Hate?

I write and read many books so word definitions are important to me, as is using the right word to describe things. This past few weeks, defining God’s love has been convicting, but helpful and a joy. Now, the author of my devotional book turns my attention to hate. I am to love like God loves and hate what He hates.

The obvious is that God hates evil. Most of us do, yet evil needs to be defined too. We tend to put all that causes pain and discomfort into that category, but does God? I’m thinking how He uses trials to build virtue and steadfast perseverance in our lives, yet we might think those trials are evil, or at least not be joyful concerning them. Having personal ambitions fulfilled may not seem evil either, but He says that where “selfish ambition exists, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (James 3:16)

Clearly though, God hates anything that defiles or threatens our faith in Him. He hates discord (but loves unity). He hates lies, pride, and all sin. But wait a minute, some sin like murder, stealing, adultery, etc. are obvious, but what about gossip or self-centeredness, or simply the sin of not relying on Him but running my own life? And what about failing to love others, or just ignoring Him and looking down on others? God hates sin, but sin is not always obvious. Sometimes what God hates is subtle.

Hate is sometimes connected to fear, anger, self-protection, devaluation, feeling trapped, being misunderstood, and wanting to destroy any source that threatens me in any way, but for those who believe in Jesus, we need to understand the heart of God and love what He loves. Otherwise, our ‘hatred’ can be one more sin to deal with.

In other words, I need to have an aversion to anything that opposes God. This could include what others say or do, but must begin in my own heart. If something in me resists or refuses Him, the NT clarifies how any personal anti-God attitudes must be at the top of my hate list.

Instead of a focus on hate, I always need to focus on Scripture and how the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ display the love of God. To respond to His love and to love like He does, I need His Spirit. I cannot manufacture it apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love . . . . So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:7-8; 16)

Knowing how He hates and responding or hating the same things is a bit more challenging. The OT Psalm 119 is clearer than the NT:

Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (104)

I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. (113)

Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way. (128)

I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. (163)

I know Christians should not listen to false teachers or dismiss God’s laws as mere guidelines or think they have been (or should be) abolished. According to the OT, I’m supposed to have a strong dislike for all it says, yet remember that biblical hate is not “I hate mushrooms” — just as “I love chocolate” is not biblical love. His hate is stronger and easy to confuse with our kind of hate. Love requires humility, obedience, sacrifice and the Holy Spirit, but His kind of hate is more about having His heart, thinking His thoughts, and refusing to allow sin and lies to have any appeal at all.

PRAY: Jesus, I can see that focusing on Your love is key. Hate can be sinful unless Your love governs my thoughts and actions. I don’t want to focus on hate but do want to have a strong aversion to pride, wanting to do my own thing, and clinging to my way rather than Your way. You are my Savior and You want me saved from loving the wrong things or hating that which I should love. Increase my love for You and fill me with Your Spirit so that disliking anything that opposes love will be as You would have and express it.

PONDER: Psalm 119:101–104, and commit it to memory. Put it on my lock screen to see each morning.

 

 

 

Faith in God, not in my logic

Interpreting the Bible requires both common sense and a clear head. If I read about Judas going out to “hang himself” and determined that applied to me, only my enemies would agree that was an excellent interpretation and application of that Scripture!

Another folly is called ‘proof texting’ where a verse is taken out of context and used to ‘prove’ a doctrine or Bible teaching. This can be both amusing and dangerous, and it happens often. One reason is that the Bible has some teachings that appear to contradict one another Most people have trouble with contradictions and find it easier to believe one side of the issue rather than trust God that both are true and wait on Him to explain how that can be.

For instance, the Word of God says God loves all people, but also suggests He loves only those who are His people. Does this mean He will eventually make all people His people? Does this mean two kinds of love? Does this mean God loves everyone? Or just those who love Him back?

I can understand that God loves me because of who He is, not because of who I am. I have nothing in me that is worthy of being loved, yet He loves because it is His nature to love.

However, Fortner writes in his devotionals that God loves His people but not others. He uses verses like, “Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated” as well as other verses that focus on God’s love for those He has redeemed. However, there are other verses that describe His love with a universal element.

For instance, in Matthew 5:43ff, Jesus tells me to love my enemies. How can He say that if He does not do it Himself? Romans 5 also says, “while we were yet sinners” God showed His love for us by sending Jesus to die, meaning He loved me before He redeemed me.

This morning, I found another surprising element to the question of who God loves . . .

“Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.” (Psalm 106:40–46, italics mine)

Some will say that God loves sinners but hates their sin, applying it to also to those who are His people. However, this passage says God “abhorred His heritage” and then “relented” according to His “steadfast love” which is an act of grace. In other words, God hated His people for their sin, then relented, deciding to let love rule rather than wrath.

Another element in understanding the Bible is paying attention to how it spoke to the original audience. These verses from Psalm 106 remind Israel of God’s efforts to deliver them from sin and their continual rebellion. However, the love of God rose above His anger against their sin and He relented.

What does all this mean? It means that I need to use caution and avoid using any passage of Scripture to support one side of a two-sided coin. God is sovereign; people are responsible to make godly choices. God loves the world; God particularly loves His redeemed people. God hates sin; God sent Jesus to die for our sin. God controls the weather; we are given dominion over creation. God hates sinners; God loves sinners.

I also need to be aware of what I am doing and how God is speaking to me. What do I need to hear? Am I straying into sin? Then I need to hear about His wrath against sin. Am I wandering away from Him because I’m thinking He does not love me? Then I need to read of His great love, not His wrath.

God knows what I need at any given moment and devotional reading is about seeking His mind for that need. When He speaks to my need (the Greek word is ‘rhema’), I hear Him and am drawn to love and obey Him. In some instances, His instructions or words may seem to clash, but they will always be supported by the Bible and the Holy Spirit will always use them appropriately.

^^^^^^

Jesus, I don’t want to become overly subjective or read only what I want to hear. Nor do I want to become so objective that everything I read must be ‘logical’ so I know all the answers. Faith is being able to know that You know all things, even what does not make sense to me. Faith knows that You are God, even when Your Word seems to contradict itself. Faith can hold those opposites in tension and still trust You entirely. I am to walk by faith. Help me to not be anxious about contradictions — just content to wait on You for explanations.