“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil,” Psalm 97:10.
Much has been said and written about these two emotions of the heart and mind and which produce corresponding fruit in the life and govern the actions of mankind. And much of what has been said and written is totally erroneous.
That there is a close relationship between these very dissimilar passions is very evident from the verse at the head of this article. A person is either allied to the LORD or to EVIL
1. A LOVE FOR THE LORD IS UTTERLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH ANY SIN
It is entirely wrong to say that the Bible does not teach ‘hatred’. What it most definitely teaches is that we are not to ‘hate our neighbour’. The Saviour’s response to a question by a lawyer is central to the teaching of God’s Word.
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” Matthew 22:36-40.
Love for the Lord prompts and instigates obedience to all that the Lord has revealed to us regarding His mind and will for our behaviour. “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” John 14:15. We cannot claim to love the Lord and live in disobedience to ANY of His commandments.
There are many today who would claim to be Christians and yet make the contradictory claim that there are things the Saviour commands which they don’t feel they have to obey! They explain away what is revealed to us in the Word, about which the Saviour said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,” Matthew 24:35, by asserting that such things as they reject were born out of ‘customs and fashions of yesteryear!
However, it is entirely contrary to the teaching of the Bible to look on any of its direct charges as something that belongs only to a certain time or era. It is true that the Levitical Laws have, to a large degree been superseded by New Testament commands, but we have the direct instructions from the Lord and His apostles for such changes. (more…)
