If We Hated Them, Why Would We Want Them Saved?
There is something I have struggled with for a long time, especially these days when the world is filled with anger, division, and religious confusion.
I have been accused of hating people because I believe their religion is wrong. If I say that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, someone says I am hateful. If I say a religion that denies Christ's teachings is a teaching error, someone says I am racist, intolerant, or full of hate.
But let me ask a simple country preacher question.
Why would I try to lead someone to Christ if I hated them?
If I hated a man, I would not care whether he was saved or lost.
If I hated people, I would not pray for them.
If I hated them, I would not warn them that they are walking down the wrong road.
If I hated them, I would let them continue toward destruction without saying one word.
The truth is, warning someone is often the greatest act of love.
When I preach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, rose again, and is the only hope for humanity, I am not preaching hatred. I am preaching what I believe to be the truth, according to the Word of God.
The Bible says:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..." — John 3:16 KJV
Notice the word "world." Christ died for all races, all nations, all people. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross. The blood of Jesus was shed for the rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, black and white, American and foreigner alike.
But the same Bible also says:
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." — 1 John 2:22 KJV
That means Christians cannot remain silent when teachings deny who Jesus is.
Now listen carefully.
Rejecting a religion is not the same as hating the people trapped in it.
I do not hate Muslims.
I do not hate Jews.
I do not hate atheists.
I do not hate anyone from another country or culture.
I believe they are souls created in the image of God and people for whom Christ died.
But I cannot approve of teachings that deny Christ.
There is a difference between loving the sinner and approving of the doctrine.
Sadly, many people today have the spirit of Jonah.
Jonah did not want Nineveh to repent.
He did not want mercy shown to his enemies.
He wanted judgment.
When God spared Nineveh, Jonah became angry.
Can you imagine that?
A preacher was upset because people got right with God.
Yet many people today are the same way. They speak of enemies, nations, religions, and groups of people with such bitterness that they almost seem disappointed at the thought that God might save them.
But Jesus did not die just for people like us.
He died for sinners.
Every sinner.
The Gospel is not:
"God hates you."
The Gospel is:
"You are lost, but there is a better way."
Jesus did not tell us to compromise truth, but neither did He tell us to hate the people . He told us to preach the Gospel to every creature. That means we can stand firmly for biblical truth while still loving the people we are trying to reach.
Truth without love becomes cruelty.
Love without truth becomes compromise.
A Christian must hold both.
There are false religions in this world.
Some doctrines deny Christ.
There are spirits of deception working on the earth.
But there are also millions of souls trapped in darkness who need someone to tell them there is hope in Jesus Christ.
The Church should never become so angry at sinners that it forgets why Christ came.
Jesus did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
And if we truly believe that Jesus is the only way, then the answer is not hatred.
The answer is to preach Christ even harder while there is still time.
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