Several years ago in the state of Oregon, a man was tried, convicted and sentenced to six months in prison for failure to give warning about a bridge that had been washed away in a storm. He was aware of the danger, had opportunity and time to give warning, but failed to do so.
When good people see a friend or associate in danger they have an obligation to warn that person. Why? Because good people care for that person. Would such a warning be regarded as evil? Would it have been “hateful” for that man to warn others in clear terms about the danger of that washed out bridge?
The news in recent months has addressed the issue of “hate speech,” and those “guilty” of uttering such words have received swift censure.
How can anyone give support to “hate speech”? To speak words that are nasty, harsh, cutting or profane should never be part of a Christian’s vocabulary. To tell someone, “I hate you,” flies in the face of all that Jesus taught and is contrary to everything He did.
Before we continue we need to identify “hate speech.” Is it “hateful” for a doctor to warn us of the symptoms of cancer? Or a pharmacist to warn of the danger of mixing certain medications? What some are calling “hate speech” may not come from a hateful attitude but from the depths of love.
The English word “hate” is usually defined as:
“…intense dislike, hostility against something...” Is there anything a Christian should “hate”? Should a Christian have an “intense dislike...hostility against” anything? Does God “hate” anything? The answer is not difficult to discover, but in today’s “politically correct” society, anyone who opposes sin could be accused of “hate speech,” and thereby receive a kind of “hostility” of his/her own.
The Bible reveals God’s attitude toward sin. In Amos 5:21 God says: “I hate, I despise your feast days.” Did I read that right? God hated Israel’s worship? Yes, Israel’s worship had become merely ritual, going through the motions without sincere attitudes toward Jehovah. No, He did not hate the people, but He did hate their attitude.
The psalmist wrote in Psalm 97:10:
“YE THAT LOVE THE LORD, HATE EVIL.”
Those who love the Lord will hate evil, but not the evil-doer. Men have said for years that we should “hate the sin, but love the sinner,” and that is precisely what God does and what we should do, too. It is not sinful to hate sin. It is not evil for Christians to hate evil. It would be evil for Christians to ignore or encourage that which is evil. Neglecting to warn about sin would be the height of hateful behavior.
Those things being so, what about “hate speech”? Is it “hate speech” to speak out against sin? Even in kindness? God doesn’t think so, but modern man seems to think so.
Christians must live in this world and associate with others in this world. We must be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” Matthew 5:13-14. But “salt” can sting, and “light” often illuminates that which some prefer to hide. Like that man in Oregon, our opportunity to warn demands that we do so.
A fitting biblical principle is found in Ezekiel 33:7-8:
“So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
We hear from various sources that it will not be long before jail time awaits the preacher or teacher that calls homosexuality “sin”. We do not know if that will happen, but Simon Peter’s words, spoken when he and others were warned not to preach about Jesus, may become even more applicable to us. He responded as recorded in Acts 5:29:
“WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN.”
Maybe I will be gone by the time that happens, but when or if it comes we must still speak out against sin, even if it brings persecution to us.
Make no mistake – we do not hate those caught up in that or any sinful lifestyle. Our words to them in warning would not be “hate speech,” but an expression of genuine love for their soul. If “jail time” does threaten, will we be willing to face the consequences of being a Christian?
