Hate Well

 Quote from “Note To Self”:

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

And perverted speech I hate.

~Proverbs 8:13

“Dear self,

     In all your longing to love as Christ loved, you sometimes forget that true love for one thing will, or at least should, produce a hatred for whatever stands against it.  Do not neglect cultivating hatred, an intense hatred, for the right things. Authentic love and zeal for God will produce abhorrence for all that stands oppose to Him and His purposes. Genuine love for your neighbor will produce within you antipathy toward all that robs him of his dignity or leads her away from God.

     Do you hate pride and arrogance? Injustice and the way of evil? Hurtful speech? Do false gospels and false teachers create a holy hostility in you? Do you hate works-righteousness and the false promise of peace with God through performance? I hope you do.

     And what about your own sin? Do you see it? Is it ever before your eyes? Do you really hate it for what it is, or do you simply dislike its unpleasant consequences? If you hate your sin only because of the pain it has caused you in this life, then your hatred sterns from self-love and does not come from a burning love for God.

     At times you have wondered why you are so complacent, unmoved. You have grown frustrated with your lack of progress in the faith. It may be because you lack true and balanced passion- love and hatred. One will move you to recoil from sin, and the other will move you to hold on to Jesus.

     Consider the apostle Paul, who wrestled with the ugly reality of sin in his life (Rom 7:7-25). Paul’s hatred for sin and love for the Savior led him to war against the flesh and to hope in Jesus. And while he was resigned to the hard truth that this side of the resurrection he was shackled to the corrupting influence and presence of sin, his confidence was always grounded in the unchanging love and abounding grace of God.

     If you are following Jesus, cherishing the gospel, and loving God and neighbor, then you will hate well. If you do not hate evil, you will find yourself more susceptible to temptation, slower to respond to corruption, and unmotivated to contend for the faith. Hate is a real part of your faith-don’t forget it."