Hatred – A Commentary

Nov 6

9 min read

Today, we often hear the words, "Say no to hate speech." It sounds good, but it's a nebulous phrase. Especially when the meaning of the word "hate" or what constitutes "hate" is not shared by everyone.

A bigger questions is, "Who and what get's to define what is hate speech?" Is it you or me? Is it our feelings, our emotions, or our rationale? Is it our government and courts? Obviously, whenever humans are involved, subjective interpretations can give rise to unjustifiable condemnation of others.

First, let’s make a distinction about hatred. Webster defines hatred as a “very strong feeling of dislike or intense hostility.”[1] But to whom or what does this strong feeling refer to? Webster does not elaborate. The origin of the word may give us a clue. It comes from the old English word, “hatian" and it referred to someone having extreme ill-will, a passionate aversion to, or treating someone as an enemy."[2]

Evidently, in its original meaning, hatred was something directed towards a person, not their ideas or thoughts. Unfortunately, things have evolved in recent years, where now hatred is a label given to anyone who happens to challenge, question, or disagree with someone's ideas, thoughts, conclusions and ebventheir religion. That leap in meaning – from a person to their thoughts, ideas, doctrine or dogma – has shut down wholesome debate.

Our government’s Bill C-9 is now law. It is now a criminal offence to ‘willfully promote hatred.’ The key word here is "wilfully". Bill C-9 defines hatred as "an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation." The bill includes the following clarification in Section 4, "For greater certainty, the communication of a statement does not incite or promote hatred, for the purposes of this section, solely because it discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends."[3]

Now that clarification sounds good in principle. But if Section 4 is ever tested in the courts where hyper-sensitivite people will claim to have their feelings “hurt” or their character "humiliated" at the drop of a hat, the courts are going to have a difficult time deciding whether someone’s words have truly "hurt", "humiliated" or offended another person and whether such speech justifies as a willful attempt to promote hatred on the part of the "perpetrator".

Sometimes, Christians themselves are accused of hatred, just because they refuse to compromise on biblical truth. They believe the Bible to be God’s Word and not just some compilation of antiquated myths.

Take for example what Jesus said to the church at Ephesus in Rev. 2:6, “But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.” Even these words of Jesus might qualify as hate speech today.

But notice that Jesus is commending the Ephesian church because they hated the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans in the same manner he did. What was their evil deeds? It is believed by some Biblical commentators that the Nicolaitans were a heretical group in the early Church that promoted the idea that grace permitted believers to freely engage in pagan idolatry and sexual immorality.[4]

In the letter to the church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:15), the Nicolaitans are mentioned in connection with holding to the teaching of Balaam, who in the Old Testament was associated with leading Israel into idolatry and immorality (Numbers 31:16). This suggests that the Nicolaitans may have been involved in practices that compromised the moral and spiritual integrity of the Christian community. To this church, Jesus doesn’t say, “Well done you good compromisers”, no, he says to those who were embracing the Nicolaitans teaching, “Repent of your sin.” Nowhere does Jesus ever condone hating the Nicolaitans themselves. It was their teaching he hated.

Jesus approved of the Ephesian church’s hatred toward the Nicolaitans evil deeds. But he called for repentance in the church at Pergamum for embracing those same evil deeds. How did one church get it right about the evil deeds while the other one did not? There is no other reason but that the church at Pergamum comprised biblical teaching. They loved the sinner and the sin. Welcome to the twenty-first century church!

Often Christians are accused of being hateful simply because they hate sin and evil. Jesus never justified hating a person doing the sinful deeds, but he did hate their evil deeds. Many people in the world cannot separate these two things, and as a result, Christians are accused of being hateful of people when it's their sin and evil deeds that they hate. But this type of response to sin and evil is exactly what the Apostle Jude calls for Christians to express, “Show mercy to others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (Jude 23). There is nothing incongruous here – on the one hand we are to show mercy to the sinner and on the other hand we are to hate their sins and evil deeds. This is the genesis of the phrase, “love the sinner but hate the sin.” Unfortunately the world wants the church to love the sinner and their sin. Anjd if they don't they are labelled as being hateful and bigoted.

Now, hatred towards Christians is not new. Jesus warned his followers in Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Jesus says the world will hate us simply because we choose to be uncompromised followers of him and his teachings.

Theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote: "When one preaches Christianity in such a way that the echo answers, 'Away with that man, he does not deserve to live,' know that this is the Christianity of the New Testament. Capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity as it truly is."[5]

This statement reflects Kierkegaard’s belief that true, uncompromising Christianity inherently clashes with evil and worldly values. Rather than offering mere comfort to people living in sin, the authentic Gospel challenges the prevailing secular view, provoking the same hostility that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

So, let’s be clear – the world has no love for Jesus either. It hates him too. Jesus reminded his followers in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

As Christians we have been forgiven and called out of the world. No, not physically removed, but spiritually removed from this world. We still live here, but we are to set our affections on things above. Jesus said, if we still belonged to the world, the world wouldn’t hate us, it would embrace us as one of its own. In other words, if you talk like them, act like them and do the things they do – you would fit right in with the world.

But the Apostle Paul reminds us that we are to live differently now because we are Christians:

You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (Eph 2:2–5).

So why are things so different now? It’s not because we are so special and deserving. No, we were just like the rest of the world living in sin. It’s because God is rich in mercy and he has forgiven us. Therefore, we are to model the life of Christ. In another instance, Paul gives the following advice:

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:1–5).

You see as Christ's followers, we are called to be examples of Christ. Sin and evil deeds are not to be a part of our lives anymore. We are not to live like the world anymore. A Christian’s behavior should distinguish them from the rest of the world.

But sometimes, Christians need a stern reminder of where they came from. Titus 3:3-5 reminds us, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

“Hating one another”, is not a pretty description of what we used to live like before we became Christians. And hopefully it doesn't describe any of us as Christians today.

When it comes to things like hatred and bitterness, we must never be what others accuse us of being. The world can spout “hatred” all it wants, and it does, but we cannot let one poisonous strand of a hate embroider its way into our personalities. Don’t let bitterness become rooted in your heart. It’s tempting to feel hatred for those who don’t agree with us, but there’s no room for that. “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44). Leave the rest to Jesus.

We must continue to offer God’s Word as the only medicine for a sick world. If others refuse to believe, we can grieve over them, pray for them, share Christ with them, be kind to them, differ with them, ask God for patience with them, and when appropriate, avoid them. But we should never hate them.

The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite.

Consider this encounter Jesus had with James and John in Luke 9:52-55:

And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, saying, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

Had Jesus felt the inhospitable treatment he received was justification for exterminating those people, he would have given James and John the okay. Notice the obvious here. These were disciples of Jesus, and they did not know what kind of spirit they had. It certainly wasn’t a kind and forgiving spirit. It was a spirit of revenge and hatred, and Jesus rebuked them for having that kind of spirit. Let this be a lesson to all of us as Christ’s followers.

Hatred can be a deadly vice for anyone. It’s no laughing matter. It’s not something to nurture. If left to fester in our hearts, it can destroy us entirely. This is why the biblical book of Hebrews warns us to, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Heb 12:15). Richard De Haan tells the following story:

One of the worst cases of hatred I have ever come across is found in a will written in 1935 by a Mr. Donohoe. It says, "Unto my two daughters, Frances Marie and Denise Victoria, by reason of their unfilial attitude toward a doting father, … I leave the sum of $1.00 to each and a father's curse. May their lives be fraught with misery, unhappiness, and poignant sorrow. May their deaths be soon and of a lingering malignant and torturous nature." The last line of the will is so vicious I shudder to quote it. It reads, "May their souls rest in hell and suffer the torments of the condemned for eternity."

Such utter contempt didn't develop in a day. It grew over a long period of time. We should never allow our minds to become fertile soil for the seeds of hatred.

We would do ourselves a world of good if we followed the advice of the Apostle James who told us to "be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19, 20).

As the world marches toward the return of Christ, we are told that one defining trait will be more evident before his return. The Apostle Paul warns in 2 Tim. 3:3 that, “People will be cruel and hate what is good.”

With that warning in mind, be salt and light and don’t let cruelty and hatred define you. Love sinners always and continue to hate sin and evil. In that way, you will resemble our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

^[1] “Hatred.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/hatred. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.