How to Raise Wise, Godly Children Training Your Child to Obey Dealing with Rebellion Training in Righteousness Aiming for the Heart

Love does not take pleasure at wrongdoing (13:6a) A loving person does not take pleasure at wrongdoing, i.e. the wrongdoing of others. Furthermore, love does not take pleasure at the wrongdoing of others, i.e. love does not gloat over other people’s failures. In other words, “if we genuinely love a person, we should not take pleasure at conduct which affords us the opportunity to lecture them or rebuke them about their wrongdoing.” (Thiselton, p.1054)

But love joyfully celebrates truth (13:6b) The second half of the verse is in contrast with the first – separated by the word “but” - [love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (ESV) The second “rejoice” is the same word in the original as the first “rejoice” only with an added prefix (sun-) which changes the meaning to “rejoice with” or “celebrate” In other words, a loving person celebrates when they see others pursuing truth. The symmetry of v. 6a and v. 6b is now apparent . . . Love takes no pleasure in someone else’s failure, and delights in [the other person’s] integrity... If the situation is bad, love wants to help; if the situation is good, love wants to celebrate. (Thiselton, p.1056) Compare with: Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 3John 1:4 - I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

How does this apply to our kids? Love does not take pleasure at wrongdoing but love joyfully celebrates truth (13:6) How does this apply to our kids? We have to teach children to overcome their natural inclination to feel pleasure when someone they don’t like or find annoying experiences misery or gets in trouble. Kids will often try to find pleasure in the wrongdoing of their siblings by tattling on them so they can enjoy watching them get in trouble. We need to teach our kids to rejoice with those who rejoice, which is often contrary to their nature, especially towards people for whom they have no natural affection.

Note on the Traditional Translation of 1Corinthians 13:7 The traditional translation of 1 Corinthians 13:7 - Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (ESV) is somewhat misleading. If we take this translation at face value, for example, we would believe everything?! What all would that include?! Thiselton avoids this problem and conveys what is more likely the true sense of the original: [love] never tires of support, never loses faith, never exhausts hope, never gives up. Taken in this way, the word “all” in this verse describes the great extent to which a loving person believes in or hopes in those he loves.

Love never tires of support (13:7a) The word Thiselton translates as “support” literally means “to put a roof on” and carries the idea of: Protecting (cf. NIV) To cover over or conceal, in the sense of either: Keeping a confidence (when appropriate) To suffer in silence rather than making a complaint or insisting on your rights: Paul uses the term in another place in this same letter: If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. (1Cor 9:12) Paul also uses the term in another place: So when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless. (1Thes 3:1 NET)

Love never tires of support (13:7a) Our love for others should make us naturally prone to endure inconvenience and difficulty at the hands of others and/or for the sake of others if we believe that, in the long run, it will serve their best interests. [When] he says “beareth all things”, you must understand him as referring to the things that ought to be endured, and in such a manner as is befitting. For we are not to bear with vices, so as to give our sanction to them by flattery, or, by winking at them, encourage them through our [passivity]. Farther, his endurance does not exclude corrections and just punishments. (John Calvin)

Love never tires of support (13:7a) How does this apply to our kids? Start with the basics: kids need to not throw a fit when they don’t get their way. Teach them not to be quick to take offense at siblings and/or other kids, but instead, when appropriate, to be protective of them. Sometimes even when circumstances are hard and they feel stretched, they must learn to be patient and bear up well under the circumstance.