HATE WHAT IS EVIL
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Hate What Is Evil
Psalms 5:4–5
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
a) If you start sharing with someone about how much God loves him or her, chances are you’ll be reasonably well received. People enjoy hearing about the love of God. After all, we naturally love ourselves (Ephesians 5:29), and it’s pleasing to know we are loved by someone else—especially learning that God loves us. It’s easy to focus the message we share around God’s love, rather than delving into other more difficult aspects of God’s character.
b) However, the true gospel is much more than just “Jesus loves you.” God’s love for us means very little unless we first understand our broken condition as sinners before a holy God. As we see in today’s passage, evil cannot dwell with God. He is holy, and He loves righteousness (Psalm 11:17). The Lord is not a God of hate, as Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). However, God is also perfectly true, righteous, and holy; therefore, He must hate evil, which is the opposite of everything God is.
c) You may have heard that “God hates sin but loves the sinner.” People who use this phrase generally mean well, but it is an oversimplification of the truth and leads to misunderstanding. God does love sinners, as numerous passages clearly state (e.g., John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Yet we also read verses like Psalm 5:5, which state that God hates not only wicked deeds, but also the people who do them. John 3:17 tells us that anyone who has not repented and received Christ stands condemned already under the holy anger of God against sin. Although He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:10), the Lord must and will judge sinners, which includes everyone since all have sinned (Romans 3:23).
d) Hopefully you can see how it is the hatred of God against our sin that makes His love toward us so incredibly spectacular. God has provided a way of salvation from sin and condemnation through His Son Jesus Christ, whom He gave to die in our place because of His amazing love.
e) It’s important to realize that sin is not something to be played with. Like David, we ought to “hate the work of those who fall away” (Psalms 101:3). Sin is filthy to God and should disgust us. If you consider yourself a Christian but you are still fascinated by evil things, take time right now and search your heart in light of God’s holiness.
2. Do Christians ought to hate evil?
a) The answer is "YES."
Psalm 101:3
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
Proverbs 8:13
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.
Amos 5:15
15 Hate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate...
Psalm 97:10
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Romans 12:9
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor (hate) what is evil. Cling to what is good.
The End ...
1. Hate What Is EvilPsalms 5:4–5
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
a) If you start sharing with someone about how much God loves him or her, chances are you’ll be reasonably well received. People enjoy hearing about the love of God. After all, we naturally love ourselves (Ephesians 5:29), and it’s pleasing to know we are loved by someone else—especially learning that God loves us. It’s easy to focus the message we share around God’s love, rather than delving into other more difficult aspects of God’s character.
b) However, the true gospel is much more than just “Jesus loves you.” God’s love for us means very little unless we first understand our broken condition as sinners before a holy God. As we see in today’s passage, evil cannot dwell with God. He is holy, and He loves righteousness (Psalm 11:17). The Lord is not a God of hate, as Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). However, God is also perfectly true, righteous, and holy; therefore, He must hate evil, which is the opposite of everything God is.
c) You may have heard that “God hates sin but loves the sinner.” People who use this phrase generally mean well, but it is an oversimplification of the truth and leads to misunderstanding. God does love sinners, as numerous passages clearly state (e.g., John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Yet we also read verses like Psalm 5:5, which state that God hates not only wicked deeds, but also the people who do them. John 3:17 tells us that anyone who has not repented and received Christ stands condemned already under the holy anger of God against sin. Although He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:10), the Lord must and will judge sinners, which includes everyone since all have sinned (Romans 3:23).
d) Hopefully you can see how it is the hatred of God against our sin that makes His love toward us so incredibly spectacular. God has provided a way of salvation from sin and condemnation through His Son Jesus Christ, whom He gave to die in our place because of His amazing love.
e) It’s important to realize that sin is not something to be played with. Like David, we ought to “hate the work of those who fall away” (Psalms 101:3). Sin is filthy to God and should disgust us. If you consider yourself a Christian but you are still fascinated by evil things, take time right now and search your heart in light of God’s holiness.
2. Do Christians ought to hate evil?
a) The answer is "YES."
Psalm 101:3
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
Proverbs 8:13
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.
Amos 5:15
15 Hate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate...
Psalm 97:10
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Romans 12:9
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor (hate) what is evil. Cling to what is good.
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