Agape Love

A Seven Part Homily Series

Part Five

Love does not Delight in Evil but Rejoices with the Truth.

 

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

I Corinthians 4-8

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

Love does not Delight in Evil

 

Evil might be defined as “anything that hurts people.” Those who love as God loves will hate this evil with all their heart, mind and soul.

 

It seems that any of us would claim to be able to have this kind of love, the love that would not delight in evil. None of us would say we enjoy seeing people suffering with disease, hurt by abuse or emotionally distraught over the murder of a loved one? It seems on the surface that it is the rare individual that would delight in evil. But these examples above are blatant evils and sins of this world. What about those more subtle examples of evil that we are exposed to that reveal the desires of our fleshly nature?

 

How do any of us respond when a politician is caught in a sexual or financial sin? Do we enjoy hearing all the juicy news reports? Do we delight in his downfall since it was an evil behavior? Do we fail to consider the ramifications of his actions on his spouse or his family not to mention the impact on the integrity of our government? That is part of hating evil, to perceive the effects of what evil can destroy or taint when it is manifested in the lives of individuals. We love as God loves when we hate evil of any sort. We should not be entertained by the evil manifested in a person’s life. We should be overcome by grief for those affected and feel abhorrence for how evil can traumatize the lives of its victims, even those who participate in the evil. When we have such feelings of enjoyment in the downfall of another we do not have the love of God.

 

Possibly we justify our feelings towards such an individual whose behavior is exposed as justice being done, but do we have a Christ-like concern about how, in the case of a corrupt politician, their life might be redeemed and restored? God’s love hates evil in any form. God does want justice, but He also wants above all to save people from their sins. I truly believe that God will cry deeply over each and every sinner that He must place in Hell because He deals with sin justly. He is a God who has a perfect balance of justice and love. If He were only just, we all would be placed in Hell. If God were only loving, everyone would go to heaven. In the same manner, as servants of God we are to both pray for justice and love as God loves, as we hate the evil that surrounds us and sometimes impacts our lives.

 

Do we rejoice when our enemies suffer under the hands of evil? Does the depth of our rejoicing increase in proportion to the conviction we have that we are on the side of right? The Salem witch-hunts were an example of what can happen when people delight in evil, fail to love people properly, lose the moral guidance of God’s Word and let their flesh run out of control. Possibly the following quote by Lewis B. Smedes is appropriate regarding this example. “When religion builds altars to things less than God it brings out people’s tendency to applaud evil. Idols always seduce us into an illicit affair with evil.”

 

Do we rejoice when someone we don’t like falls into public sin? Does our own selfishness fuel our enjoyment of their failure? Do we rejoice in the public sins of others because it makes us look better in our own mediocre and apathetic Christian life? Do we rejoice in the evil sins of others to make our misfortunes of life possess a shiny lining. In other words, misery loves company. Maybe we’re not in sin or committing evil acts, but when others suffer for their evil behavior our oppressive life seems to be a little brighter because their lives are a disaster. This is not loving others as we should. The love that we are called to in 1 Corinthians, God’s love, motivates us to hate evil in any form. It doesn’t matter whether it is a friend, acquaintance or an enemy of ours. Love convicts us to hate evil whenever and wherever it manifests itself in the lives of people because evil hurts people.

 

Is it possible that the reason so many people are addicted to television soap opera shows is the fact that they delight in all the evil that goes on in the storyline? Is it possible that the reason for the popularity for all of the reality shows on television currently is the evil drama that takes place mesmerizes, fascinates and attracts us by the way our flesh enjoys evil behavior? I would put forth the idea that even “pretend” evil in the form of movies and television stimulates our flesh and its enjoyment of evil.

 

The problem with failing to hate evil is that we can be drawn into it. I remember a friend of mine who was trying to reform a man who was divorcing his wife for all the wrong reasons. As he ministered to this brother who was straying from the Lord he himself was caught up into the evil and ended up divorcing his wife as well. Lewis B. Smedes comments on how this can happen. “After flirtation with evil, shadowed by hesitation and plagued by guilt, a person is finally seduced into satanic intercourse. All devious game-playing is finished, he or she thinks. Now finally, it is possible not only to rejoice in evil but to rejoice in one’s rejoicing. One is dared to say: ‘Evil, I love you.’ He or she is then a religious hero, for having dared the ultimate evil. I mention this only to observe that it happens.”

 

When we do not hate evil, we can be tempted to flirt with it in what we feel is an innocent manner. We begin to consider how it would be if we applied it to our own lives. That is the deceptiveness of evil. It appears as a sweet chocolate-coated piece of candy, but hidden inside is its true nature, rotten putrefying death. We must not forget that evil does have an attraction to it. Evil has the ability to appear that it can provide all the answers we need to the problems we face and the happiness we desire. It also gives us an alternative to the disciplined life of faith we are called to as Christians. Once we fail to hate evil, we begin to entertain it as a viable option for what we desire. This causes our flesh that was crucified with Christ on the cross to rise from the grave and overwhelm our spiritual life and quench the Holy Spirit. Scripture warns us about how to deal with the attraction of evil.

 

Romans 12:21

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:22

“Avoid every kind of evil.”

 

James 1:21

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

 

1 Peter 3:17

“It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

The only way we can protect ourselves from such temptation is to love appropriately by hating evil as God’s Word instructs us. Numerous scriptures echo the call in 1 Corinthians 13 to love as God loves and to hate evil in the process.

 

Proverbs 3:7

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.”

 

Proverbs 8:13

“To fear the LORD is to hate evil;”

 

Proverbs 14:16

“A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil,”

 

Romans 12:9

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Again Lewis B. Smedes has a most appropriate comment on this when he says, “Love will not move us one millimeter in the direction of affirming evil…Love is the stark, uncompromised, absolute antithesis of evil…love is the power that moves only to heal needless hurts.”

 

Love Rejoices with the Truth

 

The love of God that is shown by us, rejoices with truth by its side. Truth gives the foundation to the love that is expressed. It sets boundaries so that the merciful love that is full of grace is appropriately given with justice. Agape love is self-sacrificial and has truth to empower it and make sure that it is expressed properly, within Biblical guidelines. Mr. Smedes again gives us insight when he says, “Truth keeps love honest, reminding it that an enemy loved is still an enemy, a sinner forgiven no less a sinner. Truth keeps love from sweeping the realities about people under a shaggy carpet of agapic good will. So love rejoices with the truth.”

 

Truth is crucial to loving properly in situations where friends, relatives, children, spouses and co-workers offend or sin against us. Without truth, we can love inappropriately. We can become an enabler that encourages further sin or evil in the offender’s life by supporting their behavior through our love. Agape love that stands with truth can love the offender, place loving boundaries on their behavior and support them properly so they can heal and reject the evil or sin in their lives. Such love standing with truth can help lead a person back to a relationship with the Lord and with us as well. It is tough love, but it is Godly love that the Holy Spirit can give us the power to live out. The truth of scripture sets the guidelines and boundaries. God’s own love for us will sustain us in the process of loving, as God loves.

 

May we hate evil and love people with truth by our side, so that we can encourage healing to take place in their lives as well as our own.