LIE: We should not hate

Lie: We should not hate.

Truth: We should hate evil. To love the good we must hate the evil.

It’s an unspoken, powerful taboo.

It’s commonly understood that Christians should not hate — anything. How could hate possibly be compatible with love? These two emotions – these two intentions – diametrically oppose each other. But if you believe that hate is off-limits, you’ve been deceived.

The truth is, we are commanded to hate. But hate what? — EVIL.

You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. — Psalm 97:10

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate. — Proverbs 8:13

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. — Romans 12:9

Evil is definitely worthy of our hate. And hate is the only rational, sane response to evil. What else are we to do with evil? Tolerate it? Ignore it? Compromise with it? Establish a dialog with it? Become dull to it?

No.

Evil, true evil, must be hated, rejected and called out for what it is.

I’ve described evil elsewhere, but I’ll repeat the main point here:[1]

What is evil?

I’m defining evil narrowly. To be evil takes both the desire and the intent to harm, or to withhold good. But evil is rarely pure. The fact is we all have sin; therefore, we all have some evil. In other words, for example, in our neglect, we are also aware that our neglect may, or even will, cause harm. That knowledge, whether fully conscious or not, means we carry some culpability. But only God knows how much.

So then what is evil? 

Evil – a diabolically-inspired desire and intent to directly or indirectly see or inflict mental, physical or emotional harm (or impede the benefit thereof). This desire and intent to harm is followed by related acts or omissions.

What is good then?

Good – a Spirit-inspired desire and intent to unselfishly initiate mental, physical or emotional benefit (or impede the harm thereof).

What evil IS NOT:

It’s not evil when harm is caused by:

• incompetence or inexperience
• accident, error, oversight or omission
• misunderstanding, delusion, confusion or ignorance[2]
• neglect, laziness or sloppiness
• fear, anxiety or paralysis
• directionlessness, aimlessness or opportunism
• threat, coercion, duress or intimidation

What is hatred?

But before we go too far down this road, let’s try to understand what hatred is. You may be a little squeamish to accept that Christians should hate. Indeed, it’s a scary emotion.

What then does hatred mean?

Let’s first see what biblical words are translated as hate:

sane (saw-NAY) — a primitive root meaning to hate, detest, enemy, enmity, foes, turning against, unloved.

miseo (mis-EH-o) — to hate, to detest, denounce. This is the common word used for hate in the New Testament.

apostugeo (a-po-stu-GE-o) — to dislike, abhor, have a horror of. This word is used only once and it’s found in Romans 12:9.

The common meaning is to abhor or detest something or someone. This abhorrence is directed to the whole entity – the person, thing, system or group. It is not just a reaction to something but a coalescence directed against who or what it is.

One point of confusion that we should clear up is the difference between anger and hatred. Anger is not hate and does not necessarily lead to hate.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two:

Anger	Hatred
Directed at what they did.	Directed at who or what they are.
Momentary/temporary	Persistent
Initial emotion	Secondary emotion that follows unresolved anger
Reflexive/reactive	Volitional
Directed at a particular aspect of the individual	Directed at the whole person, group.
Does not produce stereotypes	Produces stereotypes
Does not want revenge	Wants revenge

What does it mean to hate evil?

Just as respect is the natural response toward someone who defends the vulnerable, and anger is the natural response toward someone who exploits the vulnerable, so hatred is a natural response toward the source of an intentional and chronic harm done to human beings. Hatred is an affect produced when we see or experience harms done over time from the same source.

We do not have to worry about artificially generating hatred. It will take care of itself. A healthy emotional life will produce healthy emotions ‘automatically.’

But is hatred a healthy emotion?

That’s the critical question. The answer is yes, but only when directed to the right evils and only if it produces something positive. More on that later under the heading — What evils? But suffice it to say that it’s good for us to cultivate a pure hatred for evils that we observe, but if and only if that hatred motivates us to pursue the good that opposes that evil. Hatred for evil that stews and broods but does not produce any good fruit is NOT a healthy hatred.

For example, Planned Parenthood advocates for and provides abortions to young women, some of them in their ’teens. That means that they repeatedly and under color of law, chop up and then vacuum little unborn human beings, and in the process, may permanently harm the mothers. Planned Parenthood provides this ‘service’ for profit. They are directly and indirectly protected and supported by our legislators, our mayors, governors, social services and health departments.

This is institutionalized evil.

Although it’s not advertised and is well hidden from public view, we all know that it goes on every day in hundreds of major cities and towns. Consequently, hundreds and thousands of young women are physically and psychologically harmed in the process. And of course, hundreds and thousands of unborn humans die a cruel and painful death at the hands of abortionists and their support staff.

This is evil and we should hate it.

Hatred is the proper emotional response to this ongoing barbarity. You can probably hear the intensity in my voice as you read my words. That’s because, when you start to physically describe what goes on and the deceit and corruption that it takes to perpetuate it, the anger and deep-seated hate naturally arises.

But if we leave it there on the sour note of hate and do nothing about it, we risk becoming warped, bitter and even violent. What our natural response to abortion should do is to stir our desire to do something about it — to counteract it. The hate should stir up the good. This is productive and healthy hate.

Hating evil and loving the good

Let’s look at this dynamic of hating evil to love the good in the life of Jesus.

In the following passage Jesus confronts another institutionalized evil — political domination — and then uses the opportunity to heal, even though he was not ‘supposed’ to.

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. — Mark 3:1–6

This is a side of Jesus that we do not often see, but Mark is faithful to record, not just what Jesus did, but his attitude in doing it. We get a glimpse into the man Jesus, who got angry and grieved deeply. But Jesus’ anger was not a self-serving anger; rather, it was a righteous anger that sought to defend and deliver the man with the withered hand. Jesus delivered him physically and emotionally, demonstrating that the man could trust his words over the Pharisees.

So Jesus was free to show his anger[3] and grief and then let those true and righteous emotions flow into the good and loving work of healing and restoration.

Too often we stop the motivation, the desire and the intent to do good when we don’t allow ourselves to feel the hate by seeing the evil right in front of us. Too often we refuse to really see the evil because we know that seeing it confers a responsibility to do something about it. We often cowardly do not want to accept that responsibility. The burden to do something is fraught with fears and unknowns. Consequently, we play it safe and our opportunity soon dissipates. Also consequently, another injured soul goes undefended and undelivered, and our God is not glorified.

What evils?

I’ve already brought up abortion as an evil worthy of our hatred. But there are many other institutionalized evils equally worthy. Here are just a few:

pornography	vaccine injury cover-up	technocratic tyranny
child sex trafficking	propaganda	false-flag terror
sex slavery	Satanic ritual abuse	genetic engineering
chattel slavery	pedophilia	drug trafficking
political corruption	transhumanism	extortion/sextortion
racism/classism	eugenics	war
prostitution	environmental destruction	blackmail
‘enhanced interrogation’/torture	destruction of gender	forced migration

That’s a long list, but it’s by no means exhaustive. There are simply too many to possibly name them all. But the fact that the list is so long should tell us something. It tells us that evil is pervasive and omnipresent and well protected – the definition of institutionalized evil. But it also shows how well that evil is intentionally hidden from view. Most of these things go on but we rarely see them. Most evils we will never physically see.

This has always been the case. Jesus himself said:

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. — John 3:19–20

We are easily overwhelmed by all of this evil; what could we possibly do in the face of this avalanche? Yet God does not call us to solve all the world’s problems. There is only one Savior who has taken on the sins of the whole world. But he does call us to do something.

So consider the evils you’re aware of and pick one and learn what’s really going on.

Pick one for which you are especially drawn to do good in opposition to it. For example, if you’re naturally a politico, learn – especially in your own area – the history of your local politics. Learn what the current issues and problems are, who made ‘sweetheart deals,’ bribes, and where collusion is located. Or, if you’ve been sexually or ritually abused, learn how or what ministries are helping those who’ve been caught in that trap and volunteer your time. Or if you’re a technology nerd, learn about transhumanism or genetic engineering or AI enslavement and apply your technical talents to expose what’s going on there.

Never hate individuals

One evil we must NOT hate are the individual human beings who commit evil acts. We must strongly refrain from focusing on these souls, whom God loves. They are human beings; even though they may be our enemy, we must not hate them; rather, we are called to love them.

The reason we should not hate individuals, even though they may have committed horrible acts, is because, as long as they are alive and breathing, God, their true judge, still holds forth his mercy and love to them. It would be presumptuous of us to act on our own; we must only act in unity with him. Only he knows the thoughts and intents of that man or woman’s heart. Our love may be the one act that God uses to save him.

Of course, this does not mean we should ‘like’ them or that we cannot speak strongly and courageously to them of the evils they do. We should speak to them if and when we have opportunity.

That said, I believe we are free to hate institutions, systems, and ‘evildoers’ as a classes or categories of people, as God does — the liars, murderers, slave owners, etc. It seems that it’s very difficult to separate institutional evil and the undefined doers of evil.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. — Psalm 5:4–6

David also hated evildoers:

I have not sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
I have hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked. — Psalm 26:4–5

But when our oppressor — the individual who has a name and a family and a home — when that person forces us to walk a mile or arrests and shackles us and puts us in the paddy wagon because we, for example, refused to accept a medical procedure, that person, we love.

Paul drew the distinction carefully:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. — Ephesians 6:10–13

Use discretion and carefulness

As we learn and wade into these evils, we must guard our hearts and minds. If we’re not careful, and not mature enough, we can too easily descend into an unhealthy preoccupation or fascination with the evil itself. Pace yourself; stay grounded in the Word of God; be accountable with someone whom you trust and who can rescue you if you go too deep too fast. I speak from experience. These things are very dark and can harbor evil spirits. We ourselves are no match for them, yet our Savior is Lord of All.

Paul exhorted and also cautioned the Ephesian Christians to ‘walk as children of light.’

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” — Ephesians 5:8–14

Yes, we are to ‘have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.’ But how we expose the darkness is key. For in the very next sentence Paul cautions them that it’s ‘shameful to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.’ We are to be very discreet on how we talk of evil things. We should not unnecessarily draw morbid attention to them. We should not blab on about evil. Our emphasis, rather, is the light of our life — how we live in the world. ‘All things that are exposed are made manifest by the light.’  Paul said that ‘YOU are light in the Lord’ — the sum total of your life is what penetrates and exposes the darkness.

It’s not that we cannot or should not speak about evil, but that so many words are simply unnecessary. We let the good that we do, do the talking!

Overcoming evil with good

The scripture in Romans is worth quoting again. This sentence is so cogently put together. Here is the New King James version:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. — Romans 12:9

The first phrase in Greek is simply two words; there is no verb:

love [hē agapē] sincere [anupokritos]

The word anupokritos is a compound word: an [not] + hupokritos [hypocritical] — unhypocritical. Or simply sincere.

This phrase seems to act as an introduction to or as an equivalent to the coupling of the two commands: abhor the evil and cling to the good.

So here is my translation:

‘[This is] sincere love: abhorring the evil and [yet still] clinging to the good.’

If that’s true, it says a lot. We find true love when these two things go together. We love when we are stirred to anger and yes, hate, and then go on to still hold onto the good work that counteracts that which caused the hate. We cling to the good and do not let it go; we do not grow cynical in the face of evil, but pursue the good because we are so moved by the suffering that goes on at the hands of the evildoers.

As I’ve written elsewhere we must not forget that good is so much more powerful than evil. How is darkness overcome? Simply by turning on a light. And so it is with evil. But to overcome evil, we cannot hide from it, ignore it, rationalize it, or minimize it. We must see it for what it is in all its ugliness, death and destruction.

As Jacques Ellul wrote many years ago, we as Christians bring the presence of the Kingdom of God to bear upon the world when we position ourselves at the point of conflict, to confront the evil with the light of our lives. He wrote the following in 1945, seventy-five years ago. It’s now more relevant and potent than ever.

At the present moment we are confronted by a choice: either a mass civilization, technological, “conformist” — the “Brave New World” of Huxley, hell organized upon earth for the bodily comfort of everybody — or a different civilization, which we cannot yet describe because we do not know what it will be; it still has to be created, consciously, by men. If we do not know what to choose, or, in other words, how to “make a revolution,” if we let ourselves drift along the stream of history, without knowing it, we shall have chosen the power of suicide, which is at the heart of the world.[5]

When we face evil, we will be stretched along the full spectrum of our emotional life — from hatred to love. This task is impossible, yet the realization that it is, becomes our salvation. For it is God alone who must save us.

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[1] See the article: Lie: Evil is more powerful than good.

[2] Although most theorists believe that ignorance caused from self-deception is morally culpable.

[3] It’s not precisely clear how Jesus expressed his anger, but it was a visible anger as he ‘looked around at them.’ He most likely asked the question, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ with an edge of anger. The passage says plainly, ‘they kept silent,’ — no one dared to answer him.

[5] Ellul, Jacques. The Presence of the Kingdom, Helmers & Howard, Colorado Springs, pg 31.