No doubt the hallmark of a Christian is love. Jesus said,
John 13:34–35 NKJV 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Understanding that important truth, however, does not answer the question raised in the title, “Is it ever right to hate?” I think a lot of Christians might be surprised by the biblical answer. Yes, at times it is right to hate! Consider these words of wisdom from the Spirit: Proverbs 1:7 NKJV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 8:13 NKJV The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. Follow the logic of the above verses of Scripture. The beginning of knowledge is to fear the Lord.
Proverbs 8:13 says that a proper awe of God leads a person to hate evil. Then God mentions some evil things He hates: pride, arrogance, walking the evil path, and talking perversely. The essence of these truths is that God wants us to love all that He loves and to hate those things He hates. He wants our affections to be identical to His. What has that to do with God´s goals in our difficulty? It leads us to the fifth goal that God sometimes has for sending adversity or allowing us to go through it. TO BUILD A HATRED FOR EVIL Times of difficulty have a way of clarifying things. Our vision is less obscured by the busyness of things. We take more time to think through decisions. We are less susceptible to many enticements.
2 Peter 3:9 NKJV The Lord is … not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God´s attitude toward the evil doer is not hatred, but love that desires that the sinner repent. Praise God for this because God loved us when we were nothing but sinners! So, if we grow to share the affections of God, we will not hate sinners but desire their salvation.
All of our sin, even in the life of a Christian, produces a cost to ourselves and others, even though we are forgiven. Sometimes God´s goal in allowing us to walk a difficult road is to give us time for fresh consideration, contemplation, and self-examination – all aimed at helping us love that which He loves and hating that which He hates.
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