Those of us who claim to follow the Prince of Peace are not allowed to hate
people. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us, our
neighbors as ourselves, even our enemies. We must not hate those who are
"different" from us. We are not even free to hate terrorists or politicians!
We are especially not allowed to hate those who have sinned against us, but
rather must forgive them. Through Christ's death on the cross God loved and
served a world full of people who have all sinned against him--and we are
called to love in imitation of that greatest of gifts.
Just as we are commanded to be like our Creator in his
love, we are supposed to hate what he hates--sin. We must first hate it in
ourselves, but also in others. To be Christlike we must love the sinner while
being intolerant of sin. Try applying this in the case of a child molester! Or
think of those who have hurt someone you love. . . . This is not just
difficult--it is impossible in our own strength.
But as believers we are not intended to rely on our own
power to do what's right. Thankfully, the Spirit of the Lord dwells in us and
will empower us to obey if we ask him in faith. The issue is our willingness to
follow Christ--and it is high time we got started.
