Hatred

Hatred. It’s such a strong feeling. What could be so influential in our lives that we actually hate it?  I can understand hating cancer or some other disease, but there should’t be any reason that we hate other people. People have strong ties to politics, religion, race and even sports teams; so much so, that they hate anyone that opposes their line of thinking. Hate has become so prevalent in our world today and just seems to grow exponentially every day. It’s almost to the point that I can say that I hate hate.

What are we to do as Christians?  We’re normal people too, who have strong opinions and feelings towards certain things, especially when it comes to moral topics. Should we get to the point of hatred towards others that don’t see the world through the same eyes as we do?  I would say no, and we should come to expect that the number of people who see the world through Biblical eyes will continue to grow smaller and smaller until the return of Christ.

So, what shall we do when we come across those that hate us for what we believe in?  Should we fight fire with fire so to speak?  Of course not. The great civil rights leader from the 1960’s, Medgar Evers, said, “when you hate, the only person that suffers is you because half the people you hate, don’t know it, and the other half, don’t care.”  Hate is like the picture of this snake below wrapped around a saw. He keeps tightening his coils thinking he is strangling the saw, when the whole time he is actually cutting himself to death.

“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” - Matthew 5:43-45. The only hatred that a Christian should have in his heart is the hatred for his own sin. We should hate sin in us as much as God hates sin in us.

“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” - Proverbs 6:16-19. These are the things we should hate within ourselves. We shouldn’t hate others because they sin differently than we do.

“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” - 1 John 2:9-11.

Have a great day and God bless.