Therefore, rid yourselves of all
malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn
babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your
salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (I Peter 2:1-3)
Years ago I heard the sage advice that
whenever you see "therefore," look back to see what it is there for.
This is what obedience and purity look like.
No malice. I hear so many people say,
"I love everybody." Then they hear about a pedophile, or rapist; or
someone who abuses women...children...animals...; or a terrorist and they sound
like the leader of the torch-bearing mob with nothing being enough to slake
their thirst for vengeance. No fate is sufficiently terrible for such a monster,
they say. And the Bible says, no malice. That means no intention or desire to
do evil, no ill will, no hatred. Yes, those people are evil. So were we. True,
something needs to be done to prevent them from harming others ever again. That
something may have to be their death (or life in prison, or the salvation of
their souls) but it must be done without malice. A physician doesn't spend the
time before operating to remove a tumor breathing out imprecations or virtually
bathing in the blood of his enemy, the tumor. He doesn't dance in the streets
with bloody hands, delighting in his destruction. It's a job. He performs it to
the best of his ability and with minimal emotion.
No deceit. That's more malice. Telling
the truth might hurt you or help them. No hypocrisy. That's more deceit. No envy.
That's malice, too. No slander of any kind...not even followed by
"LOL," or "jk." That's also malice. In our society, ridding ourselves of all
that is tough. It's so prevalent. Doing so would certainly result in our being
labeled as strange. It's also required if we are going to obey the call to be
pure and to love.
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