In reading a devotion today, the author asked a simple question. Do you hate evil? The actual devotion was about arrogance and pride and asked the readers to read Proverbs 8:12-21.
Proverbs 8:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
But think about what Solomon is saying here. To fear the Lord is to hate evil.
Lets define what evil is:
morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked
This is not the only definition, but it will do for this purpose. So what about the biblical definition of evil
Biblically, evil is anything that contradicts the holy nature of God.
Psalm 51:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Man committed an evil act in the beginning when he disobeyed God and has been doing so ever since.
I get back to the question, do you hate evil? The answer should be yes, but too often we do not fear the Lord and seek to do things that are contrary to His nature. Throughout Biblical history, there are accounts of people doing what was considered evil in the eyes of the Lord.
While I hate evil, I cannot say that I always do what is right in the Lords eyes nor do I act like I fear Him. Thankfully, He does not hold that against me and gives me a way to still be with Him despite my natural tendencies and that is through Jesus Christ.
Do not get me wrong, this type of behavior is not okay. I need to change, but to do so without Gods help is an exercise in futility. I need to be more like Christ and at the same time seek guidance from God.