Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
The hatred and grief toward those who hate God and rise up against Him express the thorough identification of the soul with God that belongs to every true, successful worker as a representative of Jesus Christ. It means truth recognized as from God, the author of all good, has been laid hold of and brought into the life by continual practice until it sanctifies the soul, so that God's truth becomes one's own truth and God's honor becomes one's own honor. The perfect hatred is hatred of sin itself and of the moral defilement that God abhors. Standing closely beside God with personal honor bound to His throne, a person feels an attack upon truth as a cut upon self and is moved to fight for God and His truth.
That hatred shows righteousness implanted in the soul, faith grasping the power of Jesus Christ, fixed moral principles, knowledge of what sin is, real cessation from sin, and cleansing from every spot and stain of moral defilement. This hatred toward those who hate God lives together with kept-alive sympathy for brethren and cultivated love that works unity. No one should be buried with Christ in baptism without critical examination and close questioning as to whether that hatred is present, whether sin has really been ceased, and whether the candidate can say this with David. No one is safe without this hatred, especially when licentious practices are as common as in the days before the flood.
The hatred and grief toward those who hate God and rise up against Him express the thorough identification of the soul with God that belongs to every true, successful worker as a representative of Jesus Christ. It means truth recognized as from God, the author of all good, has been laid hold of and brought into the life by continual practice until it sanctifies the soul, so that God's truth becomes one's own truth and God's honor becomes one's own honor. The perfect hatred is hatred of sin itself and of the moral defilement that God abhors. Standing closely beside God with personal honor bound to His throne, a person feels an attack upon truth as a cut upon self and is moved to fight for God and His truth.
That hatred shows righteousness implanted in the soul, faith grasping the power of Jesus Christ, fixed moral principles, knowledge of what sin is, real cessation from sin, and cleansing from every spot and stain of moral defilement. This hatred toward those who hate God lives together with kept-alive sympathy for brethren and cultivated love that works unity. No one should be buried with Christ in baptism without critical examination and close questioning as to whether that hatred is present, whether sin has really been ceased, and whether the candidate can say this with David. No one is safe without this hatred, especially when licentious practices are as common as in the days before the flood.