1 Corinthians 13:6

Iniquity. Gr. adikia, “unrighteousness.” Love finds no pleasure in any kind of unrighteousness, whether on the part of friend or foe. Unrighteousness, which is sin (see 1 John 5:17), is altogether foreign to the divine nature of love; therefore one who loves cannot be pleased with anything that is not in harmony with the will of God. Love does not rejoice over the vices of others or find happiness because others are found guilty of wrongdoing. It does not take malicious delight in hearing a report that someone has erred (see Prov. 10:12; 11:13; 17:9; 1 Peter 4:8). The unsanctified heart is glad when an enemy falls into sin, or when an opponent makes a mistake that involves him in disgrace, but not so with love. It takes the opposite course, and seeks to help even an enemy when he is in trouble (see Prov. 24:17; 25:21; Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:20). Only those not sanctified by the truth find pleasure in the wrongdoing of others (see Rom. 1:32; 12:9).

Truth. Here “truth” stands in contrast with “iniquity” and means virtue, righteousness, goodness. Love finds pleasure, not in the vices, but in the virtues, of others. Love is interested in the advancement of truth and the happiness of man; therefore it is thankful whenever the cause of truth is sustained (see Mark 9:35-40; Phil. 1:14-18).

Love cannot find happiness in sin of any kind or in the punishment meted out to the sinner; rather, it finds pleasure in the liberation of man from the shackles of sin, because such liberation brings him into harmony with truth and makes him a candidate for the happiness of heaven, for which he was created (see Eze. 18:23, 32; 33:11; John 8:32; 17:17; 1 John 4:8; COL 290).

Behave itself unseemly. Gr. aschemoneo, “to act unbecomingly,” “to behave dishonorably.” In the LXX the word is used with the meaning, “to be naked” (see Eze. 16:7, 22; etc.). Love is never uncivil, rude, or unmannerly; it never behaves in such a way as to offend the sensibilities of others. Christ, when on earth, was ever mindful of the feelings of men, and He ever acted with courtesy and propriety toward all (see GW 121). Every true follower of the Lord will be courteous at all times, never responding to the promptings of the natural heart to repay rudeness and harshness with discourtesy (see GW 123). Love always searches for that which is right and proper or becoming in all the relations of life, because it seeks to promote the happiness of others, and that of necessity leads to avoidance of everything that would cause offense or interfere with true enjoyment.

There may be an allusion here to the improper conduct of some of the Corinthians in public worship and in relation to heathen feasts (see 1 Cor. 8:10-12; 11:4-6, 20-22). For the Christian, personal opinions, desires, and practices are supplanted by love in the interests of the comfort, convenience, and happiness of others.

The becoming behavior of love precludes all fanaticism and unbalanced positions that lead to unrestrained emotional outbursts and bring the cause of God into disrepute. This statement that love never behaves unseemly proves that it is under the control of reason at all times, and cannot be mere emotion or feeling. That which is simply a response to feeling and emotion, and falsely called love, does not act reasonably, nor does it necessarily consider the feelings and sensibilities of others.

Her own. Literally, “her own [things].” The exact opposite of the nature of real love is a selfish seeking after one’s own advantage, influence or honor as the great objective in life (see ch. 10:24, 33). Of all the characteristics of love, this is the hardest for the unsanctified heart to understand. Man naturally is interested first of all in himself, and frequently that interest overshadows all others; but Christ’s way, the way of love, puts self last and others first (see on Matt. 5:43-46; 7:12). Man’s selfish nature is one more proof that sin has completely reversed the divine order in the experience of humanity, leading men to concentrate their affections and interests on themselves (see Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:14-18, 20; 8:5-8; James 4:4; see on Matt. 10:39). One possessed of the selfless love of God forgets self and is completely absorbed in doing the will of God. That is why he is willing to give his life in loving ministry for others (see Matt. 22:37-39; Acts 10:38; GW 112; 7T 9, 10).

Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). From this statement it is clear that no one can be a real Christian, a real follower of Christ, who lives for himself alone or who makes it his principal object in life to promote his own interests. A Christian is one who follows Christ. Therefore he is one who denies the clamors of the natural heart for devotion to self, and who is willing to sacrifice his own comfort, time, ease, wealth, and talents to advance the welfare of mankind.

Easily provoked. The word “easily” is supplied, and apparently without warrant. It actually gives a wrong shade of meaning to the statement. Love is not provoked, whether easily or otherwise; nothing can disturb the equanimity of perfect love and cause a display of annoyance, impatience, or anger. To insert the word “easily” would be to suggest that there are times when a certain amount of anger, irritability, or resentment are permissible, but such is not the case with real love (see Ps. 119:165; Heb. 12:3; 1 Peter 2:23). The Christian who knows that self, the natural heart, is opposed to the will of God, and that having committed himself to the Lord, he is dead to sin, has no cause for irritation or annoyance. He simply turns everything over to God, knowing that whatever happens, he is under the watchful, loving eye of One who is controlling all things for his good (see Rom. 6:11; 8:28; 1 Peter 5:6, 7). One of the most striking effects of conversion is the remarkable change that is seen naturally the character of a person who was naturally irritable in disposition, resentful, and readily roused to anger. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit such a one becomes mild, gentle, and calm. All efforts of Satan to annoy him and make him give way to the old quick-tempered spirit are unavailing.

Thinketh no evil. Literally, “does not reckon the evil.” The Greek here conveys the idea of not taking into account the wrong that has been done; not reckoning, imputing, or charging the wrong to any man’s account. This is another beautiful, Christlike attribute of love. It shows that love puts the best possible construction on the behavior of others. One under the control of love is not censorious, disposed to find fault, or to impute wrong motives to others.