Love rejoices with the truth (v.6)

“Love rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6

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Fallen humanity often tolerates and approves of sin in order to validate and justify its rejection of God (e.g. Rom.1:32). In contrast, Christian love rejoices in whatever is true and noble, right and pure, lovely and admirable (Phil.4:8). “Why is rejoicing with the truth and not in wrongdoing so important? Because, one way or another, we tend to become like whatever we rejoice in” (Sinclair Ferguson).

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Our character is shaped by the things we delight in. So, what is it that pleases us most? Is it “the truth” or in winning an argument about the truth? Is it in God’s goodness to us or that because of his goodness our ambitions get fulfilled and we look good? Are we able not to rejoice when someone who has hurt us ends up getting hurt themselves?

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Jesus came to a world that had “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Rom.1:25) but with his coming “grace and truth” entered our world (John 1:17). To rejoice in the birth of Jesus is to rejoice in the one who is the Truth, and the more we rejoice in the truth he brought then the more we shall become like him.