First Corinthians 13 Part 4 God's Love In Us Rejoices In His Truth

Paul connects the love of God poured into us by His Spirit, with how spiritual gifts should be used.

In this great chapter on the love of God, we learn what God's love will do and what it will not do. 

Thus, our Christian walk should align with this clear teaching. 

God's love in us leads us to love one another and keep His commandments.

John 15:10-12  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11)  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12)  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 

Remember the words of Jesus our Lord. He commanded us to love one another. Just as we are to abide in Christ because He is the life sustaining vine, so we must abide in His love.

Jesus tells us that the world will see a bright and clear witness for Christ when we love one another (See John 13:34-35). 

Therefore, it is not surprising that the apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth because we need to get this settled in our heart. 

Paul gives examples of what God's love is like and what it does not do. 

1 Corinthians 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up

God's love in us is longsuffering and kind toward others. It is not jealous of others. It is not self promoting but Christ exalting. It is not fueled by arrogance or pride.

1 Corinthians 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

God's love in us maintains respect for all people and treats all fairly. It does not pursue a selfish agenda like the culture promotes. 

It does not explode in wrath or anger at the slightest provocation. It does not spend time and energy plotting to get revenge on those with whom we disagree. 

God's love in us rejects iniquity and rejoices in the truth of scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

"Rejoicing not" means finding no pleasure, no gladness or satisfaction in anything iniquitous.

The most common Hebrew word translated "iniquity" means committing sin worthy of punishment. 

It refers to a sin that is premeditated, continuing and escalating in nature.

God's love utterly rejects such willful sin and finds no joy when sinners ruin their lives by committing iniquity. 

In contrast, the word "rejoiceth" means experiencing great joy and gladness. It is an exhilaration and exaltation in our heart for God our Savior. 

Thus, God's love in us will produce great joy in our heart as we spend time reading, studying and learning the Word of God. 

The Bible reveals God to us and shows us the path to living a life marked by holiness and blessing and great joy.

God's love in us rejoices over His truth because it is more valuable than the spoils of war.

Psalm 119:161-165  SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. 162)  I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. 163)  I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love. 164)  Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. 165)  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. 

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is exclusively focused upon the virtues of God's Word.

The psalmist uses one hundred and seventy six verses to express his rejoicing in the truth of God's Word.

He studies and thinks about what he has read from the scriptures, and his heart is filled with joy. 

He is struck by the awesome reality that God speaks to us through His Word  and that He will show us how to live a blessed life. 

Like a victorious soldier going through the battlefield looking for valuables to take for his own, the Psalmist rejoices at what he reads and learns from the Word of God.

More valuable to him than anything else on earth are the inspired scriptures from God.

God's love in us rejoices over the purity and power of His truth. 

Psalm 19:8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 

King David wrote this Psalm. He tells us that the statutes or house rules of God reflect the righteous, holy God that he knows and loves. 

This knowledge fills the king's heart with much joy and happiness.

Even more, David tells us that the commandments of God which consist of prescriptions (Do this) and proscriptions (Do not do this) are pure. 

They open our eyes to the God of our salvation and help us see how God wants us to live.

God's love in us rejoices because His truth is our eternal heritage.

Psalm 119:111  Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. 

A testimony is God bearing witness of Himself in His Word. God reveals Himself to us and we learn who He is by reading His Word. 

His Word is eternal and is our heritage forever. His Word is the source of our hope, comfort, and joy, no matter what circumstances we face in life.

Thus, the scriptures fill the psalmist's heart with rejoicing, blessing and happiness.

Psalm 117:1-2  O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 2)  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. 

Here, the Psalmist shows us the path to blessing. It is in all nations praising the LORD. 

Jesus gave us the Great Commission to spread His gospel to all nations for them to obey it. 

As we share the gospel with others, we are blessed as we send it out by talking face to face or through a blog like this one. 

Our heart should burst with praise because Jehovah is merciful and kind to all who put their trust in Him. His truth, "the truth" that Paul tells us to rejoice in. 

God's love in us rejoices because His truth sets our soul free from sin.

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus the Messiah, our King, Savior, Master and Lord came to set captives free. He came to preach the gospel to those who are brokenhearted by life's troubles and trials (See Luke 4:18).

He came to preach deliverance to those who have been held captive by the Devil and who were slaves to sin (See Romans 6).

His truth sets those free who were bruised by the Devil's evil actions and it opens the eyes of those who were blinded by sin (See Ephesians 2:1-5).

His truth sets the repentant believer in Christ on a new path with a new direction and a fresh start in life (See Romans 6:6).

His truth shows us how to walk in newness of life as our old way of life passes away (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).

God's love in us rejoices because the Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

God is the only source of pure, unadulterated truth. He is the only source of immutable, unchanging, rock solid truth. 

His Word is forever settled in heaven. As we read and study it, we must ask the Spirit of God to make it settle into our own hearts, so that we can love and serve God aright.

Jesus opened the way of salvation with His redeeming work on the cross. 

Jesus grants spiritual life to all who repent of sin and trust Him for salvation. 

Jesus is the source of holy, pure truth from God. 

Jesus is called the Word of God, who is God and who created all things (John 1:1-18).

There is no other way of salvation, no other way of approaching God except through faith in Jesus Christ!

God's love in us rejoices in the truth of Jesus Christ's deity. 

1 Timothy 3:15-16  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16)  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.    

God gave His church the great duty to preach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. 

The essential truth about Jesus that must be proclaimed is that God was manifest in the flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. 

This great truth is connected with countless prophecies about the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent.

It is connected with Jesus being born of a virgin by the work of the Holy Spirit through Mary, so that Christ did not inherit the sin nature that all people are born with.

The Adamic sin nature is what separates us from God and dooms us to eternal damnation unless we hear and heed the gospel. 

God's love in us rejoices in the truth that Jesus is our perfect Lamb, whose blood washes away our sins. 

1 Peter 1:18-22  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19)  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20)  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21)  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22)  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

Paul tells the Corinthians that they (and we too) must seek to live a godly, holy life, because Jesus purchased our souls with His own blood.

This is the precious cost of our redemption, that God became a man through the virgin birth, and entered the time, space and matter continuum where we live, in order to save us.

Jesus lived a perfect life. He perfectly obeyed God's holy law for us because we always fall short due to our sins.

Jesus then became our sacrifice that all of the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to.

He is the Passover Lamb without spot, without blemish, without sin.

Our sins were laid upon Christ at the cross. God's wrath against our sins was poured out on His Son at the cross. 

God's own blood was shed as the eternal once for all, payment for our sins (See Acts 20:28).

Thus, we are bought with a price. We belong to Jesus. He is our Master, King, Savior, Lord and Friend. 

Thus, the love of God in us rejoices our soul as we learn to obey His eternal truth. 

God's love in us rejoices as His truth and His Spirit sets us apart for His use.

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 

There is a special ministry that the Spirit of God has in us as we read and study the inspired scriptures. 

Jesus prayed to His Father to sanctify all who believe on Christ and He prayed "sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth" (See John 17:17).

To be sanctified means to be set apart from profane, secular things and be dedicated for the purposes God has ordained for us. 

God's love in us will cause us to ask the Holy Spirit  to lead us in His truth. 

Psalm 25:1-5  A Psalm of David. Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. 2)  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. 3)  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. 4)  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5)  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 

King David wrote many of the Psalms including this one. He is praying and praising his God.

He turns his heart to the God of his salvation so that he might learn from Him and worship Him aright.

David asks Jehovah to show him (and all believers) the holy path that God wants us to walk on. God wants what is best for us and He tells us where to find it.

We, like King David, should daily ask the Lord to teach and instruct us in His ways, and especially to lead us as we study His truth found in the scriptures. 

Such a worthy pursuit should be our patient endeavor, knowing that God speaks to us through His Word and knowing that He wants us to know Him better. 

May we have an earnest desire in our heart for the love of God in us, that we rejoice in His truth.

Bob