Rejoices in Truth, Not Evil

The depravity of the human heart was laid bare for us when we studied Romans 1 in January. In that chapter, Paul writes that fallen men suppress God’s revelation of Himself in creation, so God gives them over in judgment first to the general “uncleanness” of sexual immorality, then to the “vile passions” of homosexuality, and finally, taking away all moral restraints, to a “debased mind,” leading to all sorts of evil. Finally they come to the point where, even though they know what God approves and commands, and even though they know that to violate God’s express will is to bring a death sentence upon themselves, they “not only do the same but also approve of those who practice” such things (Rom. 1:32). They are rejoicing in evil or iniquity, in any effort to curse God and throw sand in His face.

As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13, true Christian love cannot behave in this way. Remember, this chapter is really a picture of divine love, and God certainly takes no joy in departures from His own holy moral code. Sin angers Him, for He knows it is foolishness, rebellion, and self-destruction. If we are to emulate Him, we, too, must resist the tendency of our fallen hearts to savor sin, however small and secret we may think it to be.

Interestingly, Paul also mentions a positive expression of this aspect of love. Not only does love not rejoice in iniquity, he writes, it rejoices in the truth. The fact that “truth” is contrasted with “iniquity” tells us that the apostle’s use of “truth” here refers to something other than correct facts. Indeed, we can think of it as anything that pleases and honors God. He loves truth when it is expressed not just in correct doctrine, but in integrity, in faithfulness, or in righteousness. These also should be the things we love and in which we rejoice. We should rejoice to hear the Word of God proclaimed so that sinners are chastened and God’s standards established. We should rejoice when our leaders fulfill their offices with integrity. We should rejoice when our brothers and sisters walk before God in faithfulness. We should rejoice as the Holy Spirit multiplies Christlikeness in us. Like Paul, our joy over the truth should manifest itself as we see Christ proclaimed, such that we cry out, “In this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Phil. 1:18b). Truth should thrill us as deeply as evil distresses us.