Author: Rev. Lek Aik Wee

The love of God that is mightily outpoured by the Holy Spirit upon every penitent sinner results in the sinner being forgiven of his sins (Romans 5:5). This brokenness of spirit and contrition of heart is acceptable in the sight of God. The sinner realizes that he cannot save himself and therefore yields fully by faith to the complete atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the remission of his sins. This submission removes the guilt of sin in the heart. This freedom from the bondage of sin and its mental torment is true freedom. It gives true peace (Romans 5:1) and true joy (Romans 5:11).

“Charity vaunteth not itself” describes this aspect of God’s love that is void of haughtiness, void of any inkling of pride and boastfulness. “To vaunt” is “to boast”, “to make a vain display of one’s own worth”. Such boasting is vain and empty. The heart that is at peace with God does not need to elevate itself. The godly man that possesses God’s love has not the rebellious streak in the heart to elevate himself against his God, manifested by the need to elevate oneself over other men. This sin of pride began not on earth but in heaven when the most beautiful of God’s angel fell as a result of pride.

Indeed, charity envies not. There is that constant overcoming of the corrupt emotional make-up of the depraved heart that is taught here. You may ask, “How can such love be cultivated?” Biblical love is an active emotion that God gives to His children. We are to seek God’s help in godly repentance every time we realise even an inkling of evil arises in the heart when we see the prosperity of others. We are to cultivate that heightened awareness of this sin in our hearts and ask God to nip the evil in the bud and not allow the hatred to fester. We are to realise that we are special in God’s sight and God has a special plan for our life that is unique and beautiful.

“Envy” according the Webster’s dictionary is a feeling of discontent at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another. It describes one who complains discontentedly or murmurs at another’s prosperity. It is to fret or grieve at the real or supposed superiority of another, and hence to hate the person on that account. The Bible tells us that the character of Christian love dispels the entanglement of “envy” but exhibits a calm contentment of the heart at the supposed inequalities of life.

Jesus taught His disciples “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This teaching of benevolence is the outworking of this character of kindness. How is it that when we give, we lose something that we have given away and yet we are more blessed? This truth has to be understood by faith. I believe this is true and therefore I do as instructed and experience God’s greater blessing. This is a perspective that is beyond the carnal mind. It can be understood only in the context of God’s supernatural love, as it was injected into our blood stream, enabling us to give sacrificially and unconditionally. We are in our natural self, self-seeking and self-satisfying. This change is the power of the gospel experienced when the believer put to death the old man and put on the new man.

The Christian’s love is characterized by kindness. The root word for “kindness” means “to furnish what is needed, useful and profitable”. This word is translated as “good” as opposed to bad in 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” And in Luke 6:35 this word is also translated “kind”, “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”

The biblical character Joseph, described in the Book of Genesis, was sold at 16 by his jealous brothers as a slave to Egypt. He had to undergo great sufferings as a slave. He was thrown into jail because he acted righteously against the advances of his master’s wife. Subsequently, he was given wisdom to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. God helped him to make good to be released from prison and promoted to 2nd in command to manage the coming famine that he predicted from Pharaoh’s dream.