and believes with hopes.

While they are paired together they do have different nuances of meaning within them.

All things or always?

Before we jump into a better understanding of these four characteristics let us better understand the ESV’s translation “all things.”

By large, the translations use “all things” but with the NIV translation we read a slight variance.

It reads love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”[4]

This may be splitting hairs but is Paul encouraging believers to bear, believe, hope, and endure everything?

Are we supposed to set aside our discernment and logic and just take whatever comes our way?

Believe whatever your told.

Accept whatever comes your way.

Is that really what Paul is saying?

Or, is he exhorting believers to “always” bear with those we love?

We are to believe in and hope in and endure with those we love, not naively or ignorantly.

Our love will always result in our bearing and enduring with those we love.

Bears and endures.

Bears has a literal meaning of “roof.”

This meaning works itself out figuratively in two different ways: (1) covers or protects and (2) endures or puts up with.

I’m not going to draw a firm conclusion to which one Paul is primarily emphasizing.

Either way, both are true.

Love covers or protects.

We find this truth taught in a number of passages in scripture.

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses” ( ESV).

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” ( ESV).

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” ( ESV).

It was God’s love for us that motivated him to send Christ to cover our sins.

This is what love strives to do.