It is necessary to speak the truth about what is evil. We need to use it to think about, talk about, and act against sin. In doing so, it will help us see sin for what it is: an affront against a holy, perfect, and righteous God. Hating sin helps us take it seriously. It helps us put it in its proper place. When we hate sin, it moves us fight against it, to be alert for its work in our lives, and to put it to death. The opposite of hate is love and if we don’t hate sin and treat it as evil, we will grow to love it.

Do you have any words you outlaw in your home? Perhaps you forbid words such as “shut up” or “stupid.” One of the words I limit in our house is the word “hate.” I can’t say that I hate the word, because I think it’s a powerful word that should be used properly. It should be reserved for serious things. When we say we hate something, we make a judgment saying “This is bad. It’s wrong. I loathe this thing so much, I wish it didn’t exist.” Therefore, I don’t want to hear my kids saying, “I hate peas” “I hate homework” or “I hate making my bed.”

However, there are times when I permit the word “hate”: when referring to things like sin and evil.

Hating Sin and Evil

Here are some of the things I think are worthy of the word “hate”:

I hate the Fall of Man. I hate sin. I hate the impact of sin and death in humanity and in creation.

I hate seeing friend’s marriages end in divorce.

I hate the brokenness friends endure from past abuse. I hate the memories that haunt them. I hate how it has marked and changed their life.

I hate how I constantly fall back into old sinful habits of relating, of thinking, of speaking.

I hate how the Body is often fractured, bruised, and stunted by miscommunication, false teachers, bad theology, and the desire to look more like the world.

I hate how precious lives are taken from the womb before they can draw their first breath.

I hate how my heart forgets God’s grace and is so easily prone to self-righteousness, self-reliance, and self-exaltation.

I hate how we all fail to honor God and give him the glory he is due.

Why Hate is Necessary

While hate is a strong word, it is a necessary word. It is necessary to speak the truth about what is evil. We need to use it to think about, talk about, and act against sin. In doing so, it will help us see sin for what it is: an affront against a holy, perfect, and righteous God. Hating sin helps us take it seriously. It helps us put it in its proper place. When we hate sin, it moves us fight against it, to be alert for its work in our lives, and to put it to death. The opposite of hate is love and if we don’t hate sin and treat it as evil, we will grow to love it.

Hating sin and evil is also important because the more we grow in our loathing for it, the more we will appreciate the gospel of grace. Only when things are the darkest do we appreciate the light. When Isaiah stood before the holiness of God and saw him in all his wonder and might, he saw himself in contrast. He realized he was not worthy and responded, “Woe is me!” As we face the truth of sin and realize the depths of humanity’s depravity apart from Christ, we can’t help but be struck at God’s amazing grace.

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