Wednesday, August 13, 2014

What Should We Hate?

What is your attitude regarding things that the Bible tells us are sinful and evil? Do you have different standards depending on whether it is you or somebody else doing what is contrary to God will?

Do you sometimes make excuses or overlook behavior, writings, or speech that you know offends God? Do acknowledge that we, especially Christians, should try to do better and hope that someday we will?

Surely we should want to sin less than we do. If you think you don't sin, then take a look at 1 John 1:8-11.
That passage lets us know that if we confess our sins, Jesus will forgive and cleanse us. But should we be content knowing that His sacrifice is sufficient to pay for any sin we have done or will do?

Yes, it's wonderful that Jesus paid the price for our sins and gives us the faith to believe it.  However does the wonderful grace of our Lord in forgiving us of sin give us permission to be unconcerned about things that are evil? What sort of an attitude should we have in regard to what is evil?
Psalms 97:10  O you who love the LORD, hate evil!  ESV
Now that is an interesting command. If we love the Lord we are not just to dislike and avoid evil, we are told to hate it. Oh, but that verse of Scripture is in the Old Testament. Now that the grace of our Lord Jesus has come do we have to be that passionate against evil?
Romans 12:9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ESV
Again we see the right kind of love being written about and then followed by the command to hate evil. Abhor it. The Greek word used for abhor in this verse is very strong, and is the only time it is used in the New Testament. We are to detest evil, be revolted by it. Love honors God and people. Evil offends God and condemns people to hell.

Satan and the world wants people to think that those things the Bible identifies as "evil" are just the opinions of those who wrote the Bible a long time ago. But God divinely inspired all of Scripture, and God is altogether holy and therefore hates evil. If we love God we are also to hate evil.

Although it may be fairly easy to hate some things that are evil because they are so obviously hurtful to ourselves or people we care about, it is not so easy to hate other things that offend God. Just as we need God given grace and faith to love God and our neighbor, we also need the same to abhor evil the way He wants us to hate it.

God uses His Holy Spirit along with the hearing of the Word of God to bring us to salvation, and to grow us in faith, understanding, and obedience to His will. He does the same thing in regards to our coming to hating whatever goes against Him and His will.
Psalms 119:104  Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. ESV
Let's not be indifferent regarding what is evil or false (what is false leads people to believe and do what God knows is evil).  Let's be in prayer about our attitude to what God says is contrary to what is righteous and holy. Let's pray that God gives us and others the faith to believe and to be obedient in both loving God and others and also hating evil the way He wants us to hate it.

No comments:

Post a Comment