Why Hate?
Updated: November 17, 2025
Is it wrong to hate? The Bible teaches that God hates, and that His people should hate certain things too. We are not supposed to hate people though! We are supposed to love people enough to tell them the truth, even if they hate us for it. They hated Jesus Himself when He spoke the truth, so it is a safe bet that they will hate us for this too. So don’t be shocked about it.
Is it “hate” to adamantly (and maybe even annoyingly) warn people that their house is burning? Those who refuse faith in Jesus are heading for eternal destruction. We usually don’t like to talk about it, but Jesus Himself said that “he who has not believed is condemned already” (John 3:18). This means that without Jesus, all of mankind is already heading for eternal destruction.
This is why we must get the word out! Some Christians are willing to speak the truth at the risk of having to experience someone’s rejection, indifference, anger, or even murderous hatred. Many have given their lives for this. It is true that some people preach religious condemnation as if they want people to end up in a lake of fire. This is wrong, and it only pushes people further from the truth. Yet there are many believers who take Christ’s command to “go into all the world and preach the good news” very seriously.
This preaching can make people mad. It might sound like “hate” when Christians can’t condone, approve, support, or keep quiet about certain issues and choices, choices that the Bible says lead to hurt and destruction. Here is why we can’t play along with these things: we believe the Bible, and the Bible teaches us to “hate evil.” We’ve seen and experienced too much to accept anything less than the best life available, the life God has promised to those who (don’t just talk about it but) actually do life God’s way. We want this for everyone!
So sometimes we are annoying, agitating, and incessant about some things, especially about the need to make Jesus Lord of our lives. If you are the object of this attention, don’t hate us for it! Please know that we do this out of love for both God and mankind. It is sad that some actually seem to “hate in God’s name.” You can be certain that such people don’t know Jesus very well. Yet to say that Jesus “tolerated” all behaviors and lifestyles is simply not true. That would not be very loving, to just let people plunge off an unmarked cliff without any warning. Jesus accepted the plain reading of the Bible, and the New Testament as a whole gives an accurate picture of how those closest to Jesus lived their lives after He ascended. They loved people, and they hated evil. (See also Why Love?, Why Hell? and Why the Old Testament and New Testament?)
(Ecclesiastes 3:8, John 15:18-19, John 3:16-19, Romans 2:3-6, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 12:9 AMP, Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 9:36, Matthew 5:44, Luke 10:25-28)