This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of “The Most Excellent Way” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, November 10, 1985.

Our scripture tonight is from 1 Peter 4. We will read the first eleven verses. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. And in all this they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you, but they shall give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. So the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

In the end of all things, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint, as each one has received a special gift, employed in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Whoever speaks, let him speak as it were the utterances of God. Whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Then from 1 Corinthians 13, verses 6 and 7: Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Lord, we are grateful for this word given to us, for surely you have given your word, especially to your church, that by it your church may be instructed, guided, built up, approved, corrected, and shown the very paths of righteousness themselves. We pray, O Lord, that by your mercy, which we feel through Christ, and with the illumination of your Spirit, we may be perceptive in the things of your Word and be intent upon living in accordance with what we find in that Word. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen. We have been sailing along in 1 Corinthians 13, but now we have come to verse 6, and having arrived at that verse, we enter some difficult passages, and we are liable to be driven off course if we are not careful.

That verse reads, “Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” When Paul says that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, what exactly does he have in mind? Some would want to emphasize what he says next and read the entirety of the verse in light of its conclusion. Instead of rejoicing in unrighteousness, love rejoices with the truth. The emphasis falls upon truth in the mind of many. The truth, therefore, is what Paul commends, and that is what contrasts with unrighteousness. Interestingly, he is not contrasting righteousness with unrighteousness, but rather truth with unrighteousness. Now, it is obvious, I believe, that the truth which Paul has in mind here is not intellectualistic, not something born of philosophical or scientific orderings. By contrasting it with unrighteousness, it is clear that this truth of which Paul speaks is something moral in character, ethical in its definition. But what is the precise force of Paul’s thought at this point?

What is the significance of his use of the word truth in this regard, in this specific verse? Many see Paul at this juncture in his description of love as expounding an entire social view, a comprehensive social view. It is almost as if he were putting forward a vision for social justice. The Apostle is thought here to be confronting the many-faced problem of social injustice and oppression. Now, as compelling as such a view might be in itself, and as much as we might sympathize with it, the question remains: is that truly what the Apostle has in mind here? I must say that such a conclusion appears to me to be very unlikely. It is unlikely simply because of the context of these words by Christ in this sixth verse. You see, Paul’s description of love is even more, and I emphasize that, even more concrete and practical than any criticism of social injustice.

You will remember that Paul is dealing with a particular church, that congregation in Corinth. And in this church, the issues are not those of society at large, nor the difficulties that arise in society because of widespread social injustice. Rather, the issues here are those of how first-century Christians are going to live with one another. The issues involve how those within this Corinthian congregation are going to treat one another.

Therefore, allowing the meaning of this sixth verse to arise out of such a context, we are able to go forward with our interpretation, even though the task of interpretation is not easy, since we are likely to read into our interpretation so much of the general and commonly accepted approach.

Now, a helpful aid for us is a review of the qualities of love thus far enumerated, beginning with verse 4. Let us go back and assess where we have been, and perhaps make some adjustments. To say that love is long-suffering or patient is the first description. To say that love is long-suffering, one must keep in mind that this addresses a specific circumstance in the Corinthian congregation, a particular situation the Corinthians faced. Specifically, it refers to the irritation caused by the suffering inflicted by some members of the assembly who act thoughtlessly and immaturely. The long-suffering and patience described here, as Paul speaks of it, is that of one Christian toward another. The need to describe love in this way arises directly from the situation in the Corinthian congregation—irritation caused by the suffering brought about by fellow believers turning against their Christian brothers and sisters.

Love acts patiently. But this love should not be understood as merely passive. We have spent time considering Paul’s progression in the fourth verse. It is not as though one then sits back in an easy chair, resigned to the situation. Rather, as Paul continues to say, the love he describes is kind. It is actively and energetically engaged in deeds, in actions, in words of kindness. And this, despite the pain and irritation that underlie the description of love as long-suffering. Therefore, love acts kindly. And so it is as we move through the successive descriptions of love. Each description has clear reference to the life of the Church.

At Corinth, jealousy was widespread, but Paul insists that love is not jealous. Again, arrogance arose from a harsh competitiveness, and this was a constant attitude for some in the Corinthian Church. But Paul insists that the law, which I speak of and commend to you, knows nothing of this. Moving into the fifth verse, I have labored long to demonstrate that the unbecoming behavior Paul has in mind as the fifth verse begins is not judged by the social standards of Gentile or Jewish society, but rather by the person of Jesus Christ. It appears that there were those whose behavior in Corinth was clearly contrary to Christ. But the love that Paul commands is a love in which Christ is the standard for proper conduct and right behavior. Christ is the standard of right behavior where love reigns. At Corinth, selfishness could be drawn from the congregation like water from a sponge. So many people in Corinth were sensitive, sensitive, sensitive. They were easily offended. They could be described as easily prone to distortion, and they had the habit of keeping a record of offenses they had endured. Therefore, they were given over to nurturing grudges. So we have examined verses 4 and 5. Paul’s attention, when we reach verse 6, has not been suddenly diverted from the problems of the Church at Corinth. As this congregation has divided itself over various issues and matters, the resulting groups within the Church were engaged in competitive criticism, delighting in just the right amount of scorn and cynicism. They enjoyed pointing out the faults of groups that were not their own, or of people who were not close to them. They took special pleasure in exposing, we can say rejoicing in, the weaknesses and sins of others, in the unrighteousness of others. But love does not rejoice in unrighteousness.

You see what these Corinthians were doing. A great deal of their time was spent exposing the weaknesses, sins, frailties, and unrighteousness of others, and they did so with a special kind of relish and joy. This was because, by doing this, they appeared to be better than others. Now, this kind of spirit that was present in Corinth has always existed in the church. This spirit is like a lion, ready to attack at the slightest mistake made by any child of God.

Paul says, Love does not act in this way. Love does not rejoice in the sins of others. It does not delight when people appear weak, foolish, or when their sins lead to deeply embarrassing situations. Rather than acting in this way, love is busy rejoicing not in unrighteousness, but with the truth.

With the truth. Here, truth carries the meaning of faithfulness. Therefore, what the faith of the Lord is concerned with is not another sin committed by a brother or sister in Christ, but the remarkable testimony of those brothers and sisters in Christ to God’s faithfulness and their own faithfulness to Him. This is the true meaning and strength of the word “truth” here. Love refuses to delight in unrighteousness. Instead, it fosters a mindset focused on faithfulness, and by its very nature encourages faithfulness rather than discouraging it.

Paul says that love does not take pleasure in making light of others. It does not take pleasure in exposing or making clear just how foolish someone is. Rather, love is preoccupied with truth and faithfulness.

God takes delight in this. Indeed, how well these sentiments of Paul are understood, I believe, as we have explained them. How well they agree with what follows in verse 7, for immediately afterward we are told that love bears all things. Now, Paul is not being redundant.

He is not merely repeating the beginning of verse 4 by saying the same thing in another way. That is why we must set aside one of the meanings of the word that Paul uses here. It is true that this word can mean to bear patiently. But this word has another meaning, and if you have a New American Standard Bible, you will find this meaning in the marginal notes for verse 7. That meaning is to cover, or even better, to cover with silence. What Paul has in mind is love’s willingness not to go around exposing faults, but to cover them. Do you remember the story of Noah? There is much that we are not told in the account of Noah after the flood. He planted a vineyard, and he drank deeply, and the wine was the produce of that vineyard. He exposed himself in his tent, and his youngest son came in. Having seen his father in that state, he went out, and we assume, and I think correctly, that he did not tell his brothers. But what was the action of Shem? Did he join in the mockery? Ah, the old fool, too many days on the flood. No, he took the garments, and he walked past his father, covering him. It is wonderfully symbolic. The light is not poured into him in his father’s shadow, but after him, even as Christ himself. Do you hear the statement in 1 Peter 4:8? Love covers a multitude of sins. The same sentiment is found in James 5:20. That is how James ends his letter. Love covers a multitude of sins, and that is the spirit. That is the spirit. To dwell in the Church of Jesus Christ and among the saints of the Lord. Love, then, of which Paul speaks, willingly covers faults rather than gladly exposing them. And this is to be done within the household of faith.

Next we are told that love believes all things. That is, love by its very nature is not suspicious. And how much many of us need to hear that. Love by its very nature is not suspicious. It does not assume the worst motive in another brother or sister in the house of God.

It resists that. Love helps all things. That is, the love commended by the apostle possesses the ability to remain confident in the future of the individuals who make up the Church. Rather than expecting the worst, love continually hopes for the best. Not blindly optimistic, but based on the foundation of what the Church is by virtue of the fact that it is Christ’s Church and Christ is at work in the Church.

A young woman in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church a few years ago struggled with alcohol. She attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. She was told that Alcoholics Anonymous was helpful to her, and I do not want to minimize that in any way, and she acknowledges that to this day. But as much good as Alcoholics Anonymous did for her, it led her to believe that she could never be anything other than an alcoholic for the rest of her life. But this contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ! Can Christ liberate, or cannot He? Can Christ deliver, or cannot He?

The foundation upon which the apostles’ statements about love and its ability to hope are based is the reality of Christ’s triumph over everything that opposes His peace. Therefore, love born of Jesus is the kind that persists in confidence regarding the prospect of God’s peace.

And finally, love endures all things. The imagery Paul uses here is military. He wants you to see love as a soldier who, in the midst of battle, is not discouraged but remains faithful. Love has the quality of endurance. Like a soldier who does not waver in the midst of battle, love stands firm.

Well, we covered a great deal today. You may recall this morning’s message. I will think the best and believe what you do. This morning, our message dealt chiefly with the relationship of the Church with the world. Persecution comes. What is our response? Our response is mercy, a persistence in mercy, despite the way they treat us. Our message has to do with relationships within the Church, of those in the Church with others in the Church, Christian to Christian. But I want you to understand the force of the progression from morning to evening. You see, what we considered this morning is actually the foundation. The argument is this.

If you can be merciful, if you are to be merciful to your enemies, those who are outside, and that is the command that Christ places on you, then if you are to be merciful to your enemies, how much more are you obliged to love your brothers and sisters and to treat them in keeping with this law described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13? How much more? Brothers and sisters, if you treat your enemies with such love and such mercy, then what will be true in the house of God? Why, how do you keep the love down?

You who are bound so closely together through Christ. But I am not just talking about this congregation. How should we treat one another? Well, I will tell you how. 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 to 7. There it is. And lest you think that I have not preached to you about Christ tonight, all I want to say now is that Paul’s description here is merely a description of Jesus.

And so our actions and our words are to be shaped by our Savior. As we, with the love he supplies us, treat one another as we ourselves have been treated by him. It is a new day. Life has passed away. It is a new day. And love now is in control. Let us pray.

Father, we ourselves would have enough of that spirit of which the Corinthian congregation drank so deeply. Instead, we desire the Spirit of Christ, and that Spirit, Lord, expresses Himself in the very same way that the Apostle Paul expressed Himself in 1 Corinthians 13. So, Lord, may we be quick to turn back again and again to that chapter and find the fullness of our life, the end of hostilities, the cessation of every malignity that arises within the Church of Christ. And be committed to Jesus our Savior, by whom love reigns.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.