What Does the Bible Say about Hatred?

Just as a corrosive acid bites its own container first, similarly, a heart that holds hatred inside will be affected by itself as a result of hate. It is like drinking alcohol, you don't realize what you're doing when hate pushes you to action; it makes you look like a fool and when you wake up, you recall your folly and are embarrassed of what you've done.

"Hatred makes the straight crooked" is a Hebrew proverb. Even if you think that your judgment is a clear one, it is impossible to clearly and rightly judge when your eyes of understanding are blinded by hate.

You don't do the right thing, but act according to the glasses of hate, which you've worn on your eyes, you think as if you have acted in a right manner. It is worse when sometimes, we don't even realize that they are on our eyes.

Let's see what God thinks about hate.

Should you hate your enemy? Although, this seems normal, God has another advice when it comes to treating the people who hate you:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you." ― Matthew 5:43-44

"Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake." ― Luke 6:22

"But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" ― Luke 6:27

Hate is present even among the Christians, among those who pretend to be Christians, or those who are Christians only with the name and not with their hearts.

"Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another." ― Matthew 24:10

It is better to be persecuted than to be a persecutor yourself, the consequences of hate are very serious, and we need to really check our hearts to see if there are signs of this dreadful disease. The following verses will help you get a clear diagnosis:

"But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." ― 1 John 2:11

"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him." ― 1 John 3:15

"If a man says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" ― 1 John 4:20

But why is this hate present, why did/does the world hate Jesus in the first place? His answer is as follows:

"The world ... hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil." ― John 7:7

The world also hates Christians: "Don't be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." ― 1 John 3:13

But hating God's wisdom and love towards us equals to a death sentence: "But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death." ― Proverbs 8:36

To conclude with, I'll say that hate is not an ingredient that you want to mix in any of your deeds. ...

... It is poison for yourself, and in the end, it only brings a false glory with death as consequence. May God help us all stay away from hating our brothers, and may we hate instead what God hates." The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth." ― Proverbs 8:13

Love your enemies, brothers, and neighbors, and hate pride, arrogance, and evil of any kind. When you see these aspects in your friends, try to make a clear distinction between the person and his acts. Love the person, but stand for what is right, and if you see he does evil, hate that evil but again, not the person itself.