There is a mean streak to authentic self-control. . . . Self-control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin. . . . The only possible attitude toward out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war. . . . There is something about war that sharpens the senses . . . You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant.
Dr. Edward T. Welch
Christian Counseling and Education Foundation
"we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin . . . ."
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about hatred the other day (or anger, rather) and wondering whether I've ever felt the good kind. I think most of my anger is just the "fight" response to fear.
But all anger can't be just that if there's really "righteous anger" in the world.
I suppose Welch is saying that "hatred for sin" is of the righteous, not the response-to-fear variety.