Love What God Loves, Hate What God Hates

Love What God Loves, Hate What God Hates (Intolerance)  by Don Vess

Romans 12:9- Amp [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing): Hate what is evil [loathe all un-godliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.

The Message Bible translates the verse this way: Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

We hear a lot about the word “Tolerance” coupled with “love”. But the kind of love that Paul is speaking of does not tolerate sin, but rather clings to that which is good.

John 3:16 uses the same exact word for love (loved) that Paul uses here in

Roman 12:9- agape: It describes the highest, finest, and most noble kind of love. It is the word that is used to describe the love of God.

John 3:16-17 KJV- For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved.

Real love has the capacity to love the sinner, yet hate what sin is and its effects.

We are called to love the sinner but also to abhor the sin. It’s the same as hating a disease that has affected someone we love. We hate the disease, but we still love the person and pray for their healing. We do not have to “accept” the behavior of the sinner, but we still must deeply love and pray for the salvation of the one who is living in sin. Love does not equal “tolerance.”

Paul tells us to, in the KJV …abhor that which is evil. The word abhor: Grk. Apostugeo: from apo- away, and stugeo- to hate.

It describes an intense dislike, and aversion, or a repugnance to something. When the words are compounded together, the new word conveys the notion of person who hates something so extremely that he literally backs away from it in disgust. Thus, the KJV translates the word
“abhor” to reflect the feelings of a person who is so repulsed by something that he shuns and avoids it at all costs.

This means that God expects your “tolerance level” for sin to be very low. In fact, you should have such a repugnance for evil that you actively and continually guard against it from ever invading your life or your family.
Hollywood had made it their mission to corrupt the minds and ideals of all of society.

They have crusaded to make adultery, drunkenness, fornication, pornography, homosexuality, murder, assault, hatred, and the list goes on and on, acceptable and “Normalized” in every home through television and movies and now through news and sanctioned and promoted by certain politicians in our government. Even enacting laws to protect abhorrent behavior.

So, if someone should accuse me of being “intolerant” of a particular sin or habit that society dictates that I should accept and embrace then, I am GUILTY! Yet, I do not hate the sinner, but I cannot be “Unequally yoked” in such close fellowship or communion with them that I become acceptant of the behavior.

Love “covers a multitude of sins.” In the community of believers, there is always the probability that someone will do or say something or behave in such a way that has potential to hurt or offend a fellow believer. But this is not the same as the behavior of the world. Tolerance for sinful behavior is not to be expected in the Christian community. We are called to a higher standard.

Colossians 3:1-17 Message- So if you are serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ ACT LIKE IT. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. LOOK UP, and BE ALERT to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective.

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. HE IS YOUR LIFE. When Christ, (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. And that means killing off everything connected with the way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy.  That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of
by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire! Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with His label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.

Words like Jewish and Non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. So, chosen by God for new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God has picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of whatever else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic,
all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

1 Pet. 4:7-8 NLT- The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, continue to show deep love for each other, FOR LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS.

If someone offends you: FORGIVE! Love covers it!
If someone betrays you: Love them and pray for them- LOVE COVERS IT!
If someone gossips about you: Love covers it!
Don’t fan the flames by responding in like.

Prov.26:20 NLT- Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

We live in a world that is turned upside-down! The values of society should not shape the values inside the church. Because something is legislated and deemed “legal” in the judgement of a godless society does not mean it is to be “tolerated” and accepted inside the church. But many will accuse the church of being “Judgmental.”

That is correct when it comes to allowing certain things that God has defined as “sinful” to be accepted inside the community of believers. The apostle Paul gave instructions for dealing with the sinful behavior of a man who was living in open sin in the Corinthian church.

1 Cor. 5:1-2 NLT I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow
and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

1 Cor. 5:13- “God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

Does this sound like Paul would be accepting of the things going on in the church in America today or even in society? I Think Not! He would probably be doing some serious house-cleaning!

Paul warns in verse 6 …don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? I can remember when the debate began about allowing homosexuals to be accepted
into the body of believers. Once there was no debate! It was made crystal clear according to scripture that certain behaviors were unacceptable in the body of Christ and were challenged by Scripture precedence.
But once it became “debatable” some in the hierarchy of certain mainline denominations reasoned that we were not to be “judgmental” in our assessment of these behaviors and we should remove the label of “sinful” and no longer abhorrent as we are in a new age of enlightenment we should no longer be “intolerant” but become more accepting of those who
were “born” this way and cannot change who they are.

But that is what becoming “born-again” is all about. It changes our human nature and humanistic sinful nature into a brand-new person who is accepted by God and changed from the inside out into a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). I thank God that He changed me from the person I was into who He has made me to become. I realize that in this life I won’t obtain
“perfection” in the eyes of man. But I have already obtained perfection in the eyes of the One to whom it matters the most. Back to Romans 12:9 KJV- Abhor that which is evil; cling to that which is good. This could be
interpreted to mean: You need to abhor and be disgusted with (intolerant of) anything that would bring evil and harm to your physical, mental, or spiritual life. Instead of giving place to and being tolerant of those destructive things, why don’t you put your whole self forward to
become more joined with that which is good and profitable for you?”

Paul, in his closing remarks in the letter to the Roman Church wrote these words: Romans 16:17-20 NASB- Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eyes on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teachings which you learned and turn away from them. 18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Jesus Christ, but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I WANT YOU TO BE WISE IN WHAT IS GOOD, and INNOCENT IN WHAT IS EVIL. 20 And the God of peace
will soon crush Satan under your feet.

We are born into sin. But we are born-again when we accept Christ and what He has done to liberate us from sin. 1 John 3:8 For this reason the Son of God was manifested, to destroy the works of the devil…