(“… Happy When The Truth Prevails”)

I Corinthians 13:1-8a

(I Corinthians 13:6b)

(A) HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY?

(1) So – what makes you happy? If I were to ask all of us to make a list of ten things that personally make us happy, I wonder what our lists would look like? I also wonder how many of those things on ours lists really do make us happy.

(a) Albert Schweitzer, who was an accomplished musician, missionary, physician and philosopher (among other things), once said: “Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”¹ Would either of those things make your list?

Comedian George Burns once said: “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family – in another city.”¹ Do you agree or disagree?

Poet Robert Frost once said that: “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length”² – thereby suggesting that times of happiness are infrequent and short-lived. Do you find that to be true in your own life? – or not?

(b) One little girl observed that working parents looked happier when they picked up their children after school than when they dropped them off in the morning on their way to work – and concluded that work must make people happy.³ Does your work make you happy?

Interestingly (as an aside), Scripture says work is a good thing. Indeed, work was an integral part of man’s life in the Garden of Eden before the Fall (c.f. Genesis 2:15). Only after Adam sinned did it become “toilsome” and “sweaty”, so to speak (c.f. Genesis 3:17-19).

(2) Literally hundreds of studies have been done to try and determine what makes people happy. Not all of them are scientific, or reliable. Nor are all their conclusions consistent with Scripture – so you might want to take the following examples with a healthy dose of caution.

(a) For instance, one study of 909 women living in Texas found that the majority were happiest when they were watching television, shopping, or talking on the phone.⁴ Do those things make you happy? Would you have put any of those things on your “top ten” list?

Another study suggests things like popularity, money, influence and luxury are less likely to make people happy than things like autonomy (i.e. feeling like you are in control of your life) (which we never are, by the way), competence (i.e. feeling like you are effective in what you do), relatedness (i.e. feeling a sense of closeness to others), and self-esteem (i.e. just generally feeling good about yourself).⁵ Do any of these things make you happy?

(b) According to the Pew Research Center, in an article published earlier this year entitled, “Are We Happy Yet?”, (according to this article) married people are generally happier than unmarried people – those who worship regularly are usually happier than those who don’t – Republicans are reportedly happier than Democrats – rich people are typically happier than poor people (thereby contradicting the findings of the study I just quoted) – Whites and Hispanics are by and large happier than Blacks – and people living in the Sunbelt are said to be happier than those who live in the rest of the country.⁶

That same study concluded people who have children are no happier than those who don’t – that retirees are no happier than those who are still working – and that pet owners are no happier than those without pets⁶ – all of which flies in the face of so-called “conventional wisdom”.

This study also indicated that healthy people tend to be happier than those who are sick (you think?!) – that better-educated people tend to be happier than less-educated people – and that (and this one is interesting – that) middle-aged and older people tend to be happier than young people (which clearly runs counter to the prevailing opinion of the popular culture).⁶

(c) I suspect, however, that when all is said and done, no one knows for sure what makes people happy – in part because happiness is so subjective – and because, in a fallen world, what makes a person happy today may not make them happy tomorrow.

(3) Scripture has some things to say about happiness, and what will really make people happy.

(a) For example, Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Eight says: 1“How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways 2… you will be happy and it will be well with you” (c.f. Psalm 128:1-2) (i.e. “you will be happy” IF you “fear the Lord and walk in His ways”).

The Book of Proverbs says that finding “wisdom” (specifically, the kind of wisdom that begins by fearing the Lord – c.f. Proverbs 9:10) (that finding wisdom), and “hold(ing) her fast” will make a man “happy” (c.f. Proverbs 3:13-18) – that happiness also comes from being “gracious to the poor” (c.f. Proverbs 14:21) – and that (contrary to popular opinion) obeying the law (be it God’s or man’s) will bring a person more happiness than casting off all lawful restraints (c.f. Proverbs 29:18).

(b) It’s almost common knowledge that the Greek word for “blessed” Jesus repeated used in the Beatitudes literally means “happy”.⁷ In that passage, Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (c.f. Matthew 5:3) – i.e. happy are those who see their need for salvation, and depend on God alone to provide it.⁸ And again: “Blessed are the gentle (or “the meek”), for they shall inherit the earth” (c.f. Matthew 5:5) – i.e. happy are those who humble themselves before God by submitting to His will and His laws.⁸ And once more: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (c.f. Matthew 5:11) – i.e. be happy when you suffer any form of persecution for Christ’s sake, because (as Jesus went on to say in the next verse) “your reward in heaven is great” (c.f. Matthew 5:12).

(c) In Scripture, then, we find that real happiness – the kind of happiness that produces deep lasting satisfaction, as opposed to a temporary emotional high that’s here one moment and gone the next – (real happiness) doesn’t come from all the things people indicate on surveys. Rather, it comes from things like knowing our sins have been forgiven, and that we have God’s free gift of eternal life, via the road of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ – that happiness comes from obeying our Savior’s commands, and from serving Him whole-heartedly in whatever capacity or place He puts us – that happiness also comes from serving and loving others in Christ’s name (c.f. Mark 9:41).

(4) Now, I’ve spent all this introductory time on the subject of “happiness” because this morning’s text says “(agape-love) rejoices with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b) – and because the Greek word used for “rejoices” (“sugchairo”) has to do with things like joy, and gladness,⁹ and happiness. Hence, our text is telling us that agape-love takes pleasure in the truth – that agape-love is glad when truth triumphs – that agape-love is happy to see the truth prevail.

(a) And while this might apply to truth in any form, be it political or social or educational or whatever – it applies first and foremost of all to spiritual truth – what we sometimes call “doctrine”, and the application or practice thereof. To put it another way, as Christians who are striving (by Christ’s enabling grace) to put agape-love into practice in our everyday relationships with each other, one of the things that ought to make us happy is when biblical truth prevails. We should be glad when we hear the truths found in God’s word being taught and preached with accuracy and conviction – we should rejoice when we see true doctrine triumph over false doctrine – when we see spiritual truth overcoming error – and when we see the practical application of that truth winning out over the practice of sin and evil, whether it be in our own life, or the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

(b) So – would “rejoic(ing) with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b) have made it onto your list of ten things that make you happy? Suppose we expanded the list to fifty things that make us happy – or even a hundred. Would “rejoic(ing) with the truth” have been on those lists? I confess that, until this week, it wouldn’t have been on mine – which indicates I still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding agape-love, and putting into practice.

At the same time, however, I am encouraged and comforted by promises like the one found in Romans chapter eight, that says those God has chosen to save have also been: “predestined to (be) conformed to the image of His Son” (c.f. Romans 8:29) (who is the epitome of agape-love, and who always rejoices in the truth) – I am encouraged and comforted by the fact this conforming process (also known as sanctification) has already begun in my life – and that it will eventually be brought to full completion (c.f. Philippians 1:6), albeit not until we all get to heaven.

(c) Nevertheless, as we continue to grow in our understanding and application of agape-love, during our brief time here on earth, we can also expect to grow in this area of “rejoic(ing) with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b) – of being glad when doctrinal truth triumphs – of being happy when we see our brothers and sisters putting the truths of God’s word into practice.

(B) LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

(1) This morning’s text really completes the thought begun in the first part of verse six, which we looked at last time. Indeed, it’s a parallel thought that contrasts what agape-love does NOT do (i.e. agape-love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness”) (it contrasts what agape-love does not do), with what it DOES do (i.e. agape-love does “(rejoice) with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6).

(2) Now, at first glance it may see strange to find Paul comparing “not rejoicing in unrighteousness” with “rejoicing in the truth”.¹⁰ Somehow the parallel doesn’t seem quite right – it seems to lack a certain literary or even logical symmetry.

(a) We might have expected Paul to contrast “not rejoicing in unrighteousness” with “rejoicing in doing what’s right” – or, we might have expected him to compare “rejoicing in the truth” with “not rejoicing in dishonesty, or lying, or some other form of deceit.” Instead, he draws a parallel between “unrighteousness” and “truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6). And if we inquire as to why, it’s because the “truth” Paul is speaking about (as we alluded to earlier) is not simply factual truth. Rather, he’s referring to God’s “truth” – specifically, the “truths” found in God’s inspired written word.¹⁰

Jesus once declared God’s word to be “truth”, saying: “Your word IS truth” (c.f. John 17:17). He also prayed (in that same passage) that His disciples would be “sanctified in (or “by”) the truth” (c.f. John 17:19). So we see from this that personal righteousness is predicated (or founded) on biblical truth – and, as John MacArthur says, it cannot exist apart from that truth.10

Hence, “unrighteousness” and “truth” really are opposites – in part, because no one can “(rejoice) with the truth” and “rejoice in unrighteousness” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6) at the same time. Or, to put it another way, no one can practice “unrighteousness” and also “rejoice in the truth”, because the two are mutually exclusive.

(b) No wonder, then, that agape-love “rejoices with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b) – for to know the truths found in Scripture is to know the mind of our God (albeit only in part) – while walking in those truths is to live in a manner that pleases Him, and glorifies our Savior Jesus Christ. Hence, the Apostle John – who is sometimes called the Apostle of love, because his writings have so much to say about agape-love – (the Apostle John) once said: “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (c.f. III John 1:4).

(3) Agape-love “rejoices with the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b). It “rejoices” when it hears “the truth” being proclaimed – and when it sees “the truth” being lived out in people’s lives. Agape-love does not “rejoice in” wrong doctrine, even when it’s taught by mistake – nor is it happy to see others doing things Scripture says: “are worthy of death” (c.f. Romans 1:32).

(a) Agape-love does not take the attitude that says: “It’s no big deal if people don’t agree with us about doctrine. What matters is that we love them.”¹⁰ And, of course, it IS important that we love them. But if we really love others with the love of Christ, we will do what we can to help them see the truth – much like Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and “explained to him the way of God more accurately” (c.f. Acts 18:24-26), thereby making him an even more effective preacher than he had been before!

It may have been under the guise of a false love that the believers in Corinth had refused to disciple a man in the church who was committing incest and adultery with his father’s wife (c.f. I Corinthians 5:1-2, 6a). Such a response (or lack thereof) could not have been motivated by agape-love, because it denied those truths found in Scripture forbidding immorality (c.f. Exodus 20:14) and encouraging the practice of moral purity (c.f. I Thessalonians 4:3-7).

(b) So, if we really do love others, it will matter a great deal to us whether or not what they believe is right or wrong.

What we believe affects how we live. What people believe affects their souls and their eternal destinies – not to mention their representation of Christ, and what His will for us really is. Moreover, there’s a ripple effect because what one person believes affects the people inside their sphere of influence¹⁰ – like their friends – and especially their children (c.f. Matthew 18:6).

(4) This morning’s Scripture lesson says agape-love “is patient (and) kind” (v. 4a) – even to those who are not living in the truth. Furthermore, agape-love “is not arrogant, (nor) does (it) act unbecomingly” (v. 5a), even toward those whose doctrinal beliefs are different, or in error (c.f. I Corinthians 13:4a, 5a). At the same time, however, (and this is where it gets tricky for us fallen human beings) agape-love does not compromise biblical truth.¹⁰

(a) Obviously we need to make sure we have handled “the word of truth” accurately ourselves (c.f. II Timothy 2:15), and are not in need of someone lovingly correcting us (which we all need from time to time, by the way). But for the sake of the example, let’s assume we have an accurate understanding of God’s word in a particular area. To then compromise that truth is neither “kind” to those we may mislead by our silence, nor “becoming” of someone who is supposed to love Christ “with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength” – and who is supposed to “love their neighbor as themselves” (c.f. Matthew 22:37-39).¹⁰

The Apostle John once said: “this is love, that we walk according to (God’s) commandments …” (c.f. II John 1:6). So, to compromise, for example, on the doctrine of our Savior’s incarnation is not a loving action – to remain silent when someone denies the deity of Christ from the pulpit or the teaching lectern is not a loving response¹⁰ – to not try and correct a person’s misconception regarding how salvation takes place, not in a quarrelsome way but gently, as Scripture says (c.f. II Timothy 2:24-25), is not loving behavior – to avoid teaching the truth regarding God’s sovereignty, for example, because we’re afraid someone in the audience might be offended, is not loving others with the love of Christ. If anything, it’s self-loving because we’re selfishly trying to protect ourselves from potential criticism. The one thing it’s not is agape-love!

Scripture says we are to “(speak) the truth in love” at all times (c.f. Ephesians 4:15a) (and the Greek word for “love” used in that verse is “agape”). Admittedly we fallen creatures often find it difficult to be truthful and loving at the same time – and yet that’s exactly what we will be if we are practicing agape-love – i.e. truthful and loving all at the same time.

(b) On the other hand, while agape-love is committed to the truth, it does not go around looking for faults in other people’s behavior, or in their doctrinal beliefs – nor, when it happens upon them, is it quick to expose those faults for the rest of the world to see. On the contrary, as the Apostle Peter said, “(agape) love covers a multitude of sins” (c.f. I Peter 4:8b; Proverbs 10:12b).

Love covers a multitude of sins, in part, by “not tak(ing) into account a wrong suffered” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:5d) – i.e. by not keeping a list of how other people have wronged us, or offended us. But, it also covers a multitude of sins by working behind the scenes (as it were) to lead people out of error and into the truth – by working quietly in the background, as much as possible, to expose a brother or sister in Christ to the truths found in God’s word, so they can turn from their sinful behavior or errant beliefs, and learn to walk in the truth.

(c) May the Lord help us love each other like that – with a love that “rejoices (in) the truth” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:6b) – with a love that’s committed to seeing our brothers and sisters in Christ come to know the truth, and put that truth into practice – with a love that’s dedicated to seeing each other built up and strengthened in the truths found in God’s inspired written word.¹⁰

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_happiness.html

2www.dailycelebrations.com/happy6.htm

3http://anolita.jeeran.com/mind/archive/2005/12/4065.html

4www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/health/02cnd …

5www.apa.org/journals/features/psp802325.pdf.

6http://pewresearch.org/social/pack.php?PackID=1

7BCS: Strong’s Concordance; Word #3107.

8The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnotes on Matthew Chapter Five; p. 1511.

9BCS: Ibid; Word #4796 and #5463.

10MacArthur: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: I Corinthians; p. 351.