Holy Hatred (from the book "Drawing Near")(Protestant/Evangelical Caucus)

Grace to You.org ^ | 1993 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

"Hate evil, you who love the Lord" (Ps. 97:10).

God’s hatred for evil is an extension of His love.

After spending this month exploring fifteen characteristics of godly love, it might seem odd to shift suddenly to the topic of hatred. Additionally, "holy hatred" will sound like a contradiction in terms to those who view all hatred as evil. But love and hate are inseparable. You can't truly love something and be complacent about the things that oppose or threaten it.

If you love your spouse, you hate anything that would defile or injure him or her. If you love your children, you hate anything that would harm them. If you love good, you hate evil. If you love unity, you hate discord. If you love God, you hate Satan. That's why Scripture says, "Hate evil, you who love the Lord" (Ps. 97:10) and, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I [God personified] hate" (Prov. 8:13).

Unquestionably God is a God of love. First John 4 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. . . . Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. . . . And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (vv. 7-8, 11, 16).

How are we to respond to that love? The psalmist wrote, "From Thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. . . . I hate those who are double-minded, but I love Thy law. . . . I esteem right all Thy precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way. . . . I hate and despise falsehood, but I love Thy law" (Ps. 119:104, 113, 128, 163).

Is that your prayer? Do you hate the things that oppose God? Are you offended by what offends Him? Remember, holy hatred is as much a part of godly love as any of its other characteristics. If you love God, you must necessarily hate evil.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to increase your love for Him and your hatred for evil.

For Further Study

Meditate on Psalm 119:101-104 and commit it to memory.

[metmom]

ping

[Izzy Dunne]

Unquestionably God is a God of love.

Love: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." – Matthew 10.34.

Love: "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." – Matthew 10.35,36.

Love: "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." – Matthew 10.21.

Love: "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever"... "behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away." – Mark 11.21.

Love: "Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." – Matthew 8.22. Love: "Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this World nor in the world to come." – Mark 3.29.

Love: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. – John 15.6

Love: "A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession ... Lord, help me!'
He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel ... It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.' " – Matthew 15.22-26.

[Lera]

(Proverbs 8:29) When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

(Proverbs 8:30) Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

(Proverbs 8:31) Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

(Proverbs 8:32) Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

(Proverbs 8:33) Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

(Proverbs 8:34) Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

(Proverbs 8:35) For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

(Proverbs 8:36) But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

[caww]

....”Do you hate the things that oppose God? Are you offended by what offends Him?”......

Yes.

Israel gives us an example of a nation turning against God and our nation needs to heed this.

.....Hosea 4:1-2 tells us..... “Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, (America) for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:... “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.”

We have an administration whose policies are severing the country from its constitution...... The same is happening in the church, in our pulpits - those who are not teaching from our constitution, the bible, ‘severing the church from the word’.... We get lies in the place of truth, and what people believed to be true is found out not to be written in the Bible.

One of the facets of love is that it rejoices in hearing the truth..... Today few people want to hear it and when they do they get upset if it happens to be a correction for them to change.

We have the word, to keep to it is wisdom in this time of lies.

http://www.letusreason.org/proph39.htm

[afsnco]

All one has to do is think of the eternality and absolute mercilessness of hell and the lake of fire and know that God isn’t the kindly grandfather that some would portray Him. Those places are places of the total absence of divine love. And God is the one who casts people there.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

[Mark17]

Thanks MM, for the John MacArthur threads. He is a good preacher. Please keep them coming. 😂😇😀😆😃😎