Everyone who does evil hates the light. John 3:20 (NIV)
One of the best ways to tell what a man loves is to ask what he hates. You can be confident that he loves its opposite.
What would drive a person to hate the light? The love of darkness: “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light” (John 3:19-20). The driving force behind hatred of the light is the love of darkness.
There is a love that drives each hatred. Satan hated God because he loved himself and desired the position of God for himself. His love of himself drives his hatred of God. And there’s only one thing that can ignite a hatred of evil in your heart, a love for Christ.
A Scottish preacher by the name of Thomas Chalmers coined a great phrase, when he talked about “the expulsive power of a new affection.” Have you ever seen a busy person fall head over heels in love? It is fascinating. Time is freed up. New energy is discovered. Bad habits begin to change. That’s the expulsive power of a new affection.
When the love of Christ takes root in your heart, it will expel other lesser loves. That’s the point of that beautiful scene after the resurrection, when Jesus restores Peter. Jesus had just one question for the man who had denied Him: “Peter, do you love me?”
Peter answered, “Yes, Lord…You know that I love you” (John 21:15).
The Spirit of God has a question for your divided heart: “Do you love Christ?” Let that love drive the hatred of evil in your heart.
