Love Does Not Delight In Evil

Post date: Oct 2, 2017 3:42:53 PM

I have come to call not those who think they are righteous,

but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.

Luke 5:32 NLT

You don’t have to go far to be confronted with news headlines reporting despicable acts perpetrated by mankind. Terrorism, human trafficking, war… History is replete with acts of evil. So, of course we do not delight in evil! As followers of Jesus Christ, we abhor every kind of evil. Period. Full stop.

But Paul’s exhortation that love does not delight in evil means more than meets the eye. The original Greek word for “evil” in 1 Corinthians 13:6 is "adikia," meaning “injustice, of a judge; unrighteousness of heart and life; a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness”.

So while “a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness” may cover the atrocious acts that take place on a large scale, what about the acts of an “unrighteousness of heart and life” that take place every day on a much smaller scale?

If we’re honest with ourselves, at some time or another, we’ve all taken a bit of pleasure in someone else’s demise. It’s innate – particularly in sports. We cheer when the opposing quarterback fumbles the football or the opposing team misses that three-point shot in the last seconds of a basketball game, allowing your team the final victory.

As long as we’re being honest with ourselves, let’s go a step further and acknowledge that at some time or another we all have felt pleasure when we think someone “got what they deserved”. We gloat when politicians on the opposition party are caught doing something unethical or immoral. We secretly rejoice when someone is punished for their mistakes or bad behavior. It stirs up within us thoughts of moral superiority.

In Romans 2:1, Paul writes, “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.”

Oh, how quickly we forget our own sinful state. And the mercy of God that withheld from us that which we deserve (eternity apart from Him) and graced us with that which we don’t deserve – an eternity of joy in His glorious presence.

So what does Paul mean when he says, “love…does not rejoice in evil”?

Paul’s exhortation means that not only does love take no pleasure in wishing ill-will toward someone, but it means we do not delight in causing injury or hurt to someone. Oh, we try to justify our words and actions by calling it “righteous indignation”, but really, our desire to hurt another often stems from our reactions of anger, pettiness, and resentment. And these fall under the “unrighteousness of heart and life” definition to which Paul’s message speaks against.

When love is present, everything changes. When we recognize our own sin and the vast love of God given to us through His incredible mercy and grace, we are changed. We no longer rejoice at the faults and failings of others. Instead, we grieve over the sins of others.

So while we may be patting ourselves on the back that we abhor evil and stand against the injustice we see in the devastating world events around us, how are we doing in keeping our hearts and minds consistent with the love of Christ in the small, seemingly insignificant, events?

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to love others in a way that doesn’t rejoice when bad things happen to them. Hard to do, when we think it’s well deserved.

So how do we live out this kind of love? Start with prayer. It’s really hard to despise someone we’re praying for—in fact, it’s pretty impossible. And if you find you just can’t pray for them, ask God to change your perspective first and help you see them as He does. Through His lens of mercy and grace. Because, “but for the grace of God, there go I.”