Make Evil Homeless
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Paul actually continues this list of virtuous goals all the way through verse 21. And in the English Standard Version, this section is subtitled “Marks of the True Christian”. If you look closely at it, you will see that most of it resembles the teachings of Jesus regarding how He expects us to live our lives in Him. And most of us would agree that these traits are truly good things for which we should strive and for which we should encourage others to strive.
What grabbed my attention, though, was that short little phrase nestled amid comments about love, goodness, and affection: “Abhor what is evil” (see verses 9-10). "Abhor" is a very strong word. One definition for that word is: "To regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate", (according to the online source www.dictionary.com). Another definition of “abhor” is: "To regard with horror or loathing; detest. To shrink back with shuddering from; to regard with horror or detestation; to feel excessive repugnance toward; to detest to extremity; to loathe. To fill with horror or disgust", (according to the online source www.wordnik.com).
See what I mean? And this isn’t the only place in the Scriptures where this idea of abhorring what is evil is expressed:
Psalm 97:10a – "O you who love the LORD, hate evil!" (And yes, the exclamation point is in there.)
Proverbs 8:13a – "The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil."
Upon even a brief, momentary inward glance, I am faced with the overwhelming reality that my approach to evil is seldom – if ever – characterized by the ideas surrounding the word “abhor”, or even “hate”, for that matter. Sadly, the word that comes to mind is “tolerance”. And it is certainly not that I like evil. But what are you left with if you sit in the middle between “like” and “hate/abhor”? Bleh. Lukewarmness. (See Revelation 3:14-19).
Think, for example, of what many of us allow into our homes every day through the world of digital media. Now, the media or medium itself is amoral – that is, it is neither good nor bad in and of itself. However, many of the ideas and actions represented by that media can certainly be classified as evil. For example, consider the activity of sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage (biblically referred to as fornication or sexual immorality). God makes it pretty clear in the Scriptures that it is sin, and is thus evil. But it has been represented as being harmless and “normal” so repeatedly and for so long through various types of media, that we don’t even give it a second thought anymore. It’s just an accepted part of the world in which we live. We’ve become desensitized to it. We’re lukewarm towards it. And that is just one small, seemingly innocuous example of what seems to be an ever-intensifying, aggressive onslaught of evil ideas and practices presented to us in the form of “entertainment”, or worse, actual events that we see in the news.
Think of all the violence, murder, perversion, and general unholiness that has become such an accepted part of the movies and episodic series we watch every day. And this is all in the name of entertainment. We grow accustomed to it – so much so that it doesn’t even trigger our radar anymore. But God says that evil should cause us to shudder and shrink back from it and to be absolutely repulsed by it. We are to detest it in the strongest possible way. So, what are we to do?
Amos 5:14-15a – "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good,..."
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 - "...but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
If we don’t have an attitude of repugnance or detestation toward evil, we are more likely to find ourselves quietly slipping into the grips of sinful behavior. When we tolerate or ignore evil, it’s almost as if we give it a home. And it can just sit there quietly hiding in the shadows for a time. Then, suddenly, when we are tired and weak, or otherwise distracted, it seizes the opportunity to cause us to stumble.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Jesus warned us to be vigilant when He said in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." We are not to consider evil lightly or carelessly. We need to see it how God sees it. We need to reject it and not give it a home by thoughtlessly welcoming it into our hearts and minds. But please let me be clear; this is absolutely not a call to start judging, criticizing, or condemning others who may be dealing with sin issues, but rather a call to hate the evil that exists as a negative/destructive influence on our lives and on the people we are called to love.
Prayer
Father, forgive us for being so comfortable with evil. It is not something You take lightly, and neither should we. As Your children, help us to see sin and evil for the true destructive ugliness it is. And help us to hold fast to what is good, and to love each other with genuine, brotherly affection. Amen.
“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”
