Proverbs 8:12-14 (NIV): “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.”
There are only two sides, and ultimately each person must choose to align themselves with one side or the other. They must choose to be fully aligned with God, the side of holiness and righteousness and light, or they will choose to be aligned with evil and sin and darkness. To refuse to choose God IS to choose the side of darkness. And there is no “neutral” point, no middle ground. To even try to choose neutrality, out of whatever motive, is to choose darkness. To allow a even a little slackness in ones heart and morals is start one’s slide into darkness. And that little slackness, that little compromise, will eventually drag even such a wise and godly person as Solomon into evil.
That does NOT mean, however, that God’s holy people are to stay shut up in their cloisters, trying to stay away from any contact with the darkness, and fearing contamination from the unclean outside the gates. That’s what the Pharisees did, and they made themselves worthless as God’s messengers (and got well-earned rebukes from Jesus!). God’s people are to be holy, yes; but they are to take that holiness, that light, and actively engage the darkness of the world with it. The incarnation of Jesus shows that it is possible to live and move among those lost in the dark, to actively show them the light of God, and never have your righteousness suffer a single taint as a result. And with the Holy Spirit completely saturating a Christian’s life, it is possible for any of God’s people to do the same thing with the same results.
Also remember that to hate evil; to hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech, is worlds different than hating the people who are caught in snares of sin. Those evil behaviors are all symptoms of being trapped in the dark. And God’s people are to love ALL people, just as He does. And they are to spend themselves in showing those same trapped-in-the-dark people His clear light of holiness, and to help smash the fetters that hold them fast.
Father, thank You for the light that You have put in my life, and for the presence of Your Holy Spirit that gives me power to shine even though surrounded by darkness. Use me, even today, to break someone free, and bring them into the light. Amen.