Abhor what is Evil, Hold fast to what is good.

Lastnight at church we are and have been going over Romans 12.

We are on verse 12:9

This sermon has penetrated my heart allowing me to understand God more fully.

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. -Romans 12:9

If there were a universe in which there was no evil that hurt people or dishonored Christ, there would be only love and not hate. There would be nothing to hate. But in a world like ours it is necessary not only that we love and hate, but that our love include hate. Paul says, 'Let love be genuine, abhoring what is evil." One commentator calls this abhoring "an intense inward rejection." It is rejection. It is inward. It is intense. And my point is that in this world love has to feel hate for evil. Since evil hurts people and dishonors God, you can't claim to love people while coddling evil. Don't make the mistake of saying: "The evil I cherish only hurts me, and so it is not unloving to others." That is absolutely false. (see 1 John 5:2). You were made to display the worth of Christ to others. That is what is good for them. That is what it means to love them. But if you do things to yourself to damage your delight in Christ and your display of Christ, you sin against others and not just yourself. You rob them of what God made you to give them. So I say again, love for others must hate evil. Because evil hurts others directly, and evil hurts others indirectly by hurting you. Evil obscures the beauty of Christ. And Christ is our greatest good. Our greatest Joy. (John Piper)

So now: Look at Romans 12:9

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. -Romans 12:9

Do you see that for our love to be genuine, we have to abhor what is evil?

If we do not abhor what is evil, we do friends and family a dis-service.

We sin against them.

Ask yourself these questions to examine yourself:

Where do I secretly cherish what which God calls evil?

What is the cost to my soul to love what is evil?

(there were many others, but I thought that these were the most helpful)

Let's abhor evil for the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

It's another link to Godly fellowship and holding each other accountable!