Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
But let me defend my stance by giving an example. There is a place where the psalmist says of the wicked ones: "I hate them with perfect hatred" (139:22). The usual Christian stance is to say, "Well, in the New Testament we don't do that." A la Witness Lee and his NT Economy.
But suddenly I saw it from a spiritual and not physical perspective. The only Person who could truly say that was the Christ. All the rest of us, without exception, have compromised at some point with the taint of evil. We all are sinners, defeated and fallen. But Jesus never compromised with sin. "The ruler of this world is coming, and in Me he has nothing."
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The question is what is a "perfect hatred"?
According to James the man that does not offend with his words but bridles his tongue in all things is "perfect".
According to Paul we can know the "perfect will of God".
According to Psalms the law of God is perfect.
Therefore, if you hate something without offending with your words, and according to the perfect will of God, and you act in accordance with the law of God then that hatred is "perfect".
So then, the question becomes can you "hate" according to the will of God?
There is no Biblical reason to say that you can't. For example: Psalm 11:5 "The LORD tries the righteous: but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates." We are made in the image and likeness of God and it is therefore reasonable that our soul would, like God's soul, hate.
Paul says "Be angry and sin not". We are admonished to "be angry" in the New Testament. There are things that should make you angry, just as the Lord was angry and made a whip.
In Psalm 139 which you quote, the psalmist follows this verse about hating them with a perfect hatred saying
Psalms
139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.
139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
This Psalm presents God as being omniscient and omnipresent, and these three verses are the conclusion. He is inviting God to search him and see if there is any wicked way within him, and he begins by confessing "I hate them with a perfect hatred". As you mentioned superficial Christians will pretend that "they don't hate". That is not true, that is a lie, they do many wicked things like envy, jealousy, and gossip that reveals hatred. But this psalm represents someone who is perfected, transformed into a precious stone (in this case emerald which signifies God the Father who is omniscient and omnipresent). So this person is now honest. Does he hate, yes, but it is with a "perfect" hatred. No offense with his words, nothing contrary to the perfect will of God, and nothing contrary to God's perfect law. His soul is in the image and likeness of God, who also hates. This person's soul is completely illuminated, the omniscient God searches his heart, tries his heart, knows his thoughts, and reveals any wicked way.
The Psalms, imo, are about being transformed into a precious stone, and the conclusion of the Psalms conveys being transformed into the 12 different precious stones in the New Jerusalem. Psalm 139 is about emerald.