HARDWIRED FOR HATRED: Where is the love?

There is one thing I have learned about hatred. If an indwelt believer stays engaged in the person who is demonstrating hatred, it opens the door for salvation.

YOUR OPINION MATTERS NOT TO GOD

Hatred is an extreme emotion characterized by intense disdain or disgust. It is often a response to perceived injustice, causing a mix of emotions such as grief, disgust, rage, and resentment. Hate can sometimes motivate us to stand up for our self-opinions and ideologies that matter NOT in the greater mission. People of hate often believe they are the center of the universe, acting as a god of sorts, releasing ‘shoutouts’ that tend to ‘pick a fight’ with others to justify their hatred. However, it’s important to remember that hate can be constructive if it is directed toward behaviors rather than people.

Hatred is most used by self-perceived kind people who opinionate!

Individuals who use hate speech, hidden behind the cloak of ‘free speech,’ which denigrates a person or persons based on their twisted association with a social group, feel justified to denigrate others to exalt their high-minded views of unjust issues. Therefore, their advancement of love, grace, and kindness becomes next to impossible due to their “issue” outweighs all forms of respect and honor.

Occasionally, I am asked to be an online commentator on major newsfeeds. These news networks are clear on my conservative Biblical views on cultural topics. They drop me into the mix to create diverse and, at times, hostile dialogues. Their logic is to gather data on both sides of the issues presented.

Not long ago, I was invited to participate in a news release on the public’s opinion on delaying the execution of a serial killer. As predicted, I posted my Biblical view:

I support the delay of the execution of [named]. My logic in this statement is in extending the time for the opportunity of [name] to discover the forgiveness and redemption in Jesus Christ. His sins are not any different than the rest of humanity. Some are killers of the body and others are killers of character. Hope and redemption are offered to all.

Not only did that go over like a lead balloon, but it also created a firestorm of hatred toward me and Christendom that lasted over 3-hours. With over 700 participants worldwide, the hatred became so abusive, the network had to shut off the debate.

The good news is that the individual who was fueling the fire of hatred took his discussion with me offline. Within two days of back-and-forth dialogues through emails, a miracle happened. At the end of the second day, he said this:

I have combed over every page on your website. I must tell ya, you are the real deal. You practiced what you preached while being fronted by my hatred. Last night, I asked Jesus to give me the same kind of life you had. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Can you teach me how to grow in my new faith?

I requested that the news network post the conclusion of this horrid 3-hour debate. They refused. I ask for the “why.” Their response shocked me to the core. They reminded me that their interest in me was for stimulating opposing views to gain data on a follow-up article they were soon to post.

That “follow-up” post used the debate to prove that Christianity was harmful to society, standing on ideologies that excuse serial killers. I was left with one conclusion - Humanity is Hardwired for Hatred.

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HARDWIRED FOR HATRED

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.” (Luke 6:22)

There is one thing I have learned about hatred. If an indwelt believer stays engaged in the person who is demonstrating hatred, it opens the door for salvation, minimally leaving a mark on their conscience.

There is another “thing” I have learned about hatred. Most “Christians” disengage at the first sign of hate; they; “block,” avoid, or use the cultural norm of resistive silence (go silent and do nothing). The worst part of this cowardice action is it leaves the persecuted one(s) to fend for themselves.

During the 3-hour debate, I watched droves of “Christians” drop out of the discussion one by one. As soon as the heat became depraved and offensive to Christianity, “blink” goes the icon - “offline.”

So why do most “Christians” betray Jesus at the peak of persecution?

Now, that is the question of the hour. First, there is a question that needs to be asked. Are these self-proclaimed Christians real-deal believers? Secondly, if saved, are these believers who lack bravery fearful of the cost of sacrificing one’s life for the sake of the Gospel?

Outside of Jesus’s beloved John, the same John who wrote the book of Revelation, all the disciples betrayed Jesus in His moment of despair. They either fell asleep on the job or at the Cross, ran, and hid like scared dogs. In fact, at the Cross, Jesus’s mother, Mary Magdalene, and John were the only fearless ones at His side. Because of John’s loyalty under pressure, Jesus gave him authority to care for His mother until she died. The highest honor bestowed by a son.

Thankfully, Jesus understood the principle of humanity being born into the ideology of being hardwired for Hate and betrayal. Remembering that not one of them was indwelt by the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost. All of the disciples were functioning on pure belief and “following” alone. At the time of the Cross, not only with Peter’s betrayal of Jesus, but all the disciples were functioning in fear - proving that being born into sin, all are hardwired to hate (betray).

KIND PEOPLE FILLED WITH HATE

As for me, this is the greatest paradox of all time! Yesterday, in a heated dialogue, my oppressor said these words: I am a Christian, and I don’t wear my Christianity on my sleeve… like you do. Your love for Donald Trump proves you are a fake. After many back-and-forth posts, it ended in the worst kind of hatred.

Hatred and hate-filled comments always result in judgment (playing God). Jesus said you shall know them by their love. Like-mindedly, you shall know the “fake” by their hatred.

When I scroll through my social media platforms, I hunt for kind people making hate-filled comments. Since my mission is directed toward the church of Laodicea (lukewarm fake believers), I have a passion for showing them the difference between self-love and the love of God.

Anyone who says they love God and express hatred toward humanity does NOT know the authentic Hebrew God of Jesus!

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21)

Fake Christians are everywhere. You might be one of them. The test of authenticity is being able to love under ALL conditions.

Years ago, I was invited to share the Gospel with Ted Bundy before he was executed. After gaining permission to bring in the mother of the last victim of his depraved actions, who was a woman we led to forgive Ted in Christ Jesus, they thought this would be a way to punish him before he died. However, it backfired on the warden. With guards filling the room, this mother tells Ted that she forgives him for killing her daughter. He wept! Later, my co-worker and I led him to Jesus Christ before his execution.

On that day, I learned the true power of Christ’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness AS a fundamental principle. Love, as taught in the Word of God, is only part of the solution - releasing the power of Jesus’s forgiveness within each believer is Jesus’s compassion in action. It is NOT waiting until the emotions line up with Biblical facts; it is an immediate action that often comes with reactions of hatred being cloaked in sheep’s clothing and placid answers that do NOT contain any power.

The kind of love that God is referencing in our passage extends to acceptance and understanding of the lost condition of others - like the story of Biblical Paul, even serial killers. Pressing for justice, nor ‘shoutouts’ of justice, is our business. God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are in charge of such judgments. Not humans. In the meantime, we are called to love the righteous and all those who think they are.

Here is a verse I live by:

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9)

The next time you encounter an individual, a post, or any other depraved ‘shoutout,’ remember this: while you may be tempted to be trapped by their depraved social justice issue, the authentic believer’s mission isn’t about such superficial worldly issues. It is, however, about reaching the soul to either understand the authentic love of God or to lead them to the One who is LOVE.