Verse of the Week...

‘…Hate what is evil...’            -Romans 12:9

‘…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…’

-Hebrews 12:1

Here’s another opportunity for self-examination, which, if done with honesty and proper motivation, is the backbone of sanctification (making oneself virtuous or chaste, and thus set apart). And don’t doubt it for a second, God wants us to be different. Our overarching purpose is to point to Him (through our differences), to His praise.

Have you ever thought about your personal view of evil? Generally speaking, most would say it’s ‘bad,’ even ‘ugly.’ But have you ever sat down and truly analyzed your heart, and how it handles evil? Do you despise and detest it? Are you abhorred by it? Or, as I would propose is more likely the case (it probably is for me), would your approach to it be better characterized as ‘largely indifferent,’ or ‘mildly put off'? Though it may not appear at first glance to matter all that much, what or how we think of evil has major repercussions on how differently we live this life and if we honor God.

Before going any further, let’s at least loosely define what ‘evil’ is. Romans 12:9 infers that it’s the opposite of good. That’s close. However, the best (simplest) way to define evil is, ‘that which is counter to God.’ This is admittedly a broad description, but it needs to be. Certainly evil has its nuances, it can show itself in varied forms, but its crucial characteristic is its polar opposition to the Almighty God. It’s safe to say that’s all we really need to know about it. Oh, but evil is powerful, much more so than you and me left to ourselves (which, thank God we’re not). After all, who is evil’s chief executer but Satan himself. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Given this, and given the definition above (that it's inherently counter to God), our approach and/or response to it should be clear: resist it, run from it, treat it like the plague. Because to our soul, that’s exactly what it is.

Back to Romans 12:9. Paul doesn’t mince words. ‘HATE what is evil…’ Growing up reading this, I always thought, Isn’t ‘hate’ evil in itself? Simply, nope, it’s not. You’ve heard of righteous anger (think Jesus overturning the money-changing tables in the Temple), when it comes to evil, get used to the idea of righteous hate. Despise evil. Detest it. Abhor it. Why such a strong response? Again, it wreaks havoc on our soul, and more, that’s how God Himself sees it and deals with it. He is holy, pristine, perfectly pure; due to His nature, He literally cannot be around it or look upon it (two quick examples: flinging Lucifer and his fellow tainted angels from His presence; turning the sky dark when Jesus actually became our sin while on the cross).

Paul was on the same page with God. We would do well to be the same. Hate that which is evil—not the person, if that’s where it’s found, but the very evil itself. This sounds a bit wild, but if we were to grow in our hatred of evil, we would grow in our desire to abstain from it. Truly, then, the fuel of sanctification is, in part, the outright repugnance of evil. It at least contributes to the motivation to ‘throw off that which hinders, the sin that so easily entangles.’ If it’s so repulsive, cast it off, get rid of it, get away from it, run away from it, and fast.

Would you examine your heart with me on this? Do you loathe evil? Or do merely dislike it? It matters. And what do we do if evil is, on occasion, a friend? Pray. Pray that God would give you a heart like His, one that cannot stand even a whiff of its stench. And plead with the Holy Spirit to precisely align your affections with your Maker’s.

There is a dance being done here. As our disdain strengthens for that which is dark, we become, more and more, lovers of the Light. But more on that later…

Grace to you, to see evil for the God-defaming abomination it is…and stiff-arm it,

Voice of another