Wait. What?
I thought the Bible teaches us not to hate?
Let's then take a look at gotquestions.org again to see what it says about this bible passage:
The psalmist declares, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10). In his wisdom literature, Solomon instructs, “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” (Proverbs 8:13).
Loving God means hating sin. The whole truth of God’s love includes getting angry about sin and its effects on humanity (Psalm 7:11). Jesus was furious when He cleansed the temple, but His anger did not change His nature as a loving God (1 John 4:7–21).
“A time to love and a time to hate” cover the full range of human affections and emotions. Our capacity to both love and hate is part of being created in God’s image. Therefore, sometimes hatred and anger are manifestations of the fullness and intensity of our love.
Jesus explains the high cost of loving and following Him: “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26, NLT).
While there are times when hatred is appropriate, love is the defining characteristic of true believers (John 13:34–35). Jesus calls us to love in His two greatest mandates: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). In addition, He asks us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43–44).
Scripture is filled with examples of “a time to love.” We love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:7, 19; Romans 5:8). Even our ability to love comes from Him (Galatians 2:20). When we feed the hungry, care for the poor and needy, visit the sick and those in prison, not only are we loving and caring for people, but, ultimately, we are serving Jesus Christ Himself (Matthew 25:34–46). Believers are to “be devoted to one another in love” (Romans 12:10), serve one another (John 13:1–17), and live in unity with the same attitude and humility as Christ (Philippians 2:1–4). Everything we do is to be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).
Solomon’s reflection on “a time to love and a time to hate” is also an excellent reminder to love sinners while hating their sins. God accomplishes this perfectly, but how do we in our human imperfection love sinners as God loves them, in holiness and without malice? We love them by sharing the truth of the gospel message with them so they can find forgiveness and freedom from sin in Jesus Christ. We love sinners by showing them kindness, acceptance, and respect even as we disapprove of their behavior. We hate sin by not excusing it, ignoring it, or partaking in it.
Love and hate. Emotions that we all feel about, at some point, about something or maybe even someone,
As with the point I made yesterday. The difference is knowing the difference of what or who to love, and what or who to hate. Again, not always easy. That is why we need to be close to God to hear what he wants us to know and do in all given circumstances.
Because let me assure you, the closer we are to Him, the more we listen to him, the more we do what He wants us to....
the least messes we get into. And....
the more blessing He gives our lives!
Thanks for coming by today, Friends.
God Bless!
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