Opposed To Evil

Opposed to Evil

Let those who love the LORD hate evil.

Psalm 97:10

IN WORD God is relentless in His hatred of evil. We may think He tolerates it awfully well to let the world go on as it has for century upon century. But He hates evil. He has demonstrated at every turn His opposition to anything that conflicts with His character and corrupts His work. His judgments are certain. God and evil will not forever coexist.

We must ask ourselves if we love this God. We would hardly admit that we don’t, but the biblical witness is clear: Those who love Him will hate evil. Those who love evil have opposed God. There can be no double-mindedness in the heart of man—not legitimately, and not permanently. The unredeemed cannot help but accept some form of evil, whether it is ideological or moral. And the redeemed cannot tolerate any form of evil—at least not in the long run. Our true love will tell on us. Sooner or later, we will demonstrate either a love for God or a love for corruption.

That doesn’t mean a Christian can’t waver between the two. But one of them will win out. Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:23-24). It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

IN DEED An obedient Christian may or may not have love for God in his heart. But a Christian who loves God will necessarily be obedient. You can fake obedience, but you cannot hide love. It will come out in actions, and those actions will be increasingly marked by an absence of evil. Those who love the Lord will love His values.

Most of us have grown up in a society that has a high tolerance for evil. Our late-night shows laugh at it, our advertisements flaunt it, and our leaders wallow in it. We dismiss gross corruption because, after all, no one’s perfect. We allow our own bad habits to become more deeply ingrained because, after all, we’re not legalistic Puritans. And all the while God grieves. He hates evil and is zealous about purging it from the hearts of His people. May His righteous zeal become ours.

The destined end of man is not happiness nor health, but holiness.

—OSWALD CHAMBERS