Is It Ever Okay To Hate?

I had a conversation with a friend one time. He is not a believer, but also doesn’t dismiss Christianity as being legitimate. Deep into the conversation, I presented the question, “do you believe in absolute truth?” He responded, “no”. I then asked him, “are you absolutely sure?” 😁 He then proceeded to ask me (to counter his blunder), “is it ever okay to hate?” How would you have responded? I mean Jesus was all about love, right? It was one of those questions all Christians should be all to answer correctly, agree? Well, I didn’t answer the way I could have, but I did answer correctly. When is hate allowed? When did Jesus hate? What does God hate? The answer is simple. We are to hate what is evil. We are to hate what God hates, and love what God loves. The only way we can ever know this is to know God personally. How do we do that? Read His Word. Know Jesus. That’s it. When we come to know God, and continue to pursue Him daily, these things become second nature to us. We learn to hold people dear to our hearts and hate behaviors that are self-destructive, harmful to others, and disrespectful to God (that violate His order). God didn’t create evil, He merely gives us free will, a choice, to either follow Him, or not follow Him. Evil is simply not following God, and we are clearly instructed to hate what is evil. So the next time you’re in a conversation, and the question of hate comes up, you’ll know exactly how to address it.

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.15 Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice.Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of His people. Amos 5:14-15a