“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
— Romans 12:9
Love.
We celebrate it.
Write songs about it.
Build weddings around it.
Tell our children to choose it.
Hate?
Not so much.
We speak of hate as if it’s always the enemy of love.
But Paul doesn’t.
In one sentence…
he tells us to do both.
Love.
Hate.
“Let love be genuine.”
“Abhor what is evil.”
Abhor.
Not dislike.
Not avoid.
Not tolerate.
Abhor.
Detest.
Hate with intensity.
Why?
Because love always creates hate.
Not hatred for people.
Hatred for whatever destroys them.
A father who loves his daughter…
hates the addiction that could take her.
A husband who loves his wife…
hates the lies that could divide them.
A friend who loves his friend…
hates the despair whispering that life isn’t worth living.
The deeper the love…
the stronger the hatred.
Think about it.
If you love children…
you hate abuse.
If you love justice…
you hate oppression.
If you love truth…
you hate deception.
If you love peace…
you hate violence.
If you love life…
you hate death.
See?
Love has been teaching you what to hate all along.
The problem isn’t that people hate.
Everyone hates something.
The question is…
What does your love produce?
Because your hate always follows your love.
Like a shadow.
Always behind it.
Which means if your hatred has become bigger than your love…
something is out of order.
Hatred was never meant to lead.
Love leads.
Hatred follows.
God is love.
Which explains why God hates evil.
Not because He’s looking for someone to punish.
Because He’s looking at people He refuses to lose.
Sin isn’t offensive to God because it breaks rules.
It’s offensive because it breaks people.
It steals.
It lies.
It enslaves.
It kills.
Love can’t smile at that.
Love doesn’t celebrate chains.
Love doesn’t applaud poison.
Love doesn’t bless the fire consuming the house while people are still inside.
Love runs into the fire.
Love pulls people out.
Love hates the flames.
Maybe that’s why Paul doesn’t merely tell us to hate evil.
He tells us to…
hold fast to what is good.
Cling to it.
Refuse to let go.
Because every day there will be voices inviting you to loosen your grip on what is good…
and soften your hatred toward what destroys it.
But genuine love won’t let you.
It can’t.
Because love always protects.
Always pursues.
Always rescues.
So maybe the question isn’t…
“Do I hate?”
Maybe the better question is…
What has my love taught me to hate?
Because whatever you cling to…
will shape what you celebrate.
And whatever you truly love…
will determine what you cannot stand to watch be destroyed.
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