Unlimited: Cling to the What is Good
Jul 25, 2023 535
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9b).
Since Eden, every person has known what is good and evil (Gen. 2:17.) Since the fall every person has found it easy to hate what is good and cling to what is evil. But when we understand the Gospel (what Jesus has done for us at the Cross), then our values are reversed, and we learn to truly hate evil and to cling to what is good.
The words that Paul uses here for “hate” and “cling” are extremely forceful. The word here translated as “hate” in the Greek means to be horrified at something, and the word “cling” means to be cemented to something. The Gospel teaches us just how horrifying sin is, and how much we need goodness in our lives. It teaches us that this goodness can only come through Christ.
When we understand the Gospel our values are reversed, and we learn to truly hate evil and to cling to what is good.
Paul has just told us that our love must be sincere. When love is the core and guiding principle, then the moral compass of our lives will start to realign itself to point in the right direction.
This is the result of the Gospel that the apostle has explained in the first 11 chapters of his letter. We will more and more surrender every aspect of our daily lives to God as a “living sacrifice” – the “reasonable worship” which is our proper response to the Cross.
Spiritual Application
In what aspects of your life do you need more of the goodness of God? Make these a subject of special prayer this week.
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