Thursday, May 14, 2026

           We often think of Romans as a book that is heavy on theology and doctrine.  And rightfully so.  It does address important matters like salvation, justification, sin, repentance, the role of Israel (past and future) and the sovereignty of God.  But Romans is also a book that gives us plenty of good practical guidance and direction.  For example, Romans 12:9 says, “hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”  Only nine words long but this command sets the tone for a good life. These nine words deserve our reflection and time.  We are to hate and reject anything that is evil and wicked.  We are to renounce it and discard it from our lives.  Plain enough for all to understand.  Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that we do not fight against flesh and blood.  Rather, our battle is spiritual in nature against the enemy himself.  We fight the enemy by wearing the armor of God and standing firm in God’s ways, Word and truth.  If we are going to hate evil, we must be fully prepared to do that—using what God has already provided.  
            Jesus reminded us that we cannot serve two masters.  The Lord said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).   We cannot serve God and anything else—whether money, power, fame or evil.  God does not share His glory with anyone.  He does call us to make Him one more thing in our lives. He is our life!  To serve and love God means we make no place for evil and do not even entertain evil in our lives.  We follow the command of Romans 12 and decide to hate evil. We consciously choose to turn away from all evil.
            The other side of the Romans 12:9 command is to cling to what is good.  How do we understand good?  Well, goodness begins with God.  Indeed, Jesus said, “’Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone’” (Mark 10:18).  God is good.  So, we cling to God.  We cling to God in our battles against temptation and sin.  We cling to God when the enemy assaults us or deceives us.  The Bible consistently teaches us that God, and Him alone, is our rock, fortress and refuge.  Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  God always acts in ways that are good and good for us—both now and with eternity in mind. 
            We also understand “good” or “goodness” to be a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23 for a full accounting of all nine fruits of the Spirit).  When described as a fruit of the Spirit, goodness is something we want our lives to bear and produce.  We are not able to do this by ourselves or in our strength.  But the Holy Spirit can produce goodness in and through lives that are submitted to Him.  He can help us decide what is the good path to follow in any situation.  He can empower us to yield the fruit of goodness when we may be tempted to settle for something far less. 
            To “cling” to what is good means we hang on as tightly as possible.  The image might be hanging on to a limb or rock to protect ourselves from going over a cliff or ledge. The Bible is commanding us to cling to what is good because Satan can so easily deceive us into something that slips and slides into evil.  Remember how Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the middle of a paradise called the Garden of Eden.  Sadly, it can be easy for us to turn our eyes and hearts away from what is good and toward what is evil.        David was deceived by his eyes in his ordeal with Bathsheba.  Lot was deceived by his eyes when he chose to move to the land of Sodom.  When standing face to face with Jesus, the rich young ruler could not get past all that he had and the riches he possessed so he could faithfully follow Jesus.  He saw his wealth more than he saw Jesus and what Jesus offered to him.  We are not to make light of evil or the enemy because he can deceptively turn our attention away from what is good and toward what is evil.  Cling to God.  Cling to His Word. Cling to prayer.  Cling to a few good brothers or sisters who are always in your corner and lifting you up with friendship, prayer and encouragement.  Have a great Thursday!