Commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:6

1 Corinthians 13

English Standard Version

The Way of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast

1 Corinthians 13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

1 Corinthians 13:6. “It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”

Paul’s sentence is brief, but searching. Christian love is known not only by what it does, but also by what gives it joy. Love refuses to celebrate sin, injustice, falsehood, or another person’s downfall. Instead, it delights when God’s truth is believed, spoken, and embodied.

1. Exegesis of the verse

Literary and pastoral setting

First Corinthians addresses a gifted but divided church. Pride, rivalry, lawsuits, sexual disorder, disregard for weaker believers, disorder at the Lord’s Supper, and competition over spiritual gifts had damaged the congregation’s life together. 1 Corinthians 13 stands between the discussions of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. Paul therefore presents love as the indispensable way in which every gift must be exercised. Without love, impressive speech, knowledge, faith, sacrifice, and ministry achieve nothing before God (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

“It does not rejoice at wrongdoing”

The English Standard Version’s “wrongdoing” translates a term that can carry the sense of unrighteousness, injustice, or conduct opposed to God’s standards. The wording concerns more than committing wrong. Paul exposes the heart’s pleasure in wrong: enjoying gossip, taking satisfaction in an opponent’s disgrace, excusing sin when it benefits our group, or treating another person’s failure as entertainment. Such pleasure contradicts love because it approves what dishonours God and harms a neighbour. Compare Romans 1:32 and 2 Thessalonians 2:12.

“But rejoices with the truth”

The contrast is deliberate. Love’s joy is aligned with “the truth”: the truth of the gospel, the moral truth revealed by God, and truthfulness in the life of the church. The expression translated “rejoices with” suggests shared joy. Love joins the celebration whenever truth prevails, repentance bears fruit, justice is done, faithfulness is recognised, and people walk according to God’s word. Compare 2 John 4 and 3 John 3–4.

The argument of 1 Corinthians 13

Verses 4–7 describe love through actions and dispositions rather than sentiment. Verse 6 anchors love morally: patience and kindness never mean indifference to evil. Verses 8–13 then show why love must govern Christian life. Gifts are partial and temporary, but love endures. Faith, hope, and love remain, and love is greatest because it reflects God’s character and belongs to the life of the age to come.

2. Theological teaching

• God defines both love and truth. Love is not autonomous sentiment. God is love, and God is true; therefore, genuine love accords with his holy character and revealed word (John 14:6; John 17:17; 1 John 4:8–10).
• The cross unites truth, justice, and mercy. God does not overlook wrongdoing. In Christ, he condemns sin and saves sinners through substitutionary atonement. The cross shows that holy love names evil truthfully, bears its cost, and grants grace (Romans 3:21–26; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Love is the fruit of grace. Fallen people naturally excuse their own sin and enjoy the humiliation of rivals. The Holy Spirit renews believers so that they increasingly grieve over evil and delight in holiness (Galatians 5:22–23; Titus 2:11–14).
• Truth and love must not be separated. Truth without love can become harsh self-assertion; supposed love without truth becomes moral indifference. Biblical love speaks truth for another person’s good, with humility, patience, and a readiness to forgive (Ephesians 4:15, 25–32).
• Love protects the church’s witness. In the body of Christ, gifts are given for mutual edification, not personal status. Love rejoices when others flourish in truth and when Christ, rather than the gifted person, receives honour (1 Corinthians 12:4–7; 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26).

3. Practical application to modern Christian living

• Examine your pleasures. Ask whether gossip, scandal, online outrage, or an opponent’s failure gives you secret satisfaction. Confess this honestly to God.
• Refuse partisan morality. Do not excuse wrongdoing because it is committed by someone in your family, church, workplace, or preferred group. Apply God’s standards consistently.
• Speak truth for restoration. When correction is needed, aim to win your brother or sister, not the argument. Check facts, speak privately where appropriate, and use words that serve repentance and peace (Matthew 18:15; Galatians 6:1).
• Celebrate grace in others. Give thanks when another person grows, succeeds, repents, or receives recognition. Their good is not your loss.
• Practise truthful compassion. Love neither conceals abuse nor spreads accusations carelessly. Seek safety, justice, due process, wise pastoral care, and lawful professional help where required.
• Shape your media habits. Avoid entertainment and commentary that make vice, humiliation, or cruelty amusing. Choose what helps you love what is honourable and true (Philippians 4:8).

4. Meditation guide

Read

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 slowly,
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
then read verse 6 again.
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Notice the two contrasting joys: delight in wrongdoing and shared joy with the truth.

Reflect

• Whose failure am I tempted to enjoy?
• Where do I excuse wrong because admitting it would cost me comfort, loyalty, or reputation?
• When have I recently rejoiced at evidence of truth, repentance, justice, or spiritual growth?
• Does my way of speaking truth resemble the patience and kindness described in verses 4–5?

Confess

Bring to God any gossip, resentment, envy, selective outrage, or dishonest silence. Name the sin without self-defence. Rest in Christ, whose atoning death is sufficient for all who repent and believe (1 John 1:8–9).

Give thanks

Thank the Father that his love is holy, his truth is trustworthy, and his grace does not flatter or abandon his children. Thank him for a specific sign of grace in another person.

Pray

Holy Father, you are righteous, true, and full of steadfast love. Forgive me for taking pleasure in wrong, excusing sin, or using truth to exalt myself. By your Spirit, unite truth and love in me. Teach me to grieve over evil, rejoice in what pleases you, speak with courage and gentleness, and seek my neighbour’s restoration. Conform me to Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and truth. Amen.

Act

Choose one concrete response for today: stop a piece of gossip, correct a false statement, apologise for a harsh word, encourage evidence of grace in another person, or seek wise help regarding serious wrongdoing.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. All rights reserved.