Hate What is Evil and Cling To What Is Good | Romans 12:9-11
“Let love be without hypocrisy—by abhorring what is evil, clinging to what is good,”
--Romans 12:9
Paul has just instructed on a list of Spiritual gifts for the church teaching them how to operate and function as a church. Then he sticks this text in to remind the church of what they are to do in a world full of evil of what a church is to do.
I have heard this text to support all things under the sun. I have heard this text used to support government gun confiscation, I have heard this text to support government food handouts and Marxist policies which give all power to the government, I have heard this text to support pro-abortion movements, open border policies, learning different religious practices and cultures in public schools, I have heard this text to support violent protests which took over, and burned parts of cities such as Seattle and Minnesota during the Black Lives Matter Protests.
When we read a biblical text like this, we have to be very careful not to read ourselves into the text. Paul is giving a prescriptive instruction to the church—“Don’t let your love be fake, be hypocritical,” how do we do that? “Hate what is Evil and Cling to What is Good.” Paul is telling God’s people to hate what is evil; that is one of the jobs of the church.
“Abhor”
ἀποστυγέω apostygéō, to dislike, abhor, have a horror of, to utterly detest
“Evil”
πονηρός ponērós full of labours, annoyances, hardships, pressed and harassed by labours. bad, of a bad nature or condition: A) in a physical sense: diseased or blind. B) in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And understanding in their own sight!”
--Isaiah 5:20-21
Today we must unpack three things: What is good according to God’s word? And what is Evil according to God’s word? How do we “hate” what is evil in a God glorifying, God pleasing way?
- God tells us what Evil is, what His people are to stand against, what His people are not to partake in.
What attitudes and actions are evil in the eyes of God?
A). Human Pride
-- “’And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die! ‘For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, so she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”
--Genesis 3:2-6
--“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
--Proverbs 16:18
B). All Forms of Sexual Immorality including homosexuality, transgenderism, incest, rape, promiscuous and non-marital sex, adultery, grooming, pornography, lust, bestiality, polygamy (multiple spouses).
--"‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness… they are blood relatives. It is lewdness. ‘And you shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness…‘And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. ‘And you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”
--Leviticus 18:17-18, 20, 22
--“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “But if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
--Matthew 5:27-29
--“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; nor filthiness and foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”
--Ephesians 5:1-4
C). Abortion, Murder, Murdering Children, Child Trafficking
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Swarm on the earth and multiply in it.”
--Genesis 9:6-7
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
--Matthew 5:21-22
“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
--Matthew 18:5-6
D). False Teaching / False Prophets in God’s Church and abusive/ Unrepentant leaders in God God’s Church.
--“You shall have no other gods before Me.
--Exodus 20:3
--“But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has counseled rebellion against Yahweh your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”
--Deuteronomy 13:5
--"Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting, for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
--2 John 1:9-11
--“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches and scatters them—
--John 10:9-10, 12
E). Racism, Illegal Immigration and Weak National Borders
--"‘You shall rise up before the gray-haired and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God; I am Yahweh. ‘And when a sojourner sojourns with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. ‘The sojourner who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.’”
--Leviticus 19:32-34
--“and He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”
--Acts 17:26-27
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.”
--Galatians 3:26-29
God has constantly built borders and walls around His people to protect them (both physical and metaphorical) Ezra was called to build up the temple for God’s people and Nehemiah was called to build the security wall around the temple to protect God’s people and give them a place of worship. God worked through the Persian King, Cyrus, to allow God’s people to return to Jerusalem, and King Artaxerxes
“You shall not steal. ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’”
--Exodus 20:15, 17
Paul commands the church to “Hate what is Evil and Cling to What is Good.” What is good according to scripture? Considering the evil in the world, in our hearts, in light of the broken and sinful world, how do we properly carry out this command?
- We are to Shine Christ’s light on Evil. We are to Be Christ-like in a Broken World.
“Full and free forgiveness is written in every drop of blood that flowed from Calvary.”
--Octavius Winslow
This is where we celebrate the church. Last week we looked at how the church did not back down during the Bubonic Plagues. The conviction and hatred for the evil around the church should always lead to amazing ministry and bold faith to enter these dark areas to do Christ’s ministry.
The early church in Rome helped save babies who were to be discarded because of deformities or imperfections. In the 400 AD’s the church even built marble slabs or pockets in the walls of their churches so people could drop their babies off in them. In 1198 (medieval times) Pope Innocent III built “The Foundling Wheel” which was built into the exterior wall of the Santo Spirito Hospital near Vatican City. Mothers placed their baby inside, spun the wheel, then rang the bell (anonymously) so give their babies to the church.
“Let love be without hypocrisy—by abhorring what is evil, clinging to what is good,”
--Romans 12:9
--44-year-old woman was floating in the ocean for 20-22 hours in the Ionian sea after jumping from a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship; she had a life-preserver.
“…being devoted to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, being fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in affliction, being devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.”
--Romans 12:10-14
“Bless”
εὐλογέω eulogéō, yoo-log-eh’-o; from a compound of G2095 and G3056; to speak well of, i.e. (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper):—praise.
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”
--Matthew 5:10-12
“Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
--Romans 12:21
“Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
--Ephesians 5:15-16