In Psalms, chapter ninety-seven, verse ten, those who claim to love the Lord will be tested by how much they hate evil while living on this earth. A truly regenerated believer made one with Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit will love what God loves and hate what God hates. We should be vexed by the wickedness, brutality, and ungodliness in this world and grieved by the lives destroyed by its evil. Furthermore, we should be deeply distressed when sin and immorality are permissible in the house of God.
The New Testament expresses what should be the normal reaction of a spirit-filled church to the immorality found among its professing members. In Isaiah chapter six, those who embrace the Biblical view of God’s holiness and His revulsion to sin will be sorrowful and regretful. They will remove wickedness from them, as in First Corinthians five, verses two, four to five, seven, and thirteen, respectively.
It is not enough for the children of God to love righteousness. They must also hate evil. We see this clearly in Christ’s devotion to righteousness in Isaiah eleven, verse five, and the hatred of iniquity in His life, ministry, and death. Christ’s faithfulness to the Father while on earth, as demonstrated by His love of righteousness and hatred of wickedness, is the basis for God’s anointing of His Son. In the same way, our anointing will come as we identify with our Master’s attitude toward righteousness and evil, as in Psalms forty-five, verse seven.
Our love for righteousness and hatred of evil will increase by two means: growing in love and compassion for those whose lives are destroyed by sin and experiencing greater intimacy and oneness with the Lord Jesus, “who loved righteousness and hated iniquity,” as in Psalms ninety-four, verse sixteen, Proverbs eight, verse thirteen, Amos five, verse fifteen, Romans twelve, verse nine, First John two, verse fifteen, and Revelation two, verse six, accordingly.