Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

Paul continues in verse 9: “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” We are to love what God loves— good—and hate what God hates—evil. While this instruction sounds quite simple in theory, it can actually be rather difficult in practice. Our culture is all about tolerance, not discernment. “Good” and “evil” have become relative terms, depending on who you are and what you believe. We do not want to call things right and wrong, holy and unholy.

We tend to think of love and hatred as antithetical, opposing forces, but they are actually allies. To be for is also to be against that which is against what you are for. If you love someone or something, you hate anything that threatens to destroy it. For example, if you love children, then you hate predators. If you love life, then you hate death. If you love marriage, then you hate adultery. If you love God, then you hate Satan. The more we get to know God through reading His Word, the more we want to align ourselves with His desires and values and identify less with what the world deems valuable.

In His kindness, God removes the guesswork and gives us a list of things He hates in Proverbs 6:16–19: "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

If God hates people who lie privately and publicly, band together to make wicked plans and run to execute them for the purpose of death and division, then the opposite must be true as well. God loves people who tell the truth privately and publicly, unify to make plans for love and life, and run to obey what God says. God loves Team Jesus. God hates Team Satan. We should agree with Him.

In our culture, we have not been taught to practice discrimination, so we tend not to discriminate. We should never discriminate based on race, class, or ethnicity but based on belief and behavior. Why do you think hospital authorities refuse to allow people to smoke inside their buildings? Or why do bartenders take car keys away from inebriated patrons? They are discriminating against dangerous behaviors that threaten life. Whether we realize it or not, we discriminate all the time. It should not be surprising that God discriminates as well.

Today’s Reflection

Is there anything in your life that God hates?