"Let love be without dissimulation." Romans 12v9
There is love and there is fake love. Every beautiful thing that God has created has been distorted by sin, none less so than the character of true love. Paul is appealing here for real love and the rest of the verses from here right through to the end of chapter 13, is in fact an exposition of what true love really means. He now tabulates for the believer a list of twenty one features of this love, that will in real practical terms reflect the truth of it.
- "Abhor that which is evil" - Romans 12v9 In stating his desire for true love in the lives of believers, he is aware of the many perversions which have been introduced into this sacred concept of love. True love does not extend to the present world view of it, which is basically evil. Love has become lust and anything goes. There is even today a "new age" gospel, teaching that we are to love all things including the sins of the flesh. Love towards people does not extend to loving their sins. We are to abhor evil; physical sex before marriage is an evil in the sight of God; adultery within marriage is evil; homosexuality in all its forms is evil. We are to abhor that which is evil. The word is very strong; it means an intense dislike; I am to be so repulsed by evil such that we shun it and avoid it. As believers, God expects us to have a low tolerance of any form of evil. Scholars tell us that in the Bible there are thirty three different words to describe sin. The Bible identifies different lists of sin and thus an identification of what evil is. These are found in Romans 1v29-32; 1st Corinthians 6v9-10; Galatians 5v19-21; Ephesians 5v3-5; Colossians 3v5-9 etc. The book of Proverbs contains not only words of wisdom for living, but a revelation of evil in the human heart. Even a proud look is an abomination to the Lord and "the very thought of foolishness is sin." We need to identify these things in our lives, and turn away from them (Peter says we are to "eschew evil." 1st Peter 10v10-12, where he quotes Psalm 34). All these different aspects of evil need to be expounded from our platforms, understood by all believers and avoided. As much as he wants us to love people he wants us to hate sin, the very thing that has created and perpetuated all the world's problems. The word for "abhor" literally means "to shudder." We live in a shallow generation which has compromised with evil and come to accept it as the normal. The mass media through films and sitcoms has altered the meaning of the word "wicked" to mean something good and desirable. A generation is being raised where there is no fear of God, where good is evil and evil is good; believers are enjoined to turn away from all evil.
- "Cleave to that which is good" - Romans 15v9 In the same way as we identify evil from the word of God we can identify good from the same source. When we understand it, we can put it into practice. There is a common world view of what is good, but all good should be determined in relation to God. Again the word is interesting; it means to glue or cement together; it is the super glue of Christianity. The word is first used in Genesis 2v24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh." Paul quotes this in Ephesians 5v31 and uses the word "joined" unto his wife. Thus we are to despise evil, but to love and cling to that which is good.
True love, therefore will mean identifying what God describes as evil, and on the contrary good, then turning away from the evil and clinging to the good. This is foundational to the whole concept of love. I cannot truly love my fellow man, until I truly understand what it means to love God. Love God, love my neighbour, that is the order. The beginning of it is to accept God's meaning of good and evil and not the perverted world view of it. All of the world's problems come from our rejection of God. Acceptance of His way will lead ultimately to the kind of world the Lord intended from the very beginning. We Christians have a great responsibility to present true love to the world in which we live.
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