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Cling to What Is Good in a Confused World
Anchored in the Word with Dave Jenkins
In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins examines Romans 12:9 and explains what it means to abhor evil and cling to what is good. He considers the relationship between genuine love, biblical truth, holiness, and daily discernment while showing how Christ transforms His people to love what God loves.
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God Defines What Is Good
Good and evil are not determined by personal preference, cultural consensus, or changing public opinion. God alone determines what is good because He is perfectly holy, righteous, and wise. His Word reveals what honors Him and provides the trustworthy standard Christians need for faithful living.
Genuine Love Rejects Evil
Romans 12:9 declares, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Biblical love is neither sentimental nor passive. It refuses to embrace what dishonors God while remaining firmly devoted to everything that reflects His character.
Truth and Love Belong Together
Christians do not have to choose between compassion and conviction. Scripture rejects both loveless truth and truthless love. The gospel produces believers who speak the truth in love, treat others with compassion, and remain committed to God’s revealed standard.
Practicing Biblical Discernment
Christians cling to what is good by filling their minds with Scripture, practicing discernment in their daily choices, and pursuing Christlike love. Spiritual maturity involves more than avoiding obvious evil. It requires the active pursuit of everything that honors the Lord.
Christ Transforms His People
Jesus Christ perfectly loved the Father, obeyed the will of God, hated evil, and delighted in righteousness. Through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, Christ redeems sinners and transforms them into His likeness. United to Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, believers can increasingly love what God loves and live for His glory.
Consider This
Are you merely trying to avoid evil, or are you actively pursuing what God calls good? Ask the Lord to help you love what He loves, reject what He rejects, and reflect His character in every area of life.
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Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
