Hatred, Anger and Vengeance – What does the Bible say about it? – Part 3
Hatred is a strong word. I have had hatred, anger and vengeful thoughts multiple times in my life. And I have had to learn what I really needed to think about and how to control these thoughts in order to get along with God, myself and others. It is still a work in progress, but a good one. The topic of hatred, anger and vengeance are used multiple times in the Bible, and by God and Christ, of all people. But there is a good purpose to God’s type of hatred, His anger and vengeance. However, our anger, hatred and vengeance do not compare with God’s and do not produce God’s righteousness (James 1:20)! This week I will talk about God’s view of hatred, anger and vengeance, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Now, let us address what Christ spoke about hatred. In Luke 14:26 He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even their own life–such a person cannot be my disciple.” Is it any wonder this world has difficulty following God? We are to “forsake” ALL to follow Christ (Luke 14:33). There are multiple examples of this in the Old Testament, including Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice His promised son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). And Lot, moving forward even when His wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt after fleeing from Sodom (Genesis 19:26). The point is following Christ requires dedication, if a family member is living in sin and they want you to listen to them and their “counsel” in your life, you need to question where their ideas are coming from, tactfully! We are raised by family around us and when we first begin to learn and follow Christ whole-heartedly there may be some or much opposition to our “new life” choices. But the key is to choose a relationship with Christ first and He will add to us as He wills for us (Matthew 6:33). That could mean restored relationships with family, friends, a spouse, children, etc. But if these things are added or restored, they are because of God and His Glory, not because of our own abilities (Matthew 19:29)!
More to come…
Darrell
darrellmowat.wordpress.com 