Hate Evil - Cling To Good - Romans 12:21 (Part 8)
Dear Friends,
Thanks again for joining us for our series on Romans 12:21. So far this has been an amazing journey, learning all that we can from the Words of God regarding how to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
We started off this year focusing on “all that is good!” I think most people all over the world are becoming rather weary of all the bad that is taking place, and are most anxious to get back to anything good. To truly find our way back to goodness and moral decency, we must rely on God to show us the way. The only way to hear clearly from our Creator and Lord is through His living and abiding Word. This is our true anchor and the only sure way of learning how to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
To recap some of our journey thus far, we’ve been reminded that there was only one person who has ever been able to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” and that was Jesus... the perfectly righteous Son of God. We have learned that the source of true goodness is from God alone and that human beings cannot be truly good without being born again of the heart and nature of God. Once we are filled with God’s life and nature through our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are enabled to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” through the power of the Holy Spirit Who resides within us, and Who operates through us.
This is not about our resolve to try to be good or holy, for our old nature was incapable. We had no power and ability within ourselves to be truly good. We walk out the exhortations given in the Scripture through the exchanged life, through the Divine life and faith of Jesus that we submit to and rely on. We have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3), for it has been crucified…
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20 KJV
We’ve learned that after we have received so much mercy, it is our obvious and natural inner nature to want to serve the Lord with our lives, trusting in His perfect will for us. We begin by renewing our mind with the Word of God, so we come to understand all that He has done for us and to learn to think like God thinks. We develop a humble, grace-based view of ourselves in the light of redemption, and we learn to take the faith (Jesus’ faith) that has been measured to us and partner with the other believers in the body of Christ, to accomplish God’s awesome and perfect will in the earth. We put to use the purposeful gifts that have been given to each one of us individually, through the power of the Holy Spirit to advance His Kingdom on this earth.
In the last article, we discussed what the Word declares is the “must-have attitude” for approaching our devoted service to the Lord... which is “love.” Through a revelation gleaned from Peter’s life, we discovered that no one can truly love with an un-hypocritical, kind of love without being indwelt with God’s Own love nature, for “God is love.” Through the nature and the power of His Holy Spirit living within our born again spirit, we are enabled to let God’s love loose and love like God loves. This all important attitude of “love...without hypocrisy” was covered in great detail in Part 7 of our series on Romans 12:21.
If you are joining this series for the first time, I’d like to make available to you the other articles in the series as well, as they are important and foundational. The other articles in this series can be found at DiscoveringGrace.org or click through to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.
In this article, we’ll be dealing with the second most important attitude to have when serving the Lord … “Hate.” Yes, this is accurate. I am not making a mistake here. The Scripture is very clear! We are to have two attitudes...Love and Hate. Let’s take a look...
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 AMP
You might be tempted to think, since God is love and we are born again with His nature, then how could we possibly hate anything? Well, it is important for us to explore this carefully, because it is a command in the Scripture. So, we had better discover what God means by this instruction, because if we don’t hate what is evil, we will tolerate what God hates and we will never be able to follow the next instruction which is to “hold on tightly to what is good.” Many of my favorite versions say it this way, “cleave (or cling) to what is good.” We’ll get into what it means to cleave a little bit later in this article. But for now, let’s address the question, “What does God mean by the word “hate?”
From all I can tell, this specific word for “hate” only appears in this verse of Romans 12:9. The word in the Greek language is apostugeō. It is a combination of two Greek words, apo (which means away from something near, and it denotes separation, departure, cessation and reversal), and also stugeō (which means to hate something intensely). It is a very serious word, and when understood completely, it means to abhor, to have a horror of, to detest something so much that you do everything you can to get away from it. It is repulsive to you. This is a whole lot stronger attitude than just a simple distaste for something. This is a no-tolerance, kind of word. The feeling that I have in the pit of my stomach when I smell someone cooking liver, probably pales in comparison to this kind of hatred. This is the most intense kind of hatred and the word gives the indication of placing a large distance between you and this thing that you hate so much. You wouldn’t go introducing yourself to the nearest skunk, now would you? Steer clear! This, dear Friends, is how we are to respond to evil. So what does God mean by “evil”?
The word in the Greek language for “evil” in this case is ponēros. It is derived from another word that means toilsome, painful labors. It denotes pain- causing harm, malevolent behavior, and wickedness. It is something that brings about destruction and hurt. However, in this verse, the word for evil contains an article, so it actually means “the evil.” We are to detest “the evil.” This distinction is very important, since this exhortation is sandwiched between “let love be without hypocrisy,” and “cling to what is good.”
Since God had a mind to tell us that this action of abhorring “the evil” was an out-working of our righteousness in Christ, it would do us good to learn a few things about what God abhors, hates or is an abomination to Him. If you are a born-again believer and are positioned in Christ Jesus, then this attitude will match that of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and ultimately will find it’s expression through you as you follow the heart of the Holy Spirit as well. Let’s do some exploring…
To begin with, we find this very clear exhortation given in the Proverbs. We learn very quickly a few things God hates, and if we are going to reverence Him, we will start by agreeing to hate what He hates. Let’s take a look…
“The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate.” - Proverbs 8:13 AMPC
Let’s look at another verse in Psalms…
“You who love the Lord, hate evil!…” - Psalm 97:13 NLT
The Scripture is pretty clear...if you love the Lord and reverence and worship Him, then you will also hate evil. Why? Because God hates evil! It is really that simple.
Now, when we are born again of the Son, the Bible declares that we are “in Christ.” You will find this terminology all over the New Testament in regard to believers. So, if we understand that it is “not I, but Christ (Who) liveth in me,” then certain Christ-like attitudes ought to be coming out of His life through me. If I am told in the Scriptures to hate something, then I can conclude that the direction is given so I am not surprised to find Jesus expressing His divine hatred for that thing through me. Let me say it another way...If Jesus hates something, then I will also hate it because I am “in Christ.”
I want to point out an Old Testament prophesy that was given of the Messiah in Psalm 45:6-7. This prophesy is confirmed as having been fulfilled by the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Notice what it says about the Son of God…
"But to the Son he says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, ENDURES FOREVER AND EVER. YOU RULE WITH A SCEPTER OF JUSTICE.
YOU LOVE JUSTICE AND HATE EVIL. THEREFORE, O GOD, YOUR GOD HAS ANOINTED YOU, POURING OUT THE OIL OF JOY ON YOU MORE THAN ON ANYONE ELSE.” - Hebrews 1:8-9 NLT
This is our Lord Jesus...He loves justice and hates evil! Justice or things being righteous and good is what makes the Lord happy, it is what makes Him full of joy. Jesus will rule His kingdom forever, and He will rule it in righteousness, peace and joy. It is His delight that the people He created would be just as they were meant to be. This is why evil is something that He hates. It robs the people He loves from the perfection and the peace that He intended for them. I hope you are seeing here a little glimpse from the Scriptures of what our God is like. This will help us to better understand our responsibility to abhor what is evil, just as He does. We want to be sure that we carefully harness and direct this attitude appropriately. Remember, that we are called to be just like Jesus...transformed into His glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
In our current times, hatred is running rampant in the world, and sometimes people are getting caught in the offense of the world’s hatred and not knowing how to respond appropriately with a righteous hatred. The book of Isaiah describes a time when people are confused about what is good and what is evil, and God announces a certain “woe” or judgment upon that. We can conclude from this Scripture, that God wants us to be clear about what is good and what is evil and not confuse the two. Here it is...
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” - Isaiah 5:20 NASB
Suffice to say, we do not want to be in disagreement with God over what He says is good and what He says is bad or evil. Be aware, though, that we can be very devout and religious and still get things completely mixed up. Do you know that the Apostle Paul (or Saul, as he was first called) was confused like this, before he had faith in Jesus Christ and was born again? When he was on trial before King Agrippa, notice how he testifies about his own past religious behavior before he met the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Damascus…
“So then, I [once] thought to myself that it was my duty to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; I not only locked up many of the saints (God’s people) in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.
And I often punished them [making them suffer] in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my extreme rage at them, I kept hunting them even to foreign cities [harassing and persecuting them].” - Acts 26:9-11 AMP
Saul was convinced that these people who followed the man known as Jesus were evil. He was very sincere in his conviction about what he thought was right and what was wrong, what was good and what was evil. But, how many of you know that you can be very sincere and be sincerely wrong! Saul was very wrong in his estimation of what was evil according to God, and Jesus had to have a close encounter with him to set him straight. But once Saul understood the Truth, he was able to turn as far away from evil as he could and spend the rest of his life pursuing what God defined as good. Saul (or Paul, as he is called) eventually becomes all that Jesus intended for him to be...completely righteous, and knowing the difference between good and evil.
I recently found a couple of quotes by the great evangelist, Billy Graham, in an article titled “Confusing Evil with Good” that adds to this thought. (see https://billygraham.org.au/billy-graham-confusing-evil-with-good)
“Humanity has always been dexterous at confusing evil with good. That was Adam and Eve’s problem, and it is our problem today. If evil were not made to appear good, there would be no such thing as temptation.” - Quote by Billy Graham
Wow!!! We sometimes get confused, because evil has a skillful and sneaky way of appearing good, just like the serpent in the garden had convinced Eve that the forbidden tree was “good” for food. The Bible warns us, though, that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”(2 Corinthians 11:14) Yet, in our current times, this second Billy Graham quote is worthy of consideration...
“But right is right even if nobody is right, and wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong.” - Quote by Billy Graham
These things are so true! There is only one righteous Judge, however, and we need to define what is right and wrong, good and evil, by His definition according to His Word. As believers, we want to follow after the heart and nature of God, which is our true, born-again nature. We want to hate what is evil and cling to what is good according to His estimation. So, in order for us to have a clear understanding about what God hates, we must hear from Him on this matter. One of the best passages of Scripture that catalogs what God hates is in Proverbs, chapter 6. Let’s take a look…
“These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19 AMPC
Earlier, I mentioned to steer clear of the skunks. Well, here are seven of them that are an abomination to the Lord. These are the things that God abhors. Let’s list them…
Pride
Lying
Killing the Innocent
Wicked Thoughts & Plans
Running to Evil
A False Witness
Sowing Discord
Now, before we continue, I’d like to remind us of the verse that is our focus for this writing…
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 AMP
I notice that there is not a single thing in the list of the things that God hates in Proverbs, chapter 6, that qualifies as acts of love or “love...without hypocrisy.”They are all self-gratifying and selfishly motivated actions. Yet, all of the things listed that God hates are the things that will steal, kill and destroy, and will bring harm to yourself and to others. It’s pretty clear why God hates these things, as they are the exact opposite of His love-nature. These are all of the things that are evident in Satan’s nature and the sin nature that is birthed of him. Look at how the Bible describes his nature and our old sinful nature, in some of these passages...
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” - John 10:10 AMPC
This next verse explores what we were and whose we were before coming in faith to Jesus. Again, notice how Satan is described...
“You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.” - John 8:44 AMP
In this next passage, Jesus explains what defiles a person, and He identifies what behaviors come from the sin nature…
“After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said, “Listen and understand this:
It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that defiles and dishonors him, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles and dishonors him.”
Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard you say this?”
He answered, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be torn up by the roots.
Leave them alone; they are blind guides [leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Peter asked Him, “Explain this parable [about what defiles a person] to us.”
And He said, “Are you still so dull [and unable to put things together]?
Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
But whatever [word] comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what defiles and dishonors the man.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming).
These are the things which defile and dishonor the man; but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.” - Matthew 15:10-20 AMP
This final passage, again, tells us how we used to operate in life when we were under the control of Satan, before we are born again of the nature of our Lord Jesus…
“And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins,
in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God].
Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].
But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us,
even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).” - Ephesians 2:1-5 AMP
Now, as we go back to the Apostle Paul’s testimony, you can see every one of these detestable attitudes and behaviors listed in Proverbs chapter 6 working in him before his heart was changed by the Lord Jesus. He felt it was his duty to oppose anything or anyone who named the name of Jesus. That is high and mighty pride and arrogance. He did whatever it would take to capture and imprison the saints, those who were walking in the righteousness of Christ. That would have involved some lying and trickery in order to investigate their whereabouts. He condemned innocent people to death, like Stephen, simply because they believed in the Son of God. His wicked thoughts and plans were to make people suffer and force them to blaspheme their loving Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He ran all over the country hunting these Christians down, harassing and persecuting them. This is running to evil and sowing discord among brethren. His entire attitude and behavior was a violation of all of God’s truth, therefore making him a false witness before men and before God. Wow!
I think we can see clearly from Saul’s testimony, the awesome power of Satan behind diabolical hatred that is misdirected and misinformed. This is the evil and the satanic nature of sin that God detests and abhors. It hurts people. It was hurting the early church of Jesus Christ and it was destroying Saul (or Paul), who was cooperating with it. Saul was being manipulated, deceived and destroyed from the inside out, through the sin nature that he inherited from Adam. His cooperation with the sin nature and the motivation of the devil was setting his life on a destructive path that ultimately was leading him further away from a guilt-free, relationship with God, God’s super-abounding blessings, and God’s divine destiny for him.
So if we continue in the Apostle’s testimony, we’ll see the divine destiny that God actually had planned for him. Let’s check it out...
“While so engaged, as I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests,
at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me.
And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].’
And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,
[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.’” - Acts 26:12-18 AMP
Wow again! It was God’s original good plan to make Saul a minister for Him and to use him mightily to open the spiritual eyes of all kinds of people...his own countrymen, as well as people in regions that he didn’t even know. While Saul was cooperating with Satan and the sin nature, he had no idea that God had in mind to bless him, and use him and his words to change the destiny of people all over the world, in every generation throughout history. God’s good plan for him was that he would be a rescue worker to help countless people find their way into the truth of God’s forgiveness and set them free from sin and from Satan’s power, instead of continuing to participate as Satan’s henchman.
Perhaps you are one of those people who has been rescued through your faith in the Gospel revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ that Saul (who we know now as the Apostle Paul) was commissioned to preach, teach and write about. That is truly awesome! Aren’t you glad that Saul repented and changed his mind about God’s good plan for him. Your future destiny was dependent on his obedience to faith in the Gospel that God had intended for him to preach.
But Hey!...Maybe you are just like Saul, caught in the activities and the sin nature that God hates. But take courage, my Friend. If you are still listening by now, then Jesus is meeting you right where you are, right now through this writing, and He is offering you His grace and mercy. You can change your destiny right now! Simply reach out with faith from your heart and change your mind (repent) about Jesus, just as Saul did. The Lord God has an awesome destiny for you as well, but He needs you to receive His free gift of salvation from your sin nature, through faith in the Savior Jesus Christ, first.
God loves you with an everlasting and unconditional love, but he hates the sin nature that is destroying you. Let me be clear, my Friend...God does not hate you! He hates the sin nature that is destroying you and the devil who keeps you in bondage to that sin. So, I am here to tell you that God went above and beyond to make it possible for you to get free of that sin nature. He reconciled you to Himself, and He simply wants you to return to Him with your believing heart. In fact, He is not even counting your sins against you any more. Let me prove it to you. God calls this truth the Ministry of Reconciliation. It’s also amazing to learn that these are the Apostle Paul’s own words. See...he learned something from his mistakes. This is the ministry and message that God gave to him and every other believer who calls on the name of Jesus. Check it out…
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him],
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.
He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].” - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 AMP
Friend, God sent His only Begotten Son to die in our place, on a brutal and bloody cross, so that we would be free from that nature of sin...the thing that He hates. Jesus stepped forward on our behalf and declared that He would bear the penalty for every sin that you or I would ever commit. Since even one sin was worthy of our death, Jesus took our sin in His own body and was punished for it through the wrath of God. Because He effectively put away sin, by dying with it in His own body, God raised Him from the dead to prove to us all that sin has been paid for and the nature of sin has been rendered dead and gone. We receive the benefit of this exchanged life, simply by believing God’s report concerning this finished work. Friend, if you will believe what God has done, God declares that you are saved and will live forever in the righteousness provided by Jesus. Simply tell God that you believe in what Jesus has done for you. The Apostle Paul gave this instruction…
“...because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer].
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 AMP
Friend, if you followed this instruction in prayer, then you are saved from that sin nature that has been destroying you, and you are now in the beloved family of God. Welcome to the family!
So, as we begin to wind down this writing, we discover that to truly “love... without hypocrisy”and “overcome evil with good,” we must hate “the evil” God hates and cling to what God defines as good. It seems odd to say, but we love people by hating the sin and “the evil” that is destroying them. Remember, that at the beginning of this writing, I explained that the Greek language has an article in front of the word “evil.” We are told to hate “the evil,” not the person committing the evil.The context surrounding Romans 12:9 is in regard to our active and devoted service to the Lord, and our service to the Lord will always involve people. In order to truly love people, we need to have a righteous hatred for the sin and “the evil” that will destroy them. But we don’t stop there...we also need to cling to what is good!
The Bible is actually full of Scriptures that tell us specifically the other kinds of sin and evil that God hates, but to list every one is unnecessary for this writing. Just read the Bible, and you’ll discover the things God hates. Let us simply remember that if we are born-again believers and children of the Most High God, we are born of His love nature. Therefore, the evil sin nature ought to have no lure over us any longer. We no longer possess a nature that is attracted to that kind of bait.
However, if you are a believer and you are struggling with sin or any of the things that God hates, I’d like to remind you that Jesus has cleansed you with His precious blood, and you are no longer under the power of sin or Satan. In the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, that power was broken. Hallelujah! You have a new nature now, God’s own nature, that can resist the power of sin and Satan. I’d also like to lovingly remind you of Paul’s words in Romans 6. Read these awesome words carefully. Since we know the kind of man that Paul was before his encounter with Christ, we can be assured that these truths actually work in real experience. If they worked in his life, they will work in yours, too. Remember, yet, that our only work is to actually “believe” what this passage of Scripture says. Let’s dive right in...
“What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow?
Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?
Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways].
For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection.
We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him,
because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].
Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts and passions.
Do not go on offering members of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. But offer yourselves to God [in a decisive act] as those alive [raised] from the dead [to a new life], and your members [all of your abilities—sanctified, set apart] as instruments of righteousness [yielded] to God.
For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God’s favor and mercy].
What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not!
Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?
But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.
And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].
I am speaking in [familiar] human terms because of your natural limitations [your spiritual immaturity]. For just as you presented your bodily members as slaves to impurity and to [moral] lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now offer your members [your abilities, your talents] as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification [that is, being set apart for God’s purpose].
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no desire to conform to God’s will].
So what benefit did you get at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None!] For the outcome of those things is death!
But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6 AMP
Believing Friend, I want to encourage you that if sin is trying to have dominion over you, you need to reckon yourself dead to sin’s power. Jesus died your death, so sin would have no power or sway over you any longer. Declare this over yourself in faith...declare it out-loud… “I am dead to sin. Sin, you have no power over me!” Consider these habits of King David...
“I will sing of [steadfast] loving-kindness and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
I will behave wisely and follow the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I will walk in my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.
I will set no worthless or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the practice of those who fall away [from the right path]; It will not grasp hold of me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not tolerate evil.
Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will silence; The one who has a haughty look and a proud (arrogant) heart I will not tolerate.
My eyes will be on the faithful (honorable) of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks blamelessly is the one who will minister to and serve me.
He who practices deceit will not dwell in my house; He who tells lies and half-truths will not continue [to remain] in my presence.” - Psalm 101:1-7 AMP
Believing Friend, you were born-again of God’s nature and God’s nature does not bow down to sin’s temptations. You are free to live like Jesus, in His own righteousness, power, and strength. You will be unable to serve the Lord as a living sacrifice, if you are still stuck in the clutches of sin. It is time to re-tune your believing heart back to the truth of Romans 6. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to have a righteous hatred towards the sin and “the evil” that is killing other people around you, when you are embracing it and submitting yourself to it also. This will kill your witness. It is impossible to help set others free, when you need to be set free yourself.
We must be in constant reminder that we are the righteousness of God in Christ and are no longer slaves to sin. We are to hate sin as much as God hates it and steer clear of it...like the skunk in the road. The last thing we want to do is to go on presenting our bodies or our minds to sin and evil things, like the list of things that God hates. We are commanded, however, to “hold on tightly to what is good.”Yes...I get excited about all that is “good!”
Let’s refresh our thoughts back to our key verse…
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy].Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 AMP
Now, let us explore what it means to “hold on tightly to what is good.” I love how the King James Version states it… “cleave to that which is good.” So what does this mean? Is it like holding someones hand or clinging to the steering wheel of a car? This word “cleave” is an awesome word and to understand its meaning in the original language brings tremendous clarity to this verse.
To start with, the word for “cleave” in the Greek language is kollaō. It means to glue tightly or to cement something together. Do you remember all those art projects in kindergarten, where we smeared Elmer’s glue all over pieces of paper and placed them together? Once it was glued together with this miracle adhesive, those pieces of paper were not coming apart. This is the idea being communicated about clinging or cleaving to that which is good. God wants us to be stuck like glue to the things which are good.
The first mention of “cleave” in the Bible is in Genesis, where we learn God’s purpose and divine pattern for marriage…
“And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” - Genesis 2:22-24 KJV
Even the context of this first mention of this amazing word in Genesis, reveals to us the meaning. God’s plan for creation was that one biologically created man and one biologically created woman would come together in marriage and become one flesh; two individuals who are now seen as one flesh in the eyes of God.
God’s purpose for marriage is that a man and a woman would become stuck together like glue. This is why another one of the things that the Bible records that God hates is divorce. (see Malachi 2:16) Why is this? Well, use your logic...If God expects you to cleave to your husband or wife, then it is just like that glued piece of paper. What happens when you try to separate two individual pieces of paper that have been glued securely together? That’s right, both are torn to the point of being irreparable. Without the forgiveness and the grace of God, these two can never be repaired. This is the power of covenant. It’s super-glue!
Notice that Jesus quotes this Old Testament passage, when some Pharisees came to test Him on the law concerning divorce. Look at how Jesus answers them…
“And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,
and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”
They said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.
And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”
But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.” - Matthew 19:4-12 NASB
Jesus tells them God’s original purpose for marriage. It is to “cleave.” God created male and female. A male and a female are to leave their parents and become so glued together that they are no longer separate, but glued together as one flesh. Then Jesus is even more clear by stating that no one is to try and separate that union. God knows that if you try to separate that union by tearing it apart, both individuals will be destroyed. God has never made divorce acceptable in his will. Jesus even explained why divorce happens. It’s because people allow their hearts to harden.
So then, Jesus’ disciples make this conclusion, that it would be better to stay single instead of getting married. Jesus understands that what He is saying is hard for some people to grasp. Yet, He gives them only two options: Get married and follow God’s perfect unity plan for your marriage, or become a eunuch and serve the kingdom of Heaven by being completely devoted to God with no distractions. Divorce is not an option. This is only one excellent Biblical and practical example of what it means to love... without hypocrisy, hate “the evil,” and cling or cleave to that which is good.
If you have landed in a divorce, be sure that God hates the divorce, because He never intended for you to ever be separated from your spouse. However, know that He truly loves you, and your ex-spouse as well.He has offered you both grace and forgiveness, if you will accept it. But, let’s not minimize the fact that divorce is a painful and destructive evil and God hates it.
Believing Friends, we want to learn to hate what God hates and stick-like-glue to what God declares as good. God’s heart for all of those He loves is that we would stick to Him like glue...that we would cleave to Him and cleave to His Word. As we move forward in our service to the Lord, let us be certain that the heart and nature of Jesus within our born-again spirit will reach out to people with an un-hypocritical love for them. With our physical eyes we may see them in their broken and sinful condition, but Jesus is going to be looking for the good. Because Jesus hates “the evil” that is destroying them, we will find ourselves hating that evil also. And yet, though we hate the evil, we love the person with the love of Christ. This is how we are to serve the Lord!
As I close this article, I’d like to ask... How important is all of this? Well, let’s consider something for a moment. Imagine if “love” had not met a man named Saul on the Road to Damascus? What if “love” had not been bold enough and brave enough to minister to Saul after he arrived in Damascus, having been blinded and being in need of healing? Let us finish the story of the Apostle Paul, as we will see in his story all of the attitudes that are contained in Romans 12:9...love without hypocrisy, hating what is evil, and cleaving to what is good…
“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said,"I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do." - Acts 9:1-6 NASB
Here we see the ascended Christ at work. Jesus is demonstrating love to His disciples who are being persecuted by Saul, but He is also loving Saul enough to address the evil that Saul is doing and giving him an opportunity to change his mind by following what Jesus tells him to do.
“The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."
And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight."
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;
and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." - Acts 9:7-14 NASB
Now we have a clear illustration of a born-again believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, and serving the Lord. Here is a man who hates “the evil.” He doesn’t deny that Saul has intent on evil doings. He clearly recognizes the evil that has motivated this man. And yet, Ananias is willing to obey God and show love without hypocrisy and cling to what is good. Is there anything good in Saul? No...not yet! But there is good in Jesus, and Jesus has informed Ananias of the reason that he is being asked to serve the Lord in this way. Let’s continue to follow the story…
“But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;
and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."
All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"
But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” - Acts 9:15-22 NASB
So I ask again...How important are all of these attitudes that we have been learning about, as it involves serving the Lord? What if Ananias hadn’t been already making himself a living sacrifice? What if he had been more conformed to the world’s way of thinking about things instead of listening to God’s thoughts? What if he had set himself up as more important than Saul in the eyes of God? What if he had not used the faith of Jesus to approach this situation? What if he decided not to use his God-given gifts to minister to a man in need, even though that man was a killer? What if Ananias hadn’t let the love of God loose? Yes, we hate the sin, but love the sinner. What if Ananias had not listened to the good word of Jesus, cleaved like glue to what was good, and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit? Would Saul have become the great Apostle Paul, and would he have received the greatest revelation known to mankind...the revelation of the grace of God? Somebody would have, but it would not have been him. That would have been a terrible waste of an awesome person, whom God created for an awesome purpose.
People are important to God...so important, that He gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross to redeem them from sin and evil. Let’s participate in all of God’s good plan for mankind. Hate “the evil” that sin causes, but look for and stick-like-glue to everything that God calls good. Why? Because this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. God is good...let’s stick to Him! His Word is good...let’s stick to it like glue!
I’d like to leave you with one final thought…
“For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [lives with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age,
awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good.” - Titus 2:11-14 AMP
Now that, dear Friends, is Grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (July 2021)
Copyright © 2021 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Note:
One last note...if today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we encourage you to write the date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence. This marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us to let us know!
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