January 5
“For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God….for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:5-6
In addition to crying out daily for God to give us a renewed perspective to hate evil, we also ought to ask God to give us a compassion for those ensnared by it. A concern about the fate of those who are ensnared in sin is another excellent way to hate evil.
Pornography well illustrates this point. If we consider the fact that any who don’t know Christ will spend eternity in the fires of hell and that the wrath of God will be meted out to those who don’t know God and obey the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10), are we as Christians going to view the immoral acts of others with lust and greed, with coveting and idolatry, with evil desire and perverted enjoyment, and not have compassion on their souls? I have heard that many who appear in pornography are sex slaves, men, women, and children who are forced to participate in the evil of others against their will. How can we enjoy the nakedness of such people in bondage?
Satan has deceived these people, and will we not see the end of their deeds and desire their repentance and salvation? What would you think about Christian men and women who, when the twin towers of the World Trade Center were burning, stood at a distance with telescopes trying to get a glimpse of people’s underwear as they were falling to their deaths? Does this repulse you? How is this different from Christians viewing pornography and not having a hatred for the sin and compassion for the sinner? Any Christian who views pornography should see the flames of eternal judgment consuming these people, and they should hate the evil they see and have a renewed commitment to be part of the solution, to help rescue them, rather than taking themselves out of the rescue team and making themselves part of the problem.
This compassion for people, along with a hatred of sin, is also something I believe we need to cry out to God to give us. We desperately need to see the souls around us without Christ and feel compassion for them. Anyone who sins against God and participates, even passively, in the evil deeds of darkness has no real compassion for others. This compassion I personally think has to come from God; He has to open my eyes and strengthen my faith to see it. The world will not give this to us, and I don’t think we can generate it from within. I think this compassion is a gift that we need to urgently ask God to give us. Cry out to God for a overarching burden and concern about those ensnared in sin that will bring about their eternal damnation. Compassion for souls will reinforce our hatred of evil and be a huge help in enabling us to be useful for His kingdom.