Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” Yes, God hates. He hates evil. Now, this is not a complete list but rather a Hebraic form of writing to bring emphasis. The first six seem to lead to the seventh. God hates the one who stirs up strife and all the actions that achieve it.
Though this list is not exhaustive, it reveals what God sees as evil. This being the case, the opposite should be true of those who claim to be followers of Christ. Several Scriptures make this clear. Psalm 97:10 says, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord.” Amos 5:15 says we are to “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice…” and Proverbs 8:13 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” The real question is, “What is it that you or I hate?”
God is not telling us to be perfect because we cannot. However, if our lives are characterized by the things listed in Proverbs 6:16-19, we cannot say we love the Lord. God hates evil, every form of it, and so should those who love Him.
Knowing this, we must understand that God will judge all sin, meaning he judges all men, for “all of have sinned…” – Romans 3:23, and the “wages or consequence of sin, is death.” Romans 6:23, meaning eternal judgment. This sounds bad, and it is, but God does not leave us here – Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is good news! In Christ, we can be forgiven of all our sins. Jesus took upon himself the judgment for sin and offers forgiveness to those who repent and believe. Notice how clear the Bible makes this, telling the sinner, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” – Romans 10:9–11.
Would you like to know more? We would love to speak with you. Call us at 425-432-0634 or contact us at www.taylorcreekchurch.org. We invite you to join us for Sunday service: 9:00 AM for Sunday School and 10:15 AM for Worship. Address: 21110 244th Ave. S.E., Maple Valley.
