When it comes to senseless suffering, injustice, and social decay, the universal lesson is this — most human suffering is the result of human sin. So, the lesson is not to hate God. But hate sin! “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke. As Christ followers, It’s very easy to feel defeated and blackpilled when suffering and evil appear to be accelerating all around us. But, we must hold fast to the truth that Jesus is still on the throne! He has overcome the world, and the One who is in us is greater than the enemy in the world. The reality is, that though we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, to forgive those who wrong us, love those who hate us, and to turn the other cheek, we are also called to hate evil with a righteous anger while not giving in to anger, despair, or hopelessness. To hate evil, yet not become distraught, fearful and anxious, is the challenge of all believers. To become fixated, angry and obsessed over every form of evil and suffering is a weapon of the enemy, and reveals that we are essentially devoid of the peace that Jesus gives, giving up His life for us to be able to enter into that peace. (John 14-27, Philippians 4:6-7) The Bible tells us in Psalm 97:10, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” But to hate evil does not mean that we should hate the people who commit evil acts. As Christians, we are called to love all people, even those who do wrong. When we are commanded to hate evil we are being called to hate the things that are opposed to God’s will and character. We are called to hate sin and all that it represents – destruction, death, and separation from God. We Are Commanded To Hate Evil The problem compounds when leaders in our culture, including some Christian leaders, promote a free-spirited, pragmatic version of love that emphasizes tolerance and acceptance at all costs. This nebulous view of love that promotes coexistence with everyone and everything, no matter how evil or wicked it may be, is not biblical, and it does not reflect the true nature of God. The fear of the Lord is a healthy respect and reverence for God, leading us to hate what He hates. To be focused only on God’s love and grace, is to ignore that there are indeed things that God hates. While this might be difficult to accept, it is important to understand that God’s hatred is not arbitrary or erratic. His hatred is based on His perfect nature and His desire for us to live according to His will. Perfect love necessitates perfect justice against evil. As His “poema”, the masterpiece of creation, God loves us unconditionally, while at the same time hating the sin that separates us from Him. Sin is anything that goes against God’s will, and it is something that we must strive to avoid. When we sin, we are rebelling against God and His plan for our lives. His Word is unambiguous. Proverbs 8:13 – “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Romans 12:9 – “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Psalm 101:3 – “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.” Amos 5:15 – “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Proverbs 13:5 – “The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.” Psalm 119:104 – “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” When we hate evil we are not allowing it to have a foothold in our lives. We are not tolerating it or excusing it, but instead, we are actively fighting against it. We are standing up for what is right and what is just, even when it is difficult. When we hate evil we are acknowledging that sin and evil do exist in our world and that they cause pain and suffering. But we also know that God has overcome sin and evil through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should look to the example of Jesus Himself, who drove out the money changers from the temple with a whip (John 2:15). He did not tolerate their wickedness and corruption but took action to remove it from the house of God. By hating evil, we are living out our faith in a tangible way. We are demonstrating our commitment to God’s values and His character. We are standing up for justice, compassion, and righteousness in a world that is often marked by selfishness, greed, and violence. Now is the time for Christians to not only start hating evil again, but actively waging spiritual warfare against it. We need to focus on building up our communities, praying for one another, and growing together in faith. We must not let the news of the day distract us from the work that God has called us to do. We are called to be a light in the darkness, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to spread the good news of the gospel to all nations. That is our mission and we must not take our eyes off the prize of eternal glory with our King. Ultimately we can take comfort in the fact that we can and will overcome because Christ has already overcome. As the Bible says in 1 John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is