hate – La Vista Church of Christ

If I don’t make peace with someone, will this be judged on Judgment Day?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 19:55:34 +0000

Question:

The passage that I’m concerned about is Matthew 5:25-26. Is this saying that if I don’t make peace with someone I have hurt, the situation will be judged in court on judgment day?

I am trying my best to clarify what this passage means for me. I know we are all saved by grace, and even on a realistic level, none of us can remember or contact every person we have ever hurt knowingly or unknowingly. No direct passage also says that we must track down every person and ask for their forgiveness, or we won’t be forgiven. Of course, we should strive to do our best to be at peace with everyone, but what about situations like mine, or that person who died or is inaccessible somehow? It scares me to think that this passage may say that my judgment depends on how I make things right. I am deeply remorseful for my actions and have repented and prayed that God would forgive me. I have confessed and reconciled with the one I hurt. I desire more than anything to leave my past behind me and to move forward. But when I read scripture like this, it causes me to be stuck in my guilt and re-examine my past to see if there is anything different I should do. I’m exhausted.

I fully trust that Jesus will save me and that my sins will be forgiven and covered in His blood. But passages like this scare me if I were being sincere.

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to your reply.

Answer:

There are more courts than the final Judgment, so it isn't reasonable to assume that a mention of judgment should reference Judgment Day unless the context indicates this.

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent" (Matthew 5:21-26).

Jesus' topic in this section is anger: anger you may have toward other people and anger that someone might have toward you. Regardless of who is angry with whom, it is a situation that cannot be ignored. The Jews focused on the outward expression of anger. They said that committing murder is wrong, but they ignored the anger that led to someone's murder.

Jesus' first point is that being angry with people is wrong. It is a problem in the world, but it is also something God will judge. Your anger could land you in hell, so you need to resolve your feelings now.

Jesus' second point is that if you know someone is angry with you, you should not act as if it is only their problem. He said that you cannot properly worship God if you are the cause of someone else's anger, so resolve the matter to the best of your ability.

His third point is that leaving anger to fester will cause it to grow. Settle matters quickly before it gets to the point that someone takes you to court. The sooner a matter is resolved, the less damage will be caused. The court here is human, not the divine court of Judgment Day.

Response:

Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. I understand this passage much better now.

Should we hate Satan?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:10:32 +0000

Question:

Should we hate Satan?

To me, it sure seems like we should hate the devil because he is the embodiment of sin (I John 3:8). Satan is lost; he’s never coming over to God’s side. It just conflicts with our desire to love our enemies as we’re told to do.

Answer:

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate" (Proverbs 8:13).

When actions or people stand opposed to God, then we are to oppose them. "Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies" (Psalms 139:21-22). Notice that this is not personal.

When someone opposes me, I show love to them. I treat them better than they deserve and better than they treat me. "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44-45).

However, when someone gives themselves over to evil, I may feel sorry for them, but I will not show support for their deeds. I hate what they represent. If they change, then my attitude toward them will also change.

However, with Satan, God is clear that Satan will not change his ways, so he remains the enemy of God and mankind. I must oppose him. "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). In my opposition, however, I must be careful not to put myself in the position of God. I cannot pronounce judgment on him since that is God's decision, not mine. "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" (Jude 9).

They Call it Hate

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:42:48 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

Calling something "sin" that separates you from God and the righteous is the modern idea of "hate speech." But the truth is that pointing out sin is love. It is like a doctor pointing out cancer. It may not be what we want to hear, but it is what we need to hear so that we can get it properly addressed and save us from the pain and misery of what untreated cancer can do to us.

If I point out that there are two genders, not three, four, or ten, that is not hate speech. That is truth! God made us "male and female" (Genesis 1-2). That is all! It is hateful to try to force us to recognize a third classification. God has the say! He made males and females. He expects us to accept what we are and be thankful to Him for who we are. We do not pretend to be other than what our birth shows that we are. If the baby has no choice, we have no right to change how God made us. God's word talks about those "who exchanged the truth of God for the lie" (Romans 1:25), and then they pursue "vile passions" and "exchanged the natural use for what is against nature" (Romans 1:26-27). Thus, the homosexual movement, the transgender movement, and the bisexual movement are built on lies people tell themselves. After convincing themselves of the lie that we can over-rule nature and God, they then expect the rest of humanity to play into their self-deception and give them approval. Romans 1:32 says giving approval is also a sin.

The modern deception hates any religion that will point out sin. The only sin to this modern philosophy is if you call something a sin that should not be approved. To us, it is like doctors approving of cancer. Sin is a cancer of the soul, the mind, and the heart. It either entirely rejects God or tries to make God in their own image, that is, they want only a god that accepts any sin that we accept. They call their imagined god "loving" because he never disapproves of us. They call any disapproval "hate" and will not be satisfied with you ever telling the truth.

If the pattern we see holds up, they will remove articles like this or shut down churches that continue to read Romans 1 or I Corinthians 5-6. They hate the truth and truth-tellers. Jesus said, "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." (John 3:20).

There is the old philosophy that "there is no truth." Pilate asked, "What is truth?" He didn't want to face the truth. People pretend there is no truth because they hate the truth. Truth is needed in our day. People need to hear it. Love shares the truth so people can return to a proper relationship with God. Truth is not hate. Truth is love. It uncovers the cancer of self-deception. It uncovers those issues of departure from holiness and fellowship with God. The greatest life is in harmony and fellowship with God. Teaching about how and why to be reconciled to God is what love demands. That should never be allowed to be called hate.

Love or Hate

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:27:41 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

If the Law said to "hate your enemies" (via Matthew 5:43), and Jesus was obligated to uphold the Law, then Jesus was obligated to hate His enemies, and He would have sinned if He did not hate his enemies. No! That will not work! Jesus does not contrast His own new moral standard with the Old Mosaic standard. Otherwise, He was obligated to do two conflicting things (love His enemies and hate them until He died on the cross). No! That does not work!

What Jesus is doing in the Sermon on the Mount is contrasting the "righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees" (Matthew 5:20ff) with the true righteousness of the Law, which standard Jesus upheld perfectly. The law commanded that the Israelites "love your neighbor." The Pharisees tried to justify themselves by claiming that some people do not fit the "neighbor" part if they are your enemy. Thus, they could always justify their hatred for certain people by classifying them as their "enemy." When you define who your neighbor is and who your enemy is, then you are always doing right, no matter who you love or hate. No! The Law did not teach this ridiculous standard! It was the Pharisee's standard, and the real standard is to love your neighbor who is a friend or enemy.

You have people who make themselves your enemies because they are hateful, but your standard is to love them (hold goodwill for them, valuing their souls even if they are ignorant and foolish). You have enemies, not because you make them enemies, but because some people make themselves enemies. You still love their souls and hope they will change!