Hating, Hateful Hypocrisy

I hate it when I hit my thumb with a hammer. My wife hates bugs in the house. My little boy hates it when his big brother takes a toy away from him. I think most of us could come up with some things we hate.
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Even God has a list of things that He hates. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)
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I must admit that there are a number of things that I hate. I hate child abuse. I hate that women are raped. I hate that drug cartels are killing police officers and innocent citizens.
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Now what would you say if a drug cartel thug put a gun to your head and asked you why you hated what he was doing? He likely would try to justify his actions, even using force to do so, but that would not make it right. If you were in such a position it would be difficult not to hate what he was doing no matter how tolerant you are.
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The prophet Amos brought this challenge: “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:” (5:15a). Not only is it allowed that we hate certain things, it is commanded. “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10) “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)
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So based on these verses, what should be the standard for the things that we hate? The standard must be our fear and love for God and what He classifies as evil. I wasn’t the one who decided that it was wrong for drug cartels to go around killing whoever they wanted to kill, it was God who determined that.
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As I look at God’s standards for right and wrong, I hate the fact that innocent babies are killed. I hate the fact that pornography and sexual perversion are running rampant in our culture. For that I am called intolerant when the truth is that what is not being tolerated is God and His standards. Thus we have hatred on both sides. The one side hates what God calls evil and the other side hates God’s values. It is sad that those who fear God have been bullied into silence by those who hate what He stands for.
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“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
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Romans 12:9 tells us to let our love be without hypocrisy and to abhor evil and to cling to what is good. Christians need to stop letting others define right and wrong. They need to love and fear God and let Him define the standard. Sure they may be called hateful, but it is good and loving to hate evil. Let us not be fearful to call evil what it is and to call sin “sin.”