Less Tolerance, More Hate I Tell You!

I saw someone post recently about a crappy situation and someone said in the comments they “aren’t supposed to hate, so I don’t like.........”

This comment was very benign and from someone I admire. It just got me thinking… (oh Lordy, watch out!)

 

We live in such an ironic world where hatred is hatred is taboo. It’s a good sentiment but in reality, if the world had more hatred in it, we’d be better off.

 

Stick with me.

 

To hate the right things means you’re opening room to love the right things. Problem is… our world more and more hates what is right in deference to what is evil. The yin-yang has now become a yang-yin. We’re backwards.

 

Hate is not a bad word when directed where it should. In that respect, it’s much like a gun (which, similarly, many don’t seem to understand that as well). It’s a powerful and useful tool with a specific purpose meant to keep people safe. But, when used inappropriately, can cause unspeakable damage and pain.

 

God, Jehovah, hated.

The God of Love… Love Incarnate… hated. Don’t let people tell you otherwise.

 

He just never hated his own creation… people. And this is another fundamental example of how ungodlike we are. We sure don’t love like God does, but don’t even know how to hate correctly.

 

What does God hate?

 

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

 

Proverbs 8:13

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I (God) hate pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

 

Proverbs 21:27

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God; how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind?

 

Proverbs 3:31-32
Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright.

 

Proverbs 3:6-7
Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right,  for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception.

 

Proverbs 11:1
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.

 

Proverbs 11:20

Those with twisted minds are detestable to the LORD, but those with blameless conduct are His delight.

 

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but faithful people are His delight.

 

Proverbs 15:8-9
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.

 

Proverbs 15:26
Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, But pleasant words are pure.

 

Proverbs 16:4-5
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

 

Proverbs 16:12
It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness.

 

Proverbs 17:15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

 

Proverbs 20:10
Differing weights and differing measures, both of them are abominable to the LORD.

 

Proverbs 21:12
The righteous wisely considers the house of the wicked, but God overthrows the wicked for their wickedness.

 

Proverbs 20:23
Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, and a false scale is not good.

 

Proverbs 28:9-10
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Whoever causes the righteous man to go astray in an evil way, he himself shall fall into his own pit, but the upright shall inherit good.

 

Proverbs 29:27
An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

 

And these are just from one book of the Bible… It’s not an exhaustive list.

 

Hatred has become a taboo word because it is synonymous with people… and not sin. And in this PC world, the last thing we want to be accused of is hatred. It’s a brand no one wants. A label everyone fears. Heck, the branding of hatred has twisted the minds of many Christians and hushed them into a corner, fearing the vitriol for speaking their minds for being intolerant, sometimes even from other Christians. (It’s happened to me…)

(Newsflash: Christianity is NOT a tolerant faith. Those who tell you otherwise don’t understand it. Tolerance and love are very different. Sin cannot be tolerated. The person can (and should) be loved. But the world doesn’t even know what love is anymore. They tie it to tolerance when in fact, it is very often quite the opposite).

 

And that parenthetical statement is the core of the problem… if you don’t tolerate something, you’re a ‘hater’. But when society tells you what to tolerate, by definition you’ve taken your eyes (and heart) off what God says. What society says to hate, ALMOST by definition contradicts what God tells us to hate. And what’s even sadder, is that there are some really good people who have it wrong.

 

This is the ultimate dilemma of our time as Christians…living in a world that has twisted tolerance and hatred, truth and falsehood, righteousness and sin, love and acceptance.

 

What one generation tolerates, the next embraces. And when it comes to sin, tolerance is the slippery slope and the exact reason our world keeps continues tumbling down that slope, picking up speed. 

So the Cliff’s Notes version of all this? God hates sin. This world has put sin and tolerance on a pedestal.  Kick that pedestal over with love and the hatred of things God hates.

 

And I’ve said before, this twisting is filtering down into the minds of young Christians. Most seem more concerned with what the world thinks than what God says because if they don’t, they are ‘haters’. It’s the scarlet letter of our time. And young people will do everything they can to run from the label. They’ve been indoctrinated into a society teaching us to value man’s opinion more than God’s. Be mindful if you’ve fallen into that trap. We all have and we all do. The only way out is to first recognize it. 

 

It’s always been that way of course. That’s humanity. But, never in human history has there been the ability to inflict so much immediate scorn than we do now. Welcome to the social media age.

 

This world rebels against Godly truth. And the truth is God hates evil. And He defines evil in many different ways. But, when that definition steps on our toes, we reject it as outdated, intolerant, misinterpreted, and extreme. We refuse to admit it for what it really is. We know we aren’t perfect, but too often we refuse to admit where we really ARE imperfect. We only want to admit the things we are willing to change… and it’s often the things we AREN’T willing to admit that holds us back.

 

We have an extreme faith. But God has extreme love.

 

I’ve talked about Christian love before, but the one thing it’s not is tolerant of sin. It can’t be. And once you tell someone what they’re doing is wrong (sinful), natural instinct and defense mechanisms unleash.

The first is usually pointing out how imperfect YOU are when you mention something. If they have any Biblical knowledge, they’ll spout some version of Matthew 7:5 (cast out the plank in your own eye before talking to someone else about their own sin), probably not aware of Colossians 3:16, which tells us to admonish each other in love. (But if you can’t comprehend what ‘in love’ really means, of course that verse gets ignored!)

 

Yes, there’s some context missing in all this, but good grief, this is a blog, not a dissertation. 

 

The point is, when we get offended, we lash out. It takes a Godly maturity not to do so… and this world is full of ungodly people and Christian babies.

 

Which brings me to the next generation(s). We’ve built them a world and society that tells them to hate and love the wrong things. But what’s even sadder… they may have no choice in order to function in the future world. It will take the brave, hard-core grounded, steadfastly faithful to keep a Godly view and not a tolerant, worldly one. And by brave, I mean people who are willing to suffer a bit for their faith when success and prosperity might be on the flip side.

 

Fellow Christians… don’t examine the Bible based on what you want it to say. It’s God’s Word, not yours.

Be self-aware enough to know God’s Word is true even when it hurts our sensibilities and feelings. If something in there offends you, don’t hate it. Examine why. Change your mindset and heart to His. Embrace the lesson and understand the end goal is to make God’s will and God’s truth our own… not the other way around.

 

Hate sin. Recognize it and don’t tolerate it in yourself. Don’t tolerate in those you love. Don’t tolerate it in society. Fight (in love) for what is right.

Love people. Build relationships with them so they know your views on what is sin isn’t from self-righteousness, but out of Godly love.

 

Less tolerance. More hatred.

 

Love yourself enough to be self-aware enough to find your own sin. If we as Christians would tolerate less sin in our own lives, the world would start seeing the sin in theirs. But, when they see us as Christians not caring about it, why on Earth or Heaven should they?

 

The problem with hatred today is society is so twisted, it hates what is good and loves what is sinful.

 

Don’t be ashamed to hate. Just make sure to hate what needs hating.