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Today, I’m happy to bring you Abhor What is Evil in the Behave Like a Christian series, written by Marja Meijers…

“Hate what is wrong.” (Rom. 12:9b TLB)

The apostle Paul’s ancient call for Christian living couldn’t be more timely and fitting for our present day and age! His pleading for love-based moral behavior is a cry that needs to wake up the church as we know it today.

His words are a clear call to lifestyle evangelism. In his exhortation, Paul uses words to set the stage for the epic battle between good and evil, between light and darkness, and grants us a role in this power play.

He urges us to stand up for what is good, loving, and honorable and to be living witnesses for our generation. The message has not changed: love is still the most excellent way!

Paul starts his appeal in Romans 12:9 with the mentioning of love and hatred, good and evil. His commending when it comes to the deeds of darkness is quite simple: abhor what is evil.

According to the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, to abhor means ‘to think of with hatred and disgust.’ So, having knowledge about good and evil by itself is not enough; we must cultivate a strong dislike for evil.

Paul’s words are actually a serious warning not to be casual about sin or evil, not to be slack in resisting it, and not to ignore the red signals in our lives. Looking back at the history of mankind, we learn that our knowledge of good and evil is a result of eating from the tree in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22). And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.”

That knowledge, also known as our conscience, is, therefore, not a virtue, not something to boast about but simply part of God’s nature in us. It is, however, our reaction to that knowledge which makes all the difference in our daily Christian walk!

Paul calls for action, for a simple but dedicated decision, to make a stand against evil, starting with our thought pattern! The author of Psalm 97:10 makes that choice very clear, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” (NIV) Make it your decision today to guard your thoughts!

Why does Paul advocate such black and white thinking? I personally believe it is necessary to take a radical stand against anything evil because if we don’t, it will turn out to be more and more difficult to see a clear difference between good and evil. If our thinking about evil is slightly blurred, our feelings will be and eventually our actions will be. When we neglect to take a stand against darkness, we will, often unknowingly, allow the enemy of God to gain territory in our lives.

Paul warns the believers against the deception of evil over and over again, for example, in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV)

When we refuse to clearly say NO to evil, we will give the enemy of God access and permission to come in and stay with us, and he will do so in often subtle ways. That is why we need a clear picture of darkness versus light, as Paul paints it in Romans 12:9-21.

When studying this part of scripture, I was reminded of my days of dating and courtship, although a long, long time ago. At a young age, I quickly learned that whenever I wasn’t clear about my feelings for a guy, he either kept pursuing me or totally ignored me. A clear yes or no was often needed to set the boundaries for friendship or relationship.

That boldness and clarity should also be our attitude when it comes to anything evil. We must learn to set the boundaries, to think with hatred about evil and, as a result, clearly say NO to anything that opposes the goodness of God.

“God loves all who hate evil.” (Ps. 97:10 Msg)

If you were a reader at Christmastime, you may have read my post on Immanuel.

I started by saying that, in the Old Testament, God’s name and His presence were virtually synonymous, which was evidenced in His name Jehovah-shammah, meaning the Lord is present or there.

Jehovah-shammah, dwelling on the throne of heaven, lowered Himself to earth to be born in another form, to live personally with His people.

In the New Testament, Jehovah-shammah appeared as Jesus, as scripture says, “‘They shall call His name Immanuel,’ translated as, ‘God with us,’” (Matt. 1:23b NKJV) and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14 NKJV)

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He returned to the Father’s side, which resulted in Him having two homes…heaven and a believer’s heart.

If you are a believer, God resides within you now as Immanuel, for “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God.” (1 Cor. 6:19a NLT)

Jesus said, “And be sure of this - that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20 TLB) If we could rephrase that, we could think of it this way, “And be sure of this, I am with you wherever you go.”

When a bride takes the name of her husband, she becomes one with him. Filled with love for him, she carries his name and presence within her, and, in essence, he is always with her. In the same way, we now carry the Bridegroom’s name and presence within us, for He says each of us is “a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name.” (Acts 9:15 NKJV)

Consequently, as His vessels, we cannot mistreat His home, physically, mentally, or spiritually, by allowing anything we think, feel, say, or do to contaminate His living room.

Since He lives within us, where do we take Jesus? Where do our footsteps take us throughout any given 24 hours? To work, to school, to do chores, to run errands, to appointments, to see friends, to church?

So, where else do we go or do? To bed with someone other than our spouses, to see wrong movies, to watch internet porn, to cheat a business partner, to ruin the reputation of a competitor or a friend?

The world’s way cannot be our way, for the standards of the world are in opposition to the holiness of God. God has not lowered the bar of His standards nor relaxed His tolerance for sin because of the world’s beliefs.

Remember, where you are on Saturday night represents who and what you say you are on Sunday morning!

So, what does God expect of us? The answer lies in the requirements God gave Israel through Moses, “So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in His presence in holy reverence, follow the road He sets out for you, love Him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today - live a good life.” (Deut. 10:2 Msg)

God fills us with His holiness but the upkeep of that holiness depends solely on us. It is absolutely necessary, as Paul persuades, “Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1 NKJV)

The fear of the Lord, for a child of God, is a healthy fear that dreads displeasing the heavenly Parent. It is not a negative thing. The fear of the Lord means to have a deep respect and reverence for Him that compels us to be obedient to His will and His Word and to live a life that results in honor, worship, humility, and total submission to Him.

How well do we do that?

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31b NIV)

~~Blessings, Lynn~~