Are Christians Supposed to Hate?
Sometimes I think the church has done a great disservice to Christians by focusing so much on God as a loving, caring, kind and compassionate God. Why do we not teach people about God's justice and His wrath? Why do we not teach Christians about how God promises punishment against His children for wrong doing? I understand that most people do not want to focus on God's judgment. And if anybody dares to condemn their lifestyle, they throw out the famous Matthew 7:1 verse, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
My favorite scripture shows that Christians are taught that there are some things we are to hate. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9, NIV) Yet I have heard Christians tell their children that they should never hate anything. Then they wonder why their children have trouble resisting Satan's temptations. We must teach our children to hate evil and love God.
Let me tell you some things that I hate.
I hate it when Christians choose to blend into society so as not to be persecuted. They adopt the same slang words that some have called Christian cuss words (dang, freakin', OMG, etc.). They avoid sharing about God with their family, friends and co-workers because they do not want to be associated with God outside of church. They apparently would rather these people go to hell than share with them about Jesus. They go bar hopping, party hardy, laugh at crude jokes and most people would never know they were Christians.
I hate it when Christians display hatred toward others. Hating evil is not the same as hating people. We should never hate the sinner, but we should hate their sinful actions. In the past 20+ years of ministry I have witnessed some really hateful actions by people who call themselves Christians. Christians suing people out of anger, yelling at people, gossiping about people, hitting people, and worse. Just this past week I received one of those little "hate notes" from a church member who was wishing harm on me. It makes me sad to think that this so-called Christian may show this type of hatred to lost people who might never accept Christ because of such hatred.
I hate it when Christians feel entitled to special amenities because they are church members or tithers. I believe that God's Word is very clear that tithing is between you and God and that you get no special privileges for tithing which is a requirement of God and an honor, not a bargaining chip. I also believe that church membership is not a license to shape the church around your own desires. We are to be one part of the body and we are to do the job that our part needs to do. We are not the head, that is God's job. I don't really understand why most evangelical denominations have insisted on being set-up in a democratic model when God demands we run our church in a theocratic way. God has placed the pastors to be the shepherds of the church. I often remind people that the Bible only describes one business meeting and that the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the dessert as a result of that meeting. Majority rule is not God's design. Churches which allow themselves to be held hostage by strong personalities instead of following the leadership that God has ordained will likewise wander rather than prosper.
I hate it when Christians act holier-than-thou, especially toward non-Christians. I know that this sounds strange when I already mentioned that I hate when Christians conform to society. We are specifically told that we are not citizens of this world and should not live as if we are, yet we are also told that we are to live in this world. As such, we must not act in a way that disgusts non-Christians. We are to live in such a way that we can entice people away from Satan. I do not believe this can be done when we turn up our noses at the lost and give off an air of being better than they are. We need to always remember that even our best is as garbage to God. We are all sinners...Christians are simply forgiven sinners.
I hate gossip. I believe this is one sin that destroys churches and Christians. Is it any wonder that Christians do not want to submit to accountability when we all fear being the next victim of the church gossipers? There is an old adage that if you want the whole church to know a secret, then tell the deacons. It is funny, but very sad. Unfortunately I have experienced just how fast information can spread through a church. Shame we cannot get the same action when we want to get out an announcement.
I hate it when Christians will not forgive other Christians. It has been said that the Christian community is the most unforgiving group in the world. Just ask the many public figures in the Christian community who have had their sins made public. No matter how often they repent and ask for forgiveness, Christians treat them as anathema. I remember how pastor's kids used to get so much criticism in churches. My father said this once in front of the church, "The reason that pastor's kids are so bad is that they play with the deacon's kids." In other words, we are all sinners, we all make mistakes. God's word tells us that if we refuse to forgive others, than God will not forgive us.
Christians are to hate evil, but God does not end with that. We are also instructed to "cling to what is good." I want to encourage all Christians to read all of Romans 12. I believe this chapter is one of the best descriptions of how Christians should live.
My favorite scripture shows that Christians are taught that there are some things we are to hate. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9, NIV) Yet I have heard Christians tell their children that they should never hate anything. Then they wonder why their children have trouble resisting Satan's temptations. We must teach our children to hate evil and love God.
Let me tell you some things that I hate.
I hate it when Christians choose to blend into society so as not to be persecuted. They adopt the same slang words that some have called Christian cuss words (dang, freakin', OMG, etc.). They avoid sharing about God with their family, friends and co-workers because they do not want to be associated with God outside of church. They apparently would rather these people go to hell than share with them about Jesus. They go bar hopping, party hardy, laugh at crude jokes and most people would never know they were Christians.
I hate it when Christians display hatred toward others. Hating evil is not the same as hating people. We should never hate the sinner, but we should hate their sinful actions. In the past 20+ years of ministry I have witnessed some really hateful actions by people who call themselves Christians. Christians suing people out of anger, yelling at people, gossiping about people, hitting people, and worse. Just this past week I received one of those little "hate notes" from a church member who was wishing harm on me. It makes me sad to think that this so-called Christian may show this type of hatred to lost people who might never accept Christ because of such hatred.
I hate it when Christians feel entitled to special amenities because they are church members or tithers. I believe that God's Word is very clear that tithing is between you and God and that you get no special privileges for tithing which is a requirement of God and an honor, not a bargaining chip. I also believe that church membership is not a license to shape the church around your own desires. We are to be one part of the body and we are to do the job that our part needs to do. We are not the head, that is God's job. I don't really understand why most evangelical denominations have insisted on being set-up in a democratic model when God demands we run our church in a theocratic way. God has placed the pastors to be the shepherds of the church. I often remind people that the Bible only describes one business meeting and that the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the dessert as a result of that meeting. Majority rule is not God's design. Churches which allow themselves to be held hostage by strong personalities instead of following the leadership that God has ordained will likewise wander rather than prosper.
I hate it when Christians act holier-than-thou, especially toward non-Christians. I know that this sounds strange when I already mentioned that I hate when Christians conform to society. We are specifically told that we are not citizens of this world and should not live as if we are, yet we are also told that we are to live in this world. As such, we must not act in a way that disgusts non-Christians. We are to live in such a way that we can entice people away from Satan. I do not believe this can be done when we turn up our noses at the lost and give off an air of being better than they are. We need to always remember that even our best is as garbage to God. We are all sinners...Christians are simply forgiven sinners.
I hate gossip. I believe this is one sin that destroys churches and Christians. Is it any wonder that Christians do not want to submit to accountability when we all fear being the next victim of the church gossipers? There is an old adage that if you want the whole church to know a secret, then tell the deacons. It is funny, but very sad. Unfortunately I have experienced just how fast information can spread through a church. Shame we cannot get the same action when we want to get out an announcement.
I hate it when Christians will not forgive other Christians. It has been said that the Christian community is the most unforgiving group in the world. Just ask the many public figures in the Christian community who have had their sins made public. No matter how often they repent and ask for forgiveness, Christians treat them as anathema. I remember how pastor's kids used to get so much criticism in churches. My father said this once in front of the church, "The reason that pastor's kids are so bad is that they play with the deacon's kids." In other words, we are all sinners, we all make mistakes. God's word tells us that if we refuse to forgive others, than God will not forgive us.
Christians are to hate evil, but God does not end with that. We are also instructed to "cling to what is good." I want to encourage all Christians to read all of Romans 12. I believe this chapter is one of the best descriptions of how Christians should live.
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