Of Track Records, Keeping Records, and Wrongs

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;" 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NKJV

Do you keep a record of wrongs, a record of the sins of others?  Is it wrong to do so?

In examining 1 Corinthians 13:5 in many of our current versions of Scripture, we read about love that, "it keeps no record of wrongs" (NIV).  But is this really what the original text, the Greek Scripture, is saying?  Conversely, the KJV and NKJV state, "thinks no evil."

It is worth struggling over this meaning as it is used by many an abuser against a God-fearing victim to control them or cause guilt.  It is also the basis of our court system, to keep a record of wrongs—a court system founded upon the Word of God, the Holy Bible.  Even in our own Scripture we are told that we will all give an account before God (Romans 14:12 and others).  "Thinks no evil" is quite different from "keeps no record of wrongs."

Again, it is worth the struggle.

So, struggle through it we shall and we must as we know the the whole of Scripture from beginning to end, Old Testament through New Testament, conveys a consistent and cohesive message—that of God's immeasurable, unfathomable love for each and every one of us He has made in His precious image.

In examining the Morphological Greek New Testament (an interlinear tool that allows parsing of each Greek word in the text), the phrase in question is, "λογίζεται τὸ κακόν." According to Strong's Greek Lexicon, the word λογίζεται is the idea of imputing or attributing.  It is a way of thinking, or reckoning to someone's account.  The word τὸ means "no" or "not".  And, the word κακόν means "evil," "evil things," or "having a bad nature."  It appears, then, that the KJV and NKJV have captured this original meaning accurately, as "thinks no evil" unlike other versions of Scripture.

If a person has a proven track record of evil, the reputation has been earned rather than simply imputed to the person.

As we think about our precious Savior, Jesus, standing before Pilate, the message is clear and captured beautifully by the KJV and NKJV English texts, as well.  The crowd had imputed evil unto the Christ without evidence of such.  It was a way of thinking about him that was unfounded, ungrounded, and undocumented (Matthew 27).  Love doesn't do this.

Love thinks no evil.  

And since our magnificent, holy God is the very definition of love, may we be ever like Him.

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1).

Goodnight, Runners.