This is one of those sayings that is really hard to get a personal revelation of, to actually appreciate in a deep way. I had heard it preached over and over, but just didn’t want to agree with it. I resisted it. I fought it. I argued and wrestled with this premise for months and months.
But I think I am starting to turn toward it with an attitude of acceptance.
Here’s why.
Jesus died for the world. For everybody.
“For God so loved THE WORLD,” and all of that.
He didn’t just die for you, or for me, or the church, or his disciples. He died for the world.
Yes. That same world whose influence we are commanded to protect our souls against. That world.
To make the point more emphatic, in that famous verse in the third chapter of the gospel of John, it goes on to say that “whosoever believeth in him has eternal life.”
Whosoever. Which means that person who dogged us, who betrayed us, who screwed us over. Yes. That whosoever.
But let’s switch this up. Let’s imagine that God hates a man.
Let’s imagine that God thinks of this man and it just burns him up to do so. Just the thought of this man makes him irate, causes him to lose sleep, and will ruin his whole day.
Sounds absolutely ridiculous, right?
God does not respect any man enough to hate on him.
If he did, we would certainly look suspiciously on God.
And yet, as followers of God and His ways, we instinctively assume it is okay to hate people. We automatically assume that it is okay to hate ANYONE.
But, this is probably not so. It is not okay.
So, if you hate just one, you have no love in your heart for anybody.
The idea is not so crazy.
I had a realization many years ago that all of us were like branches on the same genetic tree. It is said that we share 99.8% of the same genetic material.
From a scientific perspective, we are all clones.
The physical differences between two people are marginal.
In some ways, to hate someone else is to hate yourself. You hate someone who is almost genetically identical to you.
Think about that for a second.
Let me add one more point.
Jesus didn’t just teach that we were all sinners. Jesus didn’t just teach that we were all imperfect.
Jesus taught that we were all pretty much in open rebellion against God and His ways.
Jesus taught that if you looked upon a woman with lust in your heart, you already committed adultery. You are an adulterer, worthy of death.
If you look at a person with violent hatred in your heart, you have already committed murder. You are a murderer.
Paul went as far as to say that it is not our job to judge those outside of the church, at all.
Finally, we have all heard the phrase: “hate the sin, but not the sinner.“
Probably better to hate your own sin, I say.
You cannot hate another’s sin and not hate your own.
You cannot hate one sinner without hating them all.
Hatred for one’s neighbor is as good as hating yourself. Scientifically. Biologically. And spiritually.
That’s why Jesus commanded us to not only love our neighbor, but our enemies, as well. Because, as we all know, our greatest enemy is always ourselves.