The
inspired wise man who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes said, "To
everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven... a
time to love and a time to hate"
(3:1,
8a). Most of us
probably have a pretty negative view of hate. We think of it as a bad
emotion. But in and of itself, hate is not any better or worse than
love. Both love and hate have proper objects; they are both appropriate
feelings to have toward certain things at certain times.
Sometimes love and hate
are two sides of the same coin. Love for one thing might necessitate
hate for some-thing else (cf.
Matt. 6:24). That
is the way it is with God and sin. If we love God, we must hate sin. The
Psalmist said, "You who love the Lord, hate evil!"
(Ps.
97:10).
It is high time for those
who claim to love God to start hating sin. We must hate it in ourselves
and in others, and hate it with an intensity of passion that is equaled
only by the intensity of our love for God.
Sin should not be hated
merely as some abstract, vague concept, but as real and specific
instances of transgression. That is to say, we are not only to hate the
idea of sin, but also every occurrence of sin. The Bible is very clear
about this. Many plain statements of Scripture command or exemplify
hatred of specific sins. These passages need to be examined carefully.
Each of us needs to ask himself, "Do I really hate this sin?"
Do I really hate pride,
arrogance and a perverse mouth? Do we fully agree with the wise man who
said, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the
evil way and the perverse mouth I hate"
(Prov.
8:13)? Pride,
arrogance and perverse speech are common sins in our society. We see
them in politicians, sports figures, neighbors, and sometimes in
ourselves. When we see our favorite basketball player or politician
lifted up with pride and arrogance, spewing forth obscenities, do we
hate it as we should?
Do I really hate lying?
"A righteous man hates lying"
(Prov.
13:5). All of us,
both righteous and unrighteous, hate being lied to, but the question is,
"Do you yourself hate lying?" Some may only hate lying if they are
caught at it. The righteous man must loathe every instance of it in his
life and in the lives of others.
Do I really hate taking
God's name in vain? In
Psalm
139:20-22 the
Psalmist says, ". . .Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate
them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up
against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies."
There is not a day that goes by in which I do not hear someone take
God's name in vain. Expressions such as "Oh my God," "God it" and just
plain "God!" are some of the most frequently heard exclamations in the
English language. Euphemisms for these expressions are very common as
well. "Oh my Gosh," "Oh my word," "Gosh darn it," "Golly" and "Gosh" are
merely mild substitutes for the same phrases. Language does not become
correct just because it is common. We must not allow continual exposure
to this sin to dull our sensitivity to it. God is to be reverenced. His
holy name is to be blessed
(cf.
Ps. 89:7; 103:1).
God-fearing people should consistently abhor the practice of profaning
God's name.
Do I really hate
covetousness? "He who hates covetousness will pro-long his days"
(Prov.
28:16). The desire
for what others possess is commonly depicted as a virtue in our
materialistic culture. Covetousness is defined as unlawful desire for
that which belongs to another. Rather than allowing cultural influences
to lull us into accepting and participating in covetousness, we should
hate covetousness with every fiber of our being.
Do I really hate
violence? "The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who
loves violence His soul hates"
(Ps.
11:5). Since the
Lord hates the very soul of the one who loves violence, wouldn't it be
wise to completely remove any affection for violence from our hearts. Do
you en-joy movies, television programs, or books that contain violence?
Do you desire to solve problems at home, in the work place, among
neighbors, or in the church through violence or threat of it? Do you
hate violence, or do you love it?
Do I really hate false
teaching? In
Revelation 2:6 and 1:5,
Jesus makes it plain that he hated the false teaching of the Nicolaitans,
and that he expected church members to do the same. Can we honestly say
that we really hate false doctrine when we refuse to "mark" and "avoid"
those who teach it because they "have been our friends for years," or
they "are such kind and caring people"? Toleration of false teaching and
those who teach it can scarcely be called hatred
(cf.
Rom. 16:17-18).
Hating evil is not
un-Christ-like. It is most Christ-like. Jesus hated evil more than
anyone ever hated anything. The book of Hebrews says of him, "You have
loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has
anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Heb.
1:9). Let us be like Christ; let us hate sin. To hate sin is know love,
for love "does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth"
(1
Cor. 13:6).
Other
Articles by Steve Klein
Is Your Heart Big Enough?
Doing Odd Things to Get Even
Are You In Christ?
The Simple Truth