“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19)
Evil is not something which we only recognize around us, in other people. We do evil when we fail to seek God and give Him the place He deserves in our life. Our evil may not be grossly obvious; it may be subtle and hide under a veneer of respectability. The Lord knows those who honor Him with their lips while removing their heart far from Him. We cannot be His and still be our own – withholding ourselves from Him, and retaining the right to do as we please.
If we would call ourselves Christians we must do more than look the part to men. We must be known to heaven even as Job was known. “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8) When Job was accused by men of hypocrisy he said: “Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.” (Job 16:19) This is the essence of walking in the fear of the Lord: the knowledge that God’s eyes are always upon us coupled with a fear to offend His eyes by the commission of evil.
Jesus came to redeem us from all iniquity. He came to take away our sin, in the real sense of delivering us from it so we don’t walk in it any more. He came to establish our hearts in the fear of the Lord which in turn causes us to hate and depart from evil. (Jer. 32:40; Prov. 8:13; 16:6) Jesus tells us to be either cold or hot. The lukewarm pretend to have a relationship with Christ that they don’t have. Jesus was outside the inner life of the Laodiceans. His true fellowship was unknown to them. They were unaccustomed to His presence and involvement in their lives. They were Christians in name only.
Before it is too late, let us hear the knock of the Lord upon the door of our heart and let Him in. He is not content to be an outsider in any person’s life. He is not okay with lip service. Our piety may fool men, but it does not fool God. He knows those who are really His, and those who are really His know Him. Relationship with God radically changes the way we do life. It causes us to choose the good and refuse the evil.