Be a Hater! No, Really!

Romans 12:9 (NIV) says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Hate what is evil. Sounds kinda harsh, doesn’t it? We’re taught not to hate, but instead, to be kind and tolerant. Hate the sin, not the sinner, right?

But do we? Hate the sin?

I think God gave us this instruction because He knew we would need help in this area. God sees clearly and knows however dressed up evil may be, it’s still evil. And it’s out to get us.

Our eyesight? Sometimes we see 20/20. Human trafficking? Evil.

Then, the print gets smaller, and our astigmatism kicks in.

Homosexuality? Wrong by biblical standards. Homosexuality in entertainment? Hilarious. Watched Modern Family lately? It is laugh-out-loud funny.

I’m not sure God finds it so entertaining. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not picking on the gay community. I could list a dozen other things in the do-not list: violence, adultery, you get the picture. But God’s been confronting me with this issue of evil and I’m shocked at how much I am entertained by it. Scripture gives several compilations of all things evil:

  • Murder
  • Adultery
  • Sexual immorality
  • Hatred
  • Selfish ambition
  • False testimony
  • Fits of rage

The culture is saturated with this stuff, and too often, I’m the one bringing it into our home. Guilty as charged.

So, where’s the fine line? How do we hate what is evil and how does that affect our choices? Hebrews 5:4 says, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” If your spiritual diet is heavy on baby food, the line between good and evil will blur. A diet of solid spiritual food leads to growth and discernment. As we feed on God’s Word, we ask for help in recognizing evil and in developing an aversion to it.

Every choice matters whether it’s Mad Men or Monsters, Inc.

Questions:

What does it mean to hate evil?

Have you been entertained by what God considers sin?

Does God care about our entertainment choices? Why?

It’s not like the Bible doesn’t have murder, adultery, and a whole laundry list of evil things. What is okay for entertainment and what is not?

If God asked you to make some changes, which would bother you most: what others thought of your change or what God thought of your obedience?

Tweetables:

Hate the sin, not the sinner, right? But do we? Hate the sin? Click To Tweet
However dressed up evil may be, it’s still evil. And it’s out to get us. Click To Tweet
Sometimes we see 20/20. Human trafficking? Evil. Then, the print gets smaller, and our astigmatism kicks in. Click To Tweet
If your spiritual diet is heavy on baby food, the line between good and evil will blur. A diet of solid spiritual food leads to growth and discernment. Click To Tweet

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