You may have heard that the biggest conflict in all of human history has been an ongoing war between love and hate. This story is a pretty simple one that has been perpetuated through popular media. The question is: Is this story true? Some in the modern U.S. political climate believe so, as shown through various yard signs that have been put up across the country. On these yard signs is typically written, "Hate has no home here". The Question is: Does hate really have no home in a Christian house?
 |
| A Common yard sign that features the "Hate has no home here" phrase |
Christians have clearly been called by God to love one another. If love and hate are diametrically opposed forces, as culture tends to show, then it should not be possible for loving Christian households to have any room for hate. This seems like a logical conclusion.
Not so fast. The Bible has more to say, and what the Bible says is always better than what our culture says.
God does not just call His followers to love, but He also calls them to hate. Jesus Himself told His followers, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Here God is stating that the cost to follow Jesus is to hate anyone who keeps you from serving Him (whether it be your spouse, family or even your own life). God calling His followers to hate others seems like it diminishes the purity of His call to love one another, but in reality our love cannot be sincere, if we as Christians do not hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Hating anything sounds terrible in light of some worldly ideas, but Christians are not called to love what the world loves. On the contrary, it is written, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them" (1 John 2:15).
Not only are Christians commanded to hate what is evil, but God sets an example for this hatred. God loves righteousness and hate wickedness (Psalm 45:7a). God says, "I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them" (Isaiah 61:8). Those who do what God loves will be rewarded, and those who do what God hates will be under His judgement. This is why it is written, "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). These are all sinful practices that the Lord hates, and anyone who habitually practices "what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work" (1 John 3:8). Yes, one reason Jesus came to earth was out of hatred for the devil, and one day God will cast the devil into an eternal punishment that He has prepared for him (Matthew 25:41). This is how our God hates what is evil.
Christians should follow God's example. A wise follower of God wrote, "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech" (Proverbs 8:13). It is also written, "The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves" (Proverbs 13:5). From this verse the real ongoing battle throughout history has not been between love and hate, but is between those who love evil and those who hate it. It is so that everyone has love and hate in them, but only those who follow God can love and hate the right way.
Living in hatred, though, is a detestable thing. The tempation for a Christian to fall into sinful hatred is strong, and it is a daily struggle for a Christian to hate evil without sinning in that hatred. One Biblical writer strugglining with their hatred of God's enemies wrote this in Psalm 139:19-24:
19 If only You, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of You with evil intent;
Your adversaries misuse Your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against You?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
We, as believers, must ask God to search our hearts in the same way this Psalmist did. We must hate what is evil, but we must keep away from sinning in that hatred. It is written, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" of your life (Ephesians 4:26-27). Love well and hate well, but do not become bitter or "anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). If we pray for our enemies and cast those prays and burdens on God, then He will sustain us (Psalm 55:22). Yes, there is a place for hate in a Christian home, but that hate must be kept in line with God's word.
 |
| Remember, serving God means loving what He loves and hating what He hates |
Sources
- The Bible (New International Version)
- NIV Bible Concordance by Zondervan
No comments:
Post a Comment