Love does not Delight in Evil but Rejoices with the Truth

In my opinion, this part of the passage is more telling about the nature of evil than that of love. One way we can know something is by learning more about it’s opposite. Cold is the absence of heat. Darkness is the absence of light. Evil is the absence of love and truth.

This is not to say that all untruths are evil, though many are. Lies come in many forms. There are white lies. There are lies born out of ignorance and lies of convenience. There are lies to spare someone’s feelings. Some people lie even when there seems to be no reason to lie.

And there are lies to protect oneself. But in a loving relationship, you hold the other individual in regard as part of yourself – whether it’s a plant, companion animal, or fellow human. In true love, protecting yourself means protecting the other party as you would protect your own self.