It's OK to Hate

Romans 12:9

Friday, April 22, 2022

What??! I thought Christians were all about love, and here you are saying that “It’s OK to hate”???

Calm down.

Romans 12:9 tells us specifically what we can hate:

'Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. '

Romans 12:9

Yep, Paul tells us that it’s fine to hate what is wrong. Hate sin and evil. In addition, he’s telling us that we shouldn’t be hypocrites. REALLY love one another, don’t make a show of being friendly to people you actually despise.

This can be incredibly difficult, perhaps the hardest part of being a Christian. It is really hard to show unconditional love to someone who hates you or who has wronged you. Perhaps your show of love can be something as simple as holding your tongue and not getting into an argument with another person who is annoying the heck out of you. Maybe you show your love by not posting a snarky Facebook reply to someone who has completely opposing political opinions.

It IS fine to hate sin, but be kind to the sinner. It’s acceptable to hate injustice, human trafficking, child abuse, and other evil in the world, and you must combat these evils with a loving heart.

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash