God’s Warning to Anyone Who Hates
“I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate him.” —George Washington Carver
“DON’T MESS WITH ME ABOUT HATE FOR TRUMP!” (emphasis mine) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vehemently warned an inquiring reporter at her recent press conference. He and millions of citizens share the same question, “Do you hate President Trump?” as we watch loathing being expressed by a parade of politicians and left-leaning professors testifying as scholarly academics, supposedly imparting objective, erudite insights intended to oust our duly elected president.
It’s a tragedy and a travesty. The overwhelming majority of Americans aren’t watching the proceedings as USA Today reports our collective concern regarding what’s happening with the front page headline, “Divided We Fall?” (Dec. 5, 2019). “But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another” (Gal. 5:15).
Scripture describes a people whose “‘throats are an open grave; with their tongues they have used deceit’; ‘the poison of vipers is under their lips’; ‘their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their paths; and they do not know the way of peace.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes'” (Rom. 3:13-18).
—Have we drifted so far from our core values of respect, civility and honor towards individuals and leaders with whom we differ that we must lower ourselves to embarrassing levels of contempt, disdain and vitriolic name-calling?
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6 Things God Hates
Proverbs 6:16-19 identifies 6 areas God hates because they bring enormous harm to individuals, marriages, families, relationships, reputations, careers and society itself. Think for a moment the devastation you’ve seen because people disregard God’s commands and sin in these areas.
- Pride.
2. Lying tongue.
3. Hands shedding innocent blood.
4. Devising wicked imaginations.
5. Feet rushing to evil.
6. False witness speaking lies.
7. Sowing discord [emphasis mine].
God wants to protect us from the devastation accompanying these sins. He also wants to protect us from the ultimate consequence for rebellion: eternal judgment.
Judgment Day and Divine Justice
Anyone dismissing the warnings of Scripture regarding hatred should be sobered by the reality of a coming Judgment Day and what follows. Jesus told us that each of us will stand before His throne (2 Cor.5:10) to give an account for every careless word we’ve ever spoken () whether directly, in secret, on social media or even in the halls of Congress. Defamatory accusations, lying, slander, deceitful statements, character assassination, gossip, mockery, profanities and the like will all be adjudicated with no provision for plea-bargaining or other legal technicalities.
Jesus warned us of the reality of eternal judgment. Hell is real, and real people go there whether they’re a politician, celebrity, billionaire or average person. He told us hell was created for the devil and his demons, but if people do not repent and reject the provision of the gospel, they receive the just penalty for their sins.
4 Truths About Hell
From the very lips of Jesus came four sobering facts regarding the dreadfulness of damnation (Matt. 25:41-46).
1. Total separation from God.
2. Association with Satan, demons and history’s lost souls.
3. Unimaginable punishment.
4. Never-ending sentence for all eternity.
Here’s the Deal: Trusting in the sacrificial, substitutionary death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ rescues us from the wrath to come. He was the happiest person to ever live and beckons us to experience an abundant life of gladness, peace and freedom, living under His lordship, which includes not hating anyone.
God spoke over His Beloved Son: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Heb.1:9). May He say the same over us!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
The identifying mark of true Christians is crystal clear. Let’s light the way as we pray for those walking in darkness.