Hate. It’s a strong word full of raw emotion. These days, many would like to cancel anyone who disagrees with them. If you hold a political or social opinion opposite of someone else’s, you can quickly be labeled a hater. Almost gone is the expression, “Well, let’s just agree to disagree.”
It might surprise some people, then, that the Bible actually tells us to hate—hate evil, that is. Isaiah 5:20 warns, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” The psalmist said the same in Psalm 97: “Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for the Lord guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”
To be clear, we are not commanded to hate people. The evil that grieves the Lord, and should grieve believers, stems from the spirit of antichrist at work in those who do evil.
Some might respond, “Those are just Old Testament verses.” But the New Testament also gives this instruction. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good…. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
When denominations, local churches, and individual believers abandon Scripture as the final word from God, we lose our hatred for the things that God says are evil. Those things could include our treatment of the widow, the orphan, and the poor. They also include behaviors Scripture calls immoral, even if pop culture insists they are acceptable “because times have changed.”
Scripture is not fluid. God said what He meant and still means what He said. Ask most churchgoers what is evil, and they will likely point to murder, sex trafficking, or child abuse. But what about compromising God’s commands? Is that not also evil?
Several Old Testament kings did almost everything right—except they failed to tear down the high places where false gods were worshipped. Their lack of commitment meant Israelites continued mixing the worship of God with pagan practices.
King Solomon was the most egregious. Early in his reign, he asked God for wisdom to discern between good and evil. But later, disobeying God’s command not to marry foreign wives, Solomon began to worship their pagan gods. Those gods demanded sexual acts with temple prostitutes and child sacrifices. How did Solomon fall so far, so fast? He lost focus on pleasing God alone and became enamored with the trappings of being king.
You and I face the same temptation—to be kings of our own lives. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and riches.”
Abandoning the hatred of evil is the quickest way to compromise and lose our love for righteousness. When we love righteousness more than sin, our walk with the Lord becomes stronger.
More about that next week in Part 2.
— Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove (9:30 a.m.) and Harrisville Methodist Church (11 a.m.), both Global Methodist congregations. You can text him at 918-852-9797.
