“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”
“Let love be without hypocrisy.” It’s not enough to have a mask of love on my face and secretly despise the one whom I’m pretending to love towards. Nor does this mean that I should love so that I would get recognized and complemented for my “love” towards people. This verse pierces my heart to examine my motives and intentions for loving people. Is it for me and my glory, or is for Christ?
“Abhor what is evil” for love “does not rejoice in iniquity” (1 Cor. 13:6) The only way to truly love without hypocrisy is hating sin that not only is out there in the world among other people, but also hate the sin that is secretly harboring in my own heart. If I let this sin reign in my heart even a little bit, I’m going to become hypocritical in my love towards others. Whether it’s greed, lust, pride, or hate; it’s going to pollute my love and poison those who I attempt to minister to.
“Cling to what is good” so if I should love without hypocrisy and truly abhor evil; I would be truly following this exhortation in the fullest. It is not enough to just know what is good, or meditate what is good, or even simply love what is good, but Paul says I must “cling”; saturate myself in the abundance of good that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is so simple an instruction: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” How? -- “Abhor what is evil” and “cling to what is good.” So simple, yet so tricky when trying to apply it to my life. Even when I muster enough encouragement to dive myself into obedience to this verse, I cannot help the sin lurking in my heart that dumps pollution in the stream of my love. I must cling to my heavenly Father in prayer who will be able to light up the dark hideouts within my heart, for in Him there is no darkness.
Application: When God reveals the dark folds within my heart, I should open it up to God and repent, I then can abhor my sin and cling to what is opposite of that sin so that my fellow brothers and sisters can drink the pure love that isn’t tainted with hypocrisy, but is fresh from the cistern that is Christ Jesus.
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