Hate Evil

The Bible reminds us that if we are walking in the ways of the world, we are not walking in the ways of God. We can’t do both at the same time. We can’t walk in sin and walk with God simultaneously. First John says that if we say we know God but don’t do what he commands then we are a liar and the truth is not in us. Walking in sin amounts to embracing evil, and Proverbs teaches us that we are not to embrace evil, but we are to go so far as to hate evil. It says in chapter 8 verse 13: 

“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”

That short verse pretty much covers all forms of sin. Everything from pride to evil behavior should be avoided. Even perverse speech is considered evil. Every believer should have a healthy fear of the Lord. I don’t believe we are supposed to be afraid of him, but we are to reverently fear him. Think about your dad. If you were raised by a good and loving father, there were probably rules set in place that you wouldn’t disobey for fear of angering or disappointing him. Likewise, with God we are to fear disobeying him in a similar fashion. The Bible tells us not to fear man who can only destroy the body, but to fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell, and that is God. Proverbs reminds us that to fear the Lord is to hate evil. Because when we flirt with evil, or worse yet, if we embrace evil, we are disobedient to God.

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“To fear the Lord is to hate evil”. In Matthew, Jesus tells us that if our eye causes us to sin then we are to gouge it out. If our hand causes us to sin, then we are to cut it off, because it is better to lose an eye or a hand and enter heaven maimed than to go to hell where the fire never goes out. Likewise, we should do everything we can to get rid of any sin, or sinful vices, in our lives for fear of the Lord. I implore you to take these verses to heart. If we are to emulate God, then we should love what he loves and hate what he hates. And God hates evil.

Revenge

It is human nature to want revenge when we’ve been wronged. We may go so far as to say that “if the same thing that happened to me happened to the person who wronged me, then justice would be served”. People can come up with all manner of ways to avenge a wrong, even when we hear about a wrong that has been done to someone else. But Paul tells us in Romans that it is for God to avenge, not us. In Romans 12:19 it says:

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’”

To some, that verse may frustrate, but to others, it might very well liberate. God understands the pain one human being can inflict on another, but it is for him to judge and to avenge. Frankly, I don’t believe we are qualified for the task. We are a flawed race with limited wisdom. But if we could only put our trust in God to take care of things for us, we could rest in the truth that he will; in his way and with his measures, respond justly. I realize that it is easy to say that we are ready to leave it up to God, but it can be very difficult to do, especially when the pain is raw. But we have to believe that God has it under control, and that we serve a just God who will make the most righteous call.

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We have to remember that it is for God to avenge, not us, and his scales of justice are always right. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but if you’ve been wronged, I hope you can find comfort in knowing that God has it handled. I watch a lot of true crime shows, and I’m rarely satisfied with the level of justice dealt out by our justice system. Often times it seems as though a small crime gets a strict sentence, while greater crimes get only a slap on the wrist. Regardless of what is done here on earth, God’s justice system is perfect. We need to trust him to do what we are not qualified to do; and that is to judge and to avenge.

Not Ashamed

What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel? Most believers aren’t ashamed of the gospel in private, or when it is safe. We will pray when we’re alone, read the Bible when no one is watching, and attend church with other Christians who believe like we do. But are we ashamed of the gospel in public when we don’t have a group of believers at our back? Will we stand up for what is right when it isn’t popular? Will we share our faith with an unbeliever knowing that we might get shut down or rejected? In Romans 1:16, Paul says:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Paul preached the gospel even when it wasn’t popular; even when there were major consequences for doing it. I think of being ashamed of the gospel much the same way that I look at being friends with someone who is unpopular, dating someone who isn’t attractive, or being forced to take your kid sister to an event with you where your reputation is at stake. In private, these people may be great. The unpopular friend may be your very best friend. The unattractive girlfriend may have you falling in love with her. And at home, you may love playing with your kid sister. But in public, you may feel embarrassed to be with the very same people you’re happy to be with in private. Let that not be how we treat the gospel. Let us not be ashamed to let anyone know that we love the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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We should never be ashamed of the gospel, even when it isn’t popular. Jesus tells us that if we deny him before men, he will deny us before the Father. On the contrary, we should be excited about the good news of the gospel because as Paul puts it, “it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”. Not everyone will accept the gospel. Some will even be hostile to it. Others may judge you because of your belief in it. And still others may change their opinion of you because of your faith. But if you look at the big picture, nothing is more important than the salvation given to us through Jesus. He died for us. And we shouldn’t deny him to anyone.

Great Outcry

Have you ever given much thought to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? These are the two cities that God destroys because of their incredible sin. Before deciding what to do with the cities, God says these words in Genesis 18:20-21:

“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’”

There are two things I get from this passage. First, if you are in a place of helplessness or abuse and are crying out to the Lord but feel as if your situation isn’t changing, remember that it was because of the outcry from these cities that God chose to personally investigate. God hears your cry and is sympathetic to your situation. God loves you and will not leave you in that place if you put your trust in him. And if you are away from him, even if you have a bitter attitude, I implore you to turn to him. Secondly, have you heard preachers say, “If God doesn’t punish America for all of its sins then he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah?” I’ve heard that said. And I’m not saying that America isn’t in a bad place and getting worse every year, but I would argue that we aren’t as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah… at least not yet. If you don’t believe me, read the story. Men from all throughout the city saw two innocent foreign men enter and they gathered to forcefully break down the door and gang rape these men. Think about it… our word Sodomy comes from the story of Sodom. This was evil to the extreme, and as you read the whole story it gets even worse. Tell me, where in America do we condone that type of behavior? We don’t. I’m not saying that we are a Godly nation with Godly leaders, but to compare us to Sodom and Gomorrah is misleading at best. We need to continually pray for our leaders and lawmakers, so that we don’t go so far off the tracks that we ever consider condoning the public evils that we read about in this story.

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The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is an interesting one. In it, we learn that God is well aware of what’s happening on his planet and hears the cries of the abused and broken hearted. We also learn that the evil condition of those two cities is at a level that I haven’t seen in my lifetime; at least not in America. Rape is still against the law even if sodomy is not. Maybe their condition is more comparable to Hitler and the holocaust, or nations where worshipping Jesus can mean your death, but not America. Yes, evil happens in America, but in general, the inhabitants of our country do not condone it. And the level of public abuse that we read about in Sodom and Gomorrah are currently rejected in the United States. So, comparing our nation to those cities, yes, even Las Vegas, the acclaimed “sin city”, in my opinion, does not compare to the biblical account of those two cities.

Rule Over It

I’m in the process of reading through the Bible again. And as I began, a verse from Genesis 4:7 got my attention. It says:

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Another version says, “but you must rule over it”. Even as early as the days of Cain and Abel, God explains about sin. If it were easy to control our sinful desires, most everyone would be sin free. But the truth is that it isn’t easy, especially for those of us who are being mastered by it. God tells Cain that he must master, or rule over, sin; that it is crouching at his door and that it desires to have him. Although it isn’t easy to rule over sin, at least we know where it is. It is at our door step. I believe there is truth to the phrase, “knowing is half the battle”. Sin shouldn’t always take us by surprise. If we know where it is, we should be able to prepare for it. And if we can prepare for it, we should be able to rule over it. I don’t believe that we can, or even have to, do this on our own. The Holy Spirit is there to help us every step of the way.

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God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door, that it desires to have him, but that he must master, or rule over, it. I believe this is a verse that we can apply to our lives as well. Right after this verse we read that Cain kills Abel out of envy. Let us not have these words fall on deaf ears, but let’s take them to heart. God wouldn’t tell us that we must rule over sin if it weren’t possible. Even if it feels impossible through your own efforts, remember another biblical truth; that nothing is impossible with God. I encourage you to pray to him about any sin that has mastered you. The Holy Spirit can help turn the tables if you really want things to be different.