And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. – Jude 1:23 (KJV)
The word “hate” is a very strong word. It is a very strong expression to describe how we feel about something or someone. The Bible goes as far to warn that whosoever hates someone else is a murderer and does not have eternal life. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. – 1 John 3:15 (NIV)
But there is a proper time and place for hate! As believers, we have to have a deep hatred for sin, iniquity and anything that goes against God’s holy and righteous nature. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. – Hebrews 1:9 (KJV)
Jude 1:23 further gives an example of hating evil. It says: Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.(NLT)
When Jude tells us to “hate” the garments spotted by the flesh, he isn’t talking about a mere dislike of something; he is talking about a radical aversion to something. Jude is letting us know that we should have a strong aversion to sin — so strong that it allows absolutely no tolerance for sin in our lives or in the lives of other believers.
This part of verse 23 could be taken to mean: “When it comes to sin, you should have no stomach for it at all. In fact, your feelings about sin should be so strong that you possess an aversion and repugnance to it.…”
Our aversion to sin should be so fierce that Jude says we are to hate “…even the garment spotted by the flesh.”(KJV)
The word “garment” was used in ancient times to describe a person’s undergarment. You see, the outer robe may be changed to look fresh and clean while the undergarment remains just as dirty as ever!
A new, clean robe may hide the truth that a person’s undergarment is filthy — but this disguise doesn’t alter the fact that he has a deeper problem to deal with!
Sin isn’t just a superficial, outward problem. If we allow wrong attitudes and behavior to continue in our lives, this moral decay will eventually permeate deeper than the surface and penetrate even to the deepest, most hidden parts of our souls. The defilement may begin as an outward problem, the same way loose dirt can soil a man’s outer garment. But if this filth is never dealt with, it will begin to work its way through every area of a person’s life until he is completely defiled.
The second part of this verse conveys this idea: “…And don’t just deal with the superficial issues of sin by cloaking yourself with a garment that hides the true picture. Be honest with yourself about your true situations. And be hard on sin, refusing to allow it access to the deeper parts of your life. If sin sinks that deep below the surface, it won’t be long until you are completely contaminated and affected by it.”
It is imperative that we understand the consequences of sin and learn to hate even the smallest hint of its presence in our lives.(Ephesians 5:3-7; 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:22)
So before you do anything else today, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to those areas of your life that need attention and correction. He will lovingly point them out to you and then show you how to change!
PRAYER: Lord, help me see sin the way You see it so that I have no stomach for it in my life. I know that as long as I view sin only as a mistake or a weakness, I will be tempted to tolerate it. So I ask You to teach me to see sin exactly the way You do so my desire for change will grow. Holy Spirit, help me see the truth and know the proper steps I need to take in order to make those needed changes.