Everyone knows God is love. Yet I believe we should understand He is capable of hating.
A pure, undiluted hate.
And as He is, that’s how we’re supposed to be if we, in fact, are followers and imitators of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
But should we hate when we’re part of the Kingdom of God, what would that hate look like, and how does a person handle such hatred?
The same way we handle every divine attribute of God.
With His grace.
Peter wrote that we’ve been given all things which pertain to life and godliness.
Then he adds:
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:4 NASB)
There’s more to the Divine (God’s) nature than love, joy, peace, etc.
There’s such a thing called hate!
Notice:
“Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10 NASB)
We’re told to hate evil. In fact, unless we understand just how devastating evil is (to the point we hate it like God does) we can never comprehend the “breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18 – 3:19 NASB)
Too often we’re only inconvenienced by evil, if that. And if evil doesn’t directly affect us, we do nothing about it.
But a true, godly hatred for evil will motivate us as much as God’s love does.
Motivate us to purity and holiness.
“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.” (Psalm 101:3 – 101:4 NASB)
“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 – 6:19 ESV)
“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13 ESV)
The fear of the Lord is also the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, it is wise to hate what God hates and love what He loves.
With His help.
“Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate…” (Amos 5:15 ESV)
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.” (Amos 5:21 ESV)
The Lord’s words to the folks who play at worship and make a mockery out of naming the Name of Jehovah God.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 ESV)
See? To be a true follower of Jesus there’s more than one test we must pass. Besides the “love the Lord with all our… and our neighbor as ourself” test, we must understand how to hate.
Hate anything and everything that not only tries to stop us from being single minded toward God and His Kingdom, but all that He hates!
See Hebrews 1:8,9
It’s easy to recognize our need for God’s help when it comes to loving those who irritate us.
But may God help us learn how to hate as He hates. Hate sin, injustice, rebellion, wickedness, etc.
Hate it enough to begin to comprehend the depths of His love.
If He’d go to such extremes because of His love or hate, imagine what could happen if we would allow His hate to flow through us.
“Lord, fill me with hatred for evil. May my life be wholly yours, and may I be jealous for Your righteousness to be manifest throughout all the earth.”
Jan Grace 