Those who are born again are called the temple of God because Christ now dwells in us. A prophecy concerning Christ might give us a clue about what that will produce in us.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
It is interesting to me that among this list is the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Jesus walked in the fear of the Lord. He hasn’t changed who He is in order to live in us.
So, how can we know if we are walking in the fear of the Lord?
Proverbs 8:13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.
How many? All!
What will they do? Hate Evil.
But why will they hate evil?
The Hebrew word translated evil here is interesting. It is the Hebrew word ra-ah and in almost every scenario it implies something really bad. It implies hurtful things, destructive things, mean things. In one of it’s definitions it uses the word malignant. That is a word we associate with cancer in a very negative way. A malignant cancer is of the worst sort. Another definition speaks of being vicious in disposition. It involves what someone does towards others. Evil’s goal is to use and hurt others.
Using others for selfish gain and being mean towards others is something Jesus hates. Jesus taught His disciples to pray keep us from evil.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
