Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

Words to live by from Saint Paul.

It is good to authentically and deeply love others.

It is commendable to cling to what is good and who is good in this life.

Even hating the evil in this life can be the right thing to do if we are spiritually clear about what evil is. Not everyone has spiritual clarity.

Hating others… is evil. Hating evil stuff that happens is not.

If you think someone is evil, you feel justified in hating them. I have seen a lot of focused hate on both candidates running for president this year. I have seen how both are labeled as evil.

Let me be clear, not everyone you hate is evil.

Second, your hate does not affect them in any way, shape or form. Hate affects you. That’s right, your hate is a boomerang that comes back to you.

A person reaps what they sow. Galatians 6:7b

Your hate affects the quality of your relationship with others. Your hate affects your relationship with Jesus. Your hate taints everything in your life.

Simply put hate is bad for you.

Hate is not only a spiritual issue. Medically, hate is not good for you either.

According to Dr. Rohini Radhakrishnan,  “Hatred negatively impacts the nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system. Extreme emotions trigger the release of stress hormones in the brain. Over time, these stress hormones lead to increased inflammation throughout the body, resulting in significant health consequences. The more intense an emotion becomes, the more physically demanding it is to contain it.

The opposite of hate is often considered love, but this is not true. Opposite of hate is mental and emotional detachment. Hatred creates an attachment to the thing or person hated the most. Hatred is an intense repulsion. Hatred falsely inflates the ego and makes one feel very superior and self-righteous against the thing or person who is hated, which only results in more pain.”

(Dr. Rohini Radhakrishnan, ENT, Head and Neck Surgeon, Reviewed by: Dr. Shaziya Allarakha, MD)

From a medical and physiological standpoint love is NOT the antithesis of hate. To move beyond hate, one must let go of the thing or person they are hating, because there is an unhealthy attachment. Hate can become obsessive, because it is the only thing you think about. Hate creates tunnel vision.

Before you can move towards love, letting go of what you hate must come first.

One can love and support something without having to hate its counterpoint, unless it is actual evil. But that can be a slippery slope (see my comments above).

As for me, I pity hateful people. I have no room in my life it. As the senior pastor of CLC, there is no room for hate in or around church.

I will be following Titus’ (found in the New Testament) instruction moving forward.

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such a person is warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11

I don’t have the energy for hate anymore. I only have room for love.

God bless,
Pr. Ben