Real Love “Does Not Rejoice in Iniquity.”
Paul says in summary, “Love does not find delight in anything God says is wrong.” Neither does love take secret satisfaction in the moral failures of others. Love does not pass along a “juicy morsel” of someone else’s failure simply because it tastes good. Love doesn’t gossip to appear knowledgeable, or to feel better about itself by publishing news of someone else’s shame.
Real love does care about the long-term damages of sin, however. When love compels us to expose sin, it must only be for the good of others, any other reason cannot claim motivation by love.
Real love knows that the evil planted in thoughtless moments of pleasure will harvest a profound consciousness of regret. Love knows that sins planted as seeds of foolishness will one day produce the bitter fruit of separation, isolation, and loneliness. Real love cannot rejoice in sin because it cares not only about today but also about tomorrow. Love can’t treat evil as an option without consequences.

Real Love “Rejoices in the Truth.”
Paul has just said that love does not rejoice in iniquity. Now we read what love does rejoice with — the truth. Why did he say “truth”? Why didn’t he say, “Love rejoices with righteousness”?
One reason for Paul’s choice of words is probably the inherent relationship between righteousness and truth. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul spoke of those who will be judged because they “did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12).
Paul’s words to the Thessalonians give us a clue why he said “love rejoices with the truth.” He wants us to think about the profound relationship between what we believe and what we do. On one hand, what we believe determines what we do. On the other hand, what we want to do determines what we are willing to believe. This is why the Bible puts such an emphasis on right beliefs. Good doctrine is right thinking about God, ourselves, and others. Right thinking, in turn, allows us to truly and deeply love one another.
Unrighteousness denies the truth. Wrong behavior is rooted in miss belief about reality. Immorality is rooted in a process of self-deception that says, “I know better than God how to further my own interests and the interests of others.”
Paul had good reason for saying that love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.” The opposite of iniquity is not only righteousness, it is truth. It is believing the truth about God and others and ourselves that can enable us to enjoy life the way it is meant to be. We learn to love each other in grace and truth rather than loving the discovery of their faults. Putting away our self-destructive misbeliefs can enable us to rejoice when we find moral courage, integrity, patience, and faithfulness wherever we find it. That is real love.
On this foundation of righteousness and truth, Paul prepares to put the finishing touches on his portrait of love. We’ll continue tomorrow.