Psalm 97:10 (NKJV) You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Conceptually, we know evil is… evil. Intellectually we give ascent to the Bible’s warnings and characterizations of wickedness. But do we REALLY hate sin (manifested evil)?
“Hate” is a word that gets thrown about casually today but in reality it is a very harsh, awful word. It means you wish something was dead and gone, destroyed, condemned for eternity with no hope. That’s why Jesus likens “hating your brother” to murder (Matt 5:21).
“Hate” is supposed to be our attitude towards sin. We HATE it. We loathe it, it disgusts us. We wish evil and wickedness were eternally cast away. It’s easy to think that about evil in general, or the wickedness of others, but what about YOUR sin, MY sin?
Do you really hate YOUR sin? Your mouth might say “yes” but how about your thoughts, your language, your choices, your schedule, how you spend your money? Talk is cheap. If you truly hate evil (personal sin) then it will show in all aspects of your life.
Think It Over: Hate…. HATE sin. Do you? Or do you just dislike it a little because it makes you feel guilty or ends up with some bad consequences occasionally?