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Those who are unfamiliar with the Creation Seventh Day Adventist message might consider “A Perfect Hatred” to be a rather unusual name for a Bible study. After all, the Gospel is about Love, Joy, Peace, Hope and so on… what place does “hatred” have in the life of a Christian? And what does it mean to have a “perfect” hatred? A hatred so pure that nothing can be added to it to make it a more perfect hatred?
Naturally, the wording comes from the Bible. Specifically, it is found in the Book of Psalms: “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O Elohim. Depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Yahweh, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them mine enemies.” (Psalm 139:19-22)
The Psalmist here is speaking of men, of the enemies of Yahweh. These individuals violate His Law, they break His Covenant, and they trample on His principles. Because of that, they cause harm to others, and to themselves, and the pure Spirit that inspired those words expresses a perfect hatred for the transgressors. The principle is valid, the sentiment is righteous; and yet its expression not yet perfect. Am I saying that King David, writing under inspiration, did not express a matter perfectly? No – it was fitting for his time. It was appropriate for his generation; but as we know, seen through the lens of the life of Christ, we are called to a higher understanding of righteousness.
Yahshua taught, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say unto you that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Mat 5:38, 39) We’ve had some discussion of that principle among ourselves, and we have come to a balanced understanding of this, that while we never retaliate in anger, or with unnecessary violence, neither do we allow ourselves to be abused without holding up a mirror to those who are trying to take advantage of us. Perhaps we ask, as Yahshua did during His trial, “Why did you strike me?” (John 18:23)
The point is that new light brings new understanding of old teachings. Without rejecting them, without invalidating them, we see them in a new way. An eye for an eye is still valid; anyone who transgresses the Law, anyone who harms another, anyone who so much as speaks an idle word, will meet that work in the judgment, but it is not necessary for us to be the ones to take the eye. Perhaps those who have harmed us will repent. Their sincere regret will be their just reward, but they will die to their sins and we will rejoice with them in the world to come. Seen through the Gospel, this is the most preferable outcome.
In reference to the Old Testament saints, the Book of Hebrews tells us, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, Yahweh having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11:39, 40)
And so as we approach the Day of Yahshua’s return, as we stand in the judgment without fear or guilt, we come to understand the principles of righteousness more and more clearly, and this matter of perfectly hating the enemies of Yahweh is among those things that are refined by the light of the Gospel.
Who are our enemies? Or rather, what is our enemy? It is not man. Men may become our enemies, but only through sin. No human being is truly our enemy; the most antagonistic, violent, mean-spirited person you have ever met was not born to be your adversary. Humans are deceived, captured, and twisted into the image of demons, who were themselves corrupted by sin. Without Christ and the ministry of His angels, human beings have no choice but to worship the Beast, Satan’s cold heart in the warm flesh of humanity, and so they attack the saints, they pass judgment on the righteous, and they stand as obstacles in the way of faithful men and women.
But they are not our enemies. As the saying goes, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” That is just right. We love the sinner; we desire for them to be saved from the power that possesses them, and in this we reflect the “mind of Christ;” as it is written, “‘Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth,’ saith the Lord Yahweh, ‘wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.’” (Ezek 18:31, 32)
Even the most sinful human is potentially a member of one of the Tribes of Spiritual Israel. Even the most wicked and perverse person is invited to enter into New Jerusalem through one of its twelve gates. But they must first make for themselves a new heart and right spirit; they must ask Yahweh to make for them a new heart and a right spirit, and then they will turn from their evil and live. That is our work on this earth, not to take the eyes and teeth of our enemies, not to bring the Sword of Caesar down on those who offend us, but to love them, to sacrifice for them, and to guide them into the atmosphere of Agape, divine love.
So what, then is our enemy? It is sin itself, and its consequence, death. It is common to say, “Death is just a part of life.” No… I did not like that expression when I was a worldling, and as a saint I hate it with a perfect hatred. Here is what the sanctified mind says about death: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1Cor 15:26) We even know when, and how it happens… Yahweh wanted us to know exactly how death itself dies. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the deuteros thanatos (the second death).” (Rev 20:13, 14)
Seventh Day Adventists should understand this. They should know that sin, and its consequences death and hell, are our true enemy, our ultimate enemy, our omega enemy. And as our enemy, they are subject to what King David describes as that perfect hatred. In fact, we are told this directly. It is relatively rare that I quote Ellen G. White in my Bible studies, but there is one passage we reference quite often, and it is revealing to see that her inspiration explains this matter in exactly the same way that I am doing here.
She writes, “Not one should be buried with Christ by baptism unless they are critically examined whether they have ceased to sin, whether they have fixed moral principles, whether they know what sin is, whether they have moral defilement which God abhors. Find out by close questioning if these persons are really ceasing to sin, if with David they can say, I hate sin with a perfect hatred.” [Letter 26d, 1887]
“With David…” so she’s talking about this very thing, referencing this very verse. One year later, in a very significant year for the Gospel, she writes this, “There must be no favorites, whose sins are regarded as less sinful than those of others. Oh, how much we all need the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Then we shall always work with the mind of Christ, with kindness, compassion, and sympathy, showing love for the sinner while hating sin with a perfect hatred.” [Manuscript 8a, 1888]
This is how it must be. The saint has a perfect hatred for sin, and for what it does to human beings, ultimately resulting in death and hell. And this is a necessary element of salvation, this perfect hatred, because without it, without a perfect and unwavering hatred of sin, sanctification cannot be completed.
The reason why those who fall short in the judgment, who backslide despite knowing righteous principles, fail to enter into life is because they do not hate the transgression of Yahweh’s Law. When temptation came to them, pleasing to the eyes, and pleasing to the flesh, they did not see it as a corrupt and injurious thing. They did not reason from cause to effect and acknowledge that for temporary pleasure, for temporary diversion, they were selling their heavenly inheritance, and maybe causing others to stumble, perhaps fatally.
To the saint, temptations surely come. The thought arises; the devils are permitted to conjure up sinful thoughts… but upon a mere instant’s reflection, the saint says, “This is displeasing to my Father, and displeasing to my spirit.” He rejects it, and the demon is burned, given a tiny preview of its final destination.
And this is why it is the heart that is the focus of the judgment, not the actions. Actions do not always reflect a divine motive. Someone may quit smoking, for example, because of “health reasons.” That’s not a bad reason, not at all… but statistically most people who quit smoking eventually return to the habit. And why? Because they gave it up only due to believing that they “must.” Maybe their doctor, or their spouse, convincingly warned them of its effects. It is a “good” motive,” but it is not a “righteous” motive. A righteous motive reveals that Yahweh hates it when human beings are unhealthy, when they addict themselves to poisonous substances, when they spend their time, energy, and money, on selfish indulgences rather than the needs of the family and the salvation of souls.
The best reason for doing righteousness, the reason that keeps one from falling back into old transgressions, is that Yahweh is pleased when His people follow His principles and give a good testimony to the world. They are blessed by their faith, and their faithful obedience to His instructions, and those who dwell in that knowledge, and claim His promise to keep them in that happy state, will be transformed into those who would never find that which Yahweh hates appealing. The flesh may remember, and temptations may flitter across the mind, but the will, the deciding power in man, will love what was once hated, and hate – with a perfect hatred – that which was once loved. The flesh, while still present, and while still cruel, has no power to dictate the soul’s course. The demons, while still present, and while still cruel, have no power over those of whom Yahweh has declared, “This one is mine.”
A perfect hatred… we may come to discover its nature by examining a perfect love. The Scripture talks about perfect love, and this is another verse that we know very well: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1John 4:18)
The same author, and the same book, that talks about ceasing from sin, talks about perfect love. The same passage in which Ellen White talks about ceasing from sin in order to be baptized as a Christian talks about a perfect hatred. We cannot imagine that this is a coincidence. Perfect love casts out all fear. It casts out anything that is not love. It removes all doubt in the promises of Yahweh, so that we do not hesitate to claim and live by His promises. In that love, and in that confidence, we need fear no temptation, obstacle, or challenge.
In exactly the same way, perfect hatred casts out anything that is not hatred. It is one that is undiluted with any affection. It makes no attempt to justify, to mitigate, or excuse. If one man hates another man, he does not give him the benefit of the doubt. He does not try to see things from his perspective. He rejects that man completely, and gives him no opportunity to draw near. A perfect hatred allows for no compromise. Applied to men, that mindset would not be appropriate, but when we apply it to sin, when we experience that revulsion to the transgression of the Law, then we have power over every tool of Satan. If you have not experienced that, that perfect hatred of sin, ask your Heavenly Father for it, doubting nothing, and He will give it to you immediately. You need it.
Imagine this: A wife does something that displeases the husband, and he loses his temper and shouts at her. Later on, he realizes that he erred in his judgment; he was hasty. He regrets his words. He goes to the wife and asks for her forgiveness. He says, “I am sorry that I raised my voice at you, but you really displeased me; you made me shout at you.”
Is that a perfect hatred of his actions? No… it is not. It is repentance mixed with justification. The wife’s actions, or lack thereof, do not in any way justify the choices made by her partner. Each must individually, unqualifiedly, unreservedly, confess wrongdoing in order to be cleansed from all unrighteousness.
There is no “relativism” in righteousness. There is no, “I did wrong, but you did worse, so what I did is not so bad,” before the Throne of Yahweh. There is no excuse for sin, and those who hate sin with a perfect hatred seek no excuse. But this is exactly what the worldly Christian does every day, the one converted after the traditions of men, and not the Word of Yahweh, which declares, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not.” (1John 5:18) The carnal Christian says, “Lord, I admit I sinned, but Satan tempted me, and I backslid.” Or, “Father, I did wrong, but my flesh overcame me, and I fell short.” Or, “I broke the principles of your Law, the principles of love, but the circumstances were against me.” This is not a perfect hatred, and it never was. This justifies self, revealing that the carnal “self” is still alive, and it makes compromises with the enemy. The sinner makes excuses for sin; and to the carnal mind they are truly excuses. We understand that. This is how the flesh operates, and therefore, this is how those who walk after the flesh must speak.
The flesh knows it is under the power of selfish principles and Satan’s inducements, because it does not yet know the Truth, which shall set the soul free. (John 8:32) When he is finally free, the slave hates his former bondage with a perfect hatred, even though, in his slavery, he accepted bondage since he had no alternative. He may even have been a content slave, a cooperative slave, but once free the true sentiments are revealed.
So it is with the saint. While yet a sinner, he permitted sin. He allowed it in himself, because he had no freedom to choose otherwise. But when Yahshua comes to “set the captives free,” then the true sentiments are revealed. In our evangelism, we introduce the Savior to those who are in need of Him, and see what is said and done. If they truly wish to be free they will jump at the opportunity. They will cling to the truth, and will let nobody tell them that they must await some future time, or perhaps even death, in order to be free from sin. No! They will die if they are NOT made free from sin, but Satan has twisted this teaching around most terribly. Those who would see the Father will make no excuses for their past lives, but will say, “Father, I throw myself at Your mercy. Save me, heal me, and abide within me forever more.” There is no mention of the flesh, or of Satan, except to briefly and entirely deny them, in genuine repentance from sin.
That is how it is with those who will see everlasting life. Unfortunately, some accept bondage even when freedom is offered, because the deepest bondage is that of unbelief. Even when they have been given the Gospel – Victory over Sin – even when they have been given the key to their chains, freely and with assurances of success, they will not set it into the lock and turn it, because they don’t believe it will work. This is a greater blindness, a more profound blindness, than never having seen the key at all.
Let me draw to a close by giving you a parable. We have had “The Parable of The Ant.” This is “The Parable of The Roach.”
I want you to imagine that you are invited to a feast. You dress up in your best clothing, and you journey to your host’s house. You are seating amongst respected guests, and there is nice music, beautiful furniture and décor… this is clearly a wealthy family’s home. Then the meal comes, and it is the most delicious plate of food you have ever seen. You’ve been hungry for a while, so your mouth is watering. There are fruits, vegetables, soups, stews, whatever you most love to eat… all laid out before you.
But then, just before you are about to dig in, you see a roach – a big, fat, disgusting roach – crawling all over your food. It knows it has been discovered, so it scampers off your plate, down the side of the table, and off into the shadows, never to be seen again. Now, the food looks exactly the same as it did before. Nothing has changed about its appearance, or its smell, or even, you imagine, its flavor. And yet, you wouldn’t lay a finger on it, much less put it into your mouth.
You look around and everyone is eating, clearly enjoying their meal… but as for you, your stomach is turning. Your mind, and your knowledge of what just happened, have completely transformed your experience. What you once loved, you now perfectly hate… and again, it looks exactly the same, but because you know it is corrupt, you refuse to eat it. Someone sitting beside you notices that you aren’t partaking, and asks, “Why aren’t you eating? That meal looks great!” The problem is, they didn’t see the roach in your food… only you saw it, so while to everyone else in the world, it looks like the best meal ever, for you, because you saw the corruption, it is a ruined experience. You make your polite excuses to the host, and you head home to get a simple, but clean, supper.
This is what it is like for a saint living in the world. Once we know something to be corrupt, displeasing, unclean, no matter how much we may have desired it before, it will forever be seen by us as a tainted thing, unworthy of our acceptance. Friends and family may wonder at your choices, they may misunderstand your convictions, because they don’t see the pollution… but you know… you have seen it, and your spirit rebels against what you once thought was so delightful.
Think on this parable.
Death is not a part of life. It is no part of the Christian experience, and it has no power over the 144,000. Death is an enemy, and sin is its cause. As the saints of the Most High, we recognize sin as the true enemy of mankind, and we hate it with a perfect, undiluted hatred. We make no excuses for it. We do not justify it. We never compromise with it, not when repenting of it ourselves when its remnants are discovered in our character, nor when identifying it in others for their sakes. And in this very generation, when death appears to have the most power, we reject it entirely. In this generation, when sin appears to have the most saturating influence, we reject it entirely. We deny it. We rebuke it, and we await our salvation with living, hopeful eyes. This is what it means to be among the 144,000. We are given an honor we do not deserve, to live because our Redeemer died. The 144,000, at least a portion of them, never taste the bitterness of death, although we follow One who did, for our sakes. Christ permitted death to claim Him so that we would live; He embraced a hated enemy for the sake of His friends.
As the People of the Most High, we turn our back entirely, and forever, and without compromise, on all sin, and teach others the love of our Perfect Savior by whose power we do so. This is what we do for the sake of those who would be Israel.
David.