Friday, September 07, 2007

1 Corinthians 13

I am studying this week 1 Corinthians 13 in preparation for Sunday's sermon. In v. 6, Paul wrote: "(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." I ran across this extended quote from Gordon Fee in his commentary on this verse. It is outstanding.

"The person full of Christ’s love joins in rejoicing on the side of behavior that reflects the gospel—for every victory gained, every forgiveness offered, every act of kindness. Such a person refuses to take delight in evil, either in its more global forms—war, the suppression of the poor—or in those close to home—the fall of a brother or sister, a child’s misdeed. Love absolutely rejects the most pernicious form of rejoicing over evil, gossiping about the misdeeds of others; it is not gladdened when someone else falls. Love stands on the side of the gospel and looks for mercy and justice for all, including those with whom one disagrees" [Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 639.]

No more true comment has been made on this verse. It is an understatement to say that it is challenging.

By the way, in vv. 4-7, the 15 present tense verbs that depict love in action all remind us of God's love for us. We are to go and do likewise.

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