The Opposing Force to Love is not Hate but Fear

Whispers of the Holy Spirit

In those last moments before falling asleep, sometimes the Lord speaks the most profound things and they seem like our own thoughts, but they are not. He teaches those who have listening ears and ready hearts multiple lessons about Himself, about themselves, and about others. This is the university of the Holy Spirit; it's a place of perpetual learning.

The subject of this blog is that love and hate are not quite opposing sentiments. Hate can exists where there is the absence love and the presence of fear. When love comes to drive out fear, hate has no place to rest. But the key is it has to be true love, which starts with God, the Author and Personification of love.


It's Love vs. Fear not Love vs. Hate

God's ultimate act of love was demonstrated when He sent His Son, Who is an inextricable part of Him yet a separate being, in perfect union with Him, into this world for one purpose and one purpose alone, TO DIE. Why?

Why would God come to die? There was no other way to regain His family. And how can God die? By making Himself a Man.

I am glad you're asking these great questions. I have to ask you another. Can God do anything? Yes! Will God do anything? No!

However, we know that the essence of everything God does is love because "God IS Love." 2 John 4:8. Another point to note is that "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7. Love cannot give fear because fear cannot exist where love is.

     Not the Instinctive "Fight or Flight" Fear but "Paralyzing Fear"

When I say fear I am not referring to the instinct of "fight or flight" in the presence of danger. I am referring to an emotional state that prevents you from moving forward, something more paralyzing, which includes phobias, but not limited to them. Some people have a fear of success, others have a few of failure, some have a fear of people, others a fear of poverty, etc. The fear to which I am referring affects a person's behavior to do or not to do something because they believe something, realistic or unrealistic, may happen. This is a few that stops you from doing something you should do. In addition, a person with a spirit of fear, believes that the thing that might happen will affect them negatively and in a way from which they might never recover.  This type of fear is similar to a level of hopelessness. Now do you see which it is not for the believer in Christ. Christ is our Hope and He is the Victor over all. There is nothing that can come against us that he cannot conquer. He tells us


An Important Lesson about Fear, Hate, and Eventual Loss

Another question: Can God hate? Yes! He hates sin; and He even hated Esau, Jacob's brother, Isaac's son.

But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.” Malachi 1:3.

(As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Romans 3.)

Seems harsh doesn't it? But unless you understand the ramifications of what Esau did, really his inner attitude, you would think it harsh. However, we know that God is always just; and based on who Jacob became, we see that the entire destiny of mankind was hanging in the balance on someone who did not take his position and responsibility in the Isaac's family, and really the Family of God, with the right degree of seriousness. What do I mean?

In the Malachi 1:3 Scripture reference, above, God tells us why He hated Esau and mentions the punishment for Esau's sin in mentioning his heritage. Remember how Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob (Israel) for a bowl of stew because He was hungry. He considered his birthright as something worthless to be cast away in place of physical fulfillment. God hated that he thought so little of that blessing that he sold out to feed his hunger. That's a bit of over-simplification and I am sure you can find many theological treatises on the subject matter, but that is the gist of it. I am sure you get the point. So we see that the heritage that Esau's threw away was both his downfall and his judgment. God does not like it when we take His blessings lightly. 

Remember that Jacob (who ended up with Esau's birthright) became Israel. Now do you see why Esau's actions incensed God to that degree? He was reportedly so hungry he feared he'd die without the bowl of stew so. But his impulsive and irresponsible behavior subjected him to God's hatred. In throwing away his birthright he also threw away his blessing as the first son. Yet, Esau still expected to receive the blessing of the first son; and when he lost that as well, he was filled with hate for his brother Jacob. He made an irresponsible decision but still expected the same level of prosperity as before. 

Lesson: Treasure all that God has given you, even when there is difficulty involved because it the end, there will be cause to celebrate when the momentary affliction gives way to a level of blessing that you cannot contain.  Otherwise, it can, like Esau's heritage, become a place of waste.

That was one of the few places in the Bible where God actually says that He has hated a person. So many others who engaged in great sin never warranted that level of response from God. So what am I saying? God, Who is love, can hate but He can neither fear or give fear. Those, love and fear, are opposing forces to each other, yet one always wins over the other, and that is Love. 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us "Love never fails."  Now you might say, that is only referring to love as a spiritual gift since it's where Paul is referring tot he gifts. But I believe God is telling us that as a spiritual weapon, love never fails. The reason is because he tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that the weapons which with we fight as soldiers of the Cross as not carnal physical weapons they are spiritual. The spiritual gifts including intercession are weapons of our warfare in the battle against darkness.

Love is an Action Verb

1 John 4:18

1 John 4:18New King James Version (NKJV)¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Did you see that? Love is not passive, it is active and it is violent to that which is not of God. Love is a weapon of destruction when it comes to fear. Here we do not see love casting out hate but love casting out fear. Love hurls fear out on its rear-end. Love being synonymous with God, how far do you thing that fear is being cast out. Get the picture? WHEN LOVE COMES ON THE SCENE, FEAR HAS TO GO.

The Wisdom of Love

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

Proverbs 17:9

He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. 

We are told when we love our enemies an do right by them, it puts us in a position with God where He will not only fight our battles but it releases us from being imprisoned in our emotions and into the blessings of God. God blesses us in numerous ways when we love others who may not deserve it because in so doing we are following Jesus. Jesus could have defended Himself against the angry mob that called for His death, against Rome, again the Sanhedrin and those bent on destroying Him and on and on, but He did not. He has a "job" to do and they were facilitating it and helping Him to please His Father while setting themselves up for judgment. You see that, when an enemy with no just cause resists you, your response of love, puts that person in a very precarious position with God and sets you up for blessing. No matter what you do, love!!! You can never lose when you love. Of course, I am only referring to love as the Lord intends it, not what the world calls love, which is usually lust and self-interested motivations. 

We Have No Excuse for Hating

Please do not take this to support hating a person, that is absolutely forbidden by God. He is the only One who can make people, we cannot. However, we are commanded to hate what God hates never who He hates. I know that goes without saying but just wanted to make sure I'm clear. Our command is to love people and hate things and events and that what is not living.

The bottom line and the take away is that God can only give love not fear because He is love. Fear is given by the devil and can start by some soul issue that is not resolved or submitted to God. Conversely, hate and fear function very much as a team. People hate because there is some level of fear in them of something that can either be real or imagined.

Jesus is our Hope and Personification of God's Love

Jesus was the Love of God manifested to bring His kids back home to Him, but the only way to do so was for Jesus, the Son of God, to die in a cursed manner for man's sins as a spotless sacrificial lamb. In dying in such a way, Jesus simultaneously took away the sin of man and the curse that man earned in the Garden by falling away from and out of agreement and fellowship with God.

But there is a catch. In order to know, have, and operate in love one has to know God and in order to know God one has to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ and until you come back to God through Christ, you cannot know love as it is intended to be by the One Who authors and is the embodiment of it.

Bottom line: God loves us:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.     (John 3:16)