I'M A HATER

I'll just come right out and admit it – I'm a full-fledged hater. 

Although no one has ever called me that to my face - or even over social media – I'm sure quite a few have thought it of me.  

I can’t get around the fact. I'm a hater. 

It is who I am, to the core of my being.

And believe it or not, as a follower of Christ, I really have no problem being known as a hater. In fact, I consider it an honor. My highest honor actually.

Stick with me here! To the end. It may blow our mind and cause us all to rethink our current mantra of the day. Scripture tends to do that. 

Why do I hate?

I hate because God hates.

"What?! But isn't God a God of love?"

Certainly! In fact, God is love defined (1 John 4:8), but as Love, here’s what He tells us about Himself.

"… because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them." Leviticus 20:23

"Arrogant people cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all who behave wickedly." Psalm 5:5

"The Lord approves of the godly, but He hates the wicked and those who love to do violence." Psalm 11:5

"There are six things that the Lord hates, even seven things that are an abomination to Him." Proverbs 6:16

"Because of all their evil in Gilgal, I hate them there." Hosea 9:15

We may not like to consider such realities, but it's God's love that motivates His hatred, His anger, and His wrath. God doesn’t separate these aspects of who He is, and what He does, and therefore neither should we. They are all part of His perfection.

He hates evil enough to pour out His wrath upon it, and upon those who surrender themselves to it.

We are to hate sin because He hates sin. 

I hate because God commands me to hate.

"Hold on a second! How in the world can a loving God command His people to hate?! Isn’t that the opposite of all He’s called us to?"

Here again, let God speak for Himself.

"Let those who love the Lord hate what is evil." Psalm 97:10.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride and the evil way and perverse utterances.” Proverbs 8:13

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9.

"I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. I hate doing evil; I will have no part of it." Psalm 101:3.

I hate because I genuinely love God.

To allow someone to speak derisively about someone you love is simply contradictory. A lover of God will react with inner dismay and respond to comments and actions that belittle Him. Our love for God overcomes a fear of others and hates anything that would be derogatory to His nature. Of course God can handle criticism and wrong statements about Him. He doesn't need our defense. However, our defense reveals our ultimate love and respect for Him, by hating all that defiles Him.

To worship God is to hate that which violates Him, His name, His character, His laws, His Word and His will. Therefore I hate false religion and false teaching. I hate lies that inaccurately depict who He is. I hate manmade views of God, which glorify man and their ideas of Him – rather than submitting to the truth. He alone defines who He is. We don't.

I hate concocted and self-imposed values that contradict God’s design for humanity. He determines what is right and good, not us. I hate any words that pervert His Words. I hate deceptive ideas that reject the gracious and merciful act of our Holy God in giving His own Son to save us.  That said…

I hate because I genuinely love others.

I hate what destroys those I love. I can't say I truly love someone unless I stand with the ones I love and hate what harms them. You cannot NOT hate the evils that cause harm to the ones you love. To tolerate evil is simply inviting evil itself. To quote the famous Irish statesmen Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

The more I follow Christ, the more I interact with people, the more I travel the world, the more I see, the more I listen, and the more I experience – the more I hate. I hate because Jesus has expanded my heart for people. I hate what deceives and destroys people. I hate when injustice occurs. I hate when people are abused. I hate the lies society propagates that cause people to degrade themselves. I love people enough to risk reputation and acceptance, even my own wellbeing, to hate the things that enslave, endanger and harm others.

Therefore, I hate sin even when individuals see their sin as good – because within their deceived hearts there is always a silent pain. Those who walk about proclaiming their freedom to sin suffer privately, too embarrassed to acknowledge their inner destruction. Though they may consider me their enemy, I hate what is happening to them, because somehow, God has given me a heart for them. Because He has loved me enough to hate what I do, how can I not desire the same for them?

If you truly care for your loved ones you will hate anything that hurts them. The more you love, the more you hate that which would bring harm. If you don't love much, you won't hate much.

I hate the wrongs I've witnessed being brought upon people. And honestly, I struggle not to hate those who inflicted the harm. Only the heart of Christ coming alongside mine can change such passions. Left on my own, I would probably care less about people, mind my own business, and not give a rip about what they do as long as it doesn't affect me directly. But Christ changes all that.

Consider Apollos' actions in the book of Acts, “for he (Apollos) refuted the Jews vigorously in public debate, demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus” (Acts 18:28). He definitely didn't take the position of, "Let's agree to disagree."

Love can't remain ambivalent towards truth. A heart that cares only desires that which is good for others.

A self-focused heart, on the other hand, only considers its reputation and therefore has difficulty caring for God and others enough to hate evil. It remains calloused, offering a deceptive defense: that its neutrality is all about tolerance. That’s why…

I hate my own sin.

I really do. I regret my thoughts and actions that violate the beautiful commands of God. I regret that my unrighteousness not only harms me, in ways deeper than I realize, but it also causes pain to those around me. (It’s humbling to realize that my behavior isn’t just about me. My sin is like an infectious disease bringing trouble to others and myself.) And, I hate that I will probably do these things again.

To hate sin begins with a hatred of my own sin… because more than anything, I realize that my sin is a crime against God causing me to break fellowship with Him. 

"Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight." Psalm 51:4

"So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9

"As for me, I said: 'O Lord, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you!' " Psalm 41:4

We can never be free of a sin that we don't hate. Sin and inner attitudes that reject God's standards should repulse us and grief our hearts. I'm still working on that. This change certainly doesn't come naturally but praise God it does come from and through His Spirit.

The Fine Line of Hatred

People who stand in opposition to God cannot put hate and love together. Even though it is the most logical and rational concept, they still aren't able to comprehend the possibility. It seems antithetical to them. As if love is somehow opposed to hate. No one wants to be labeled a "hater;" everyone wants to be known as a tolerant, accepting and respectful person. And indeed, such a pursuit is noble. But if tolerance means celebrating, or even passively condoning sin, it only ends in failure to genuinely love.  If we cling to tolerance, in the sense of tolerating what God hates, we become blind to our own hatred.  Such false tolerance actually leads to intolerance.  We carry around a hidden distain for those we disagree with.  We avoid certain people.  We "group shame" those outside our circle of acceptance, by slapping labels on them.  And once that happens, all we have to do is claim personal offense, and victory is assured. Lies propagate. Evil dominates. Abuse accelerates. And love doesn't win after all, at least not the popular version of it.

Yes, it is possible to hate and yet love. In fact, love requires hatred. You can't love without hate or it isn't love at all. Hatred purifies love. It is an expression of love. 

But there is a fine line in hating. We hate because we love. We hate actions, NOT people. We condemn an action, but NEVER a person.  That is for God alone to do. We are called, however, to discern between truth and falsehood, good and evil. Judging, in this sense, is one of the primary things that make us human.  To put it simply: we love what is right and hate what is wrong. Loving people is right. Hating people is wrong.

The High Cost of Hating

To hate what is wrong is heartbreaking. It is a hatred filled with anguish and tears. Sometimes you wish you were more hardened and calloused so the pain wouldn't cut so deep.  Like you’d be better off not caring in the first place.

Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, was filled with hatred for how the people were breaking their covenant with God.

While the Apostle Paul, “… was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols." Acts 17:16 

Jesus rebuked His disciples because they discounted the children that were being brought to Him. He experienced heartbreak over the people as He hung on the cross.

I realize that if I hate what God hates I will always run the risk of being hated. But Jesus promised this would happen.

"And you will be hated by everyone because of my name.” Matthew 10:22

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me." Matthew 5:11.

The Apostle Paul experienced the fruit of loving enough to hate when he told those he cared about: “So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16

Unfortunately, the reality of being hated for truly loving others is a promise. It will happen. Not every time, but it will. And it hurts, badly. I hate it.

In an attempt to love genuinely, no matter how caring and gentle the truth is spoken, some will be horribly offended. Those you care about will misunderstand you. And if a relationship is lost, it's crushing. Undoubtedly, it's easier to say nothing. But it's not caring. Hating sin is the most loving thing we can do in the long run. Hate enough to do something caring about it.

"⁵ Better is open rebuke than hidden love. ⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive." Proverbs 27:5–6 

Some may call it being judgmental. But they miss the point of what Christ actually said about judgment.  Christ warned against judging people based on assumptions about their character, the intent of their hearts, and their standing before God. That type of judging is dead wrong. However, making statements about people's actions is not judging. It's correction and rebuke. Again, we condemn actions, not people. I hate that they misunderstand what Christ was talking about.

So if you follow Christ in this way count on being misunderstood. Count on being thought of as a hater. Even being called a hater. (Whoever labels the first wins, right?) And they may even hate you in a pseudo-tolerant way, because they don't want to be known as haters. Love them anyway. They bought the lie. Hate the lie, not them.

A loving hatred is based upon security and not insecurity.

History's greatest heroes are those who stood valiantly against evil and hated injustice. They rose to do what others would not do. Perhaps our hatred of sin, and the exposure of sin, as the Holy Spirit convicts, would lead people to see their sin for what it is – and they'd come to hate it too.

Because I hate ...

I will shed light on the dark things that come to my attention. I have to. And not because I need to win arguments, but because I want people to be freed from lies that eventually grow into harmful beliefs and actions.

I will stand firm when others declare evil as good and good as evil – even if others hate me. As long as I can remain faithful to God's truth and still love others to the end.

I will reach out in His power to show the real love of Christ to all.

I will pray. “Lord, form in us a true hatred of all that is evil and a love for what is righteous. May lies be silenced, truth revealed, abuses stopped, and hearts to turn to God.”