"[Love]…is not taking sin into account." [1 Cor 13:5]
God is many things. He is patient, He is kind, He is long suffering; He is powerful, glorious, and sovereign. But if we could choose one, overall, defining characteristic for God, which would it be? I think the answer is found in John’s epistle, wherein He writes, “God is love.” [1 Jn 4:8] Our God is love. There is no better word, if a man must choose one, to describe our Lord. For the biblical description of love is profound and comprehensive. It is a collection of verbs found in 1 Corinthians 13. We are careful to note these descriptors are verbs, because it shows us that love is primarily an action. And, it is an action which is ongoing and simultaneous. For example, love is not just “longsuffering,” but love is also at the same instant, “kind” and, “not allowing itself to be puffed up,” and all the time at that. We therefore read in 1 Corinthians 13,
“Love is longsuffering, and is being usefully kind; love is not being envious; love is not boasting or showing off, is not allowing itself to be puffed up, is not behaving itself indecently or improperly, is not seeking itself, [nor] is not being easily provoked[.] [Love] is not taking sin into account, [and] is experiencing gladness in the truth [and] not unrighteousness; [it] is supporting all, believing all, hoping [through] all, [and] persevering [under] all. Love is never departing...” [1 Cor 13:1-8]
When we read this passage, it becomes inescapably clear that none of us can climb the heights of love and claim that we have at any time been perfectly, truly loving. There is but one who can say such a thing: Jesus Christ, who not only said that He came to fulfill every “jot…[and] tittle” of the law, [Mt 5:18] which is love, (for, “love is the fulfilling of the law.” [Rom 13:10]), but who actually did, and who was raised from the dead to prove it. But today, we do not come to the definition of love to be condemned nor discouraged that we have failed, but to see the glory of Christ.
And so, let us come to one of these listed definitions of love today. May we draw our gaze to the statement that love, “is not taking sin into account.” We often may read this verse and apply it to ourselves – and this is well, for we should. However, if we take it and apply it to God, who is love, we can find great encouragement. For just as we are not to keep a record of wrongdoing regarding others’ sins, so too The LORD behaves toward us. The LORD is not dealing with us in accordance with our sins; yea, for in Christ Jesus it is written, “the Lord will not impute sin;” [Rom 4:8] and again, “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus;” [Rom 8:1] and again, we are presented to God in Christ as “holy and unblameable and unreprovable.” [Col 1:22]
We can see this truth in the Old Testament as well. In the Psalms it is written,
“If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” [Psa 130:3-4]
And again, very clearly we are told, “[The LORD] hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” [Psa 103:10] Clearer words could not be spoken: for our God who is love does not take our sin and wrongdoing into account. When The Lord is dealing with us, He does not do so based on a long list of past sins. No, for in Christ Jesus our sins have been blotted out, even annulled once-and-for-all. Indeed, as it is written, “now once in the end of the world hath [Jesus Christ] appeared to the annulment of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” [Heb 9:26]
If The LORD were to mark out and keep track of our sins, and deal with us according to such things, who could stand before Him? The answer is none: for our God is a consuming fire and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But Jesus Christ be praised, for we have been saved from our sin. Now, in Christ, when God looks upon us, He sees Christ, not our sin. For our sins were put upon Jesus and condemned upon the cross; as it is written, through Jesus, “[God] condemned sin in the flesh,” and, “He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” [Rom 8:4, 2 Cor 5:21] Let us joyfully approach and interact with our Lord. For He is not keeping track of our sins, nor is He dealing with us according to them. We have been freed from our sins and their punishments – for, “The LORD redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall suffer the punishment due [for their sins].” [Psa 34:22]
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