Read the daily news, click on your cable tv, browse through your social media feeds and you can't help but notice how the world is full of violence and hate. Seems like people are much angrier than ever. Hatred between siblings and family, nation at war against another, terrorism and street violence are on the rise, one ethnic group killing and eliminating another, one political group badmouthing and spouting hateful things against another.
Why all the hate? And where are these fights (and wars) coming from? James the apostle once told us,
"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?" (James 4:1)
People are full of malice, fake news are rampant and becoming the new normal these days. So you could easily get the impression that some people actually enjoy doing it, hating someone else or provoking another. The more we are exposed to such things, the more normal we think it is.
What's behind the spread of hatred and why do we need to be concerned? Where are all these headed?
Our Lord Jesus Christ has several reminders about these:
“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved." - Matthew 10:21-22
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." - Matthew 24:9-13
"Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake." - Luke 6:22
"And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake." - Luke 22:17
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." - John 3:20
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." - John 15:18
"Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - John 15:19
James, the brother of Jesus identifed one major cause of these troubles. He wrote,
"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:1-4)
Lust and pleasure are primary motivators of hate. When we desire something for ourselves--may it power, greed for money (fortune), position, fame, recognition, etc. When these become our obsession, then we will be 'eaten up' and reap its consequences. Hatred is a poison that destroys us from inside, producing bitterness that eats away our hearts and minds. This is why the Bible tells us not to let a “root of bitterness” spring up in our hearts (Heb. 12:15). Note that the first recorded murder was driven by anger and jealousy, and the desire for self-importance (Gen.3:6-7).
Apostle James continues,
"But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." (Jms 3:14-16)
Thus, the Scriptures reveal the ultimate source (and Spirit) of such acts:
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44)
To overcome and defeat such fleshly proclivities, the Bible provided this antidote:
"Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (Jms.4:6-8)
Moreover, we need to be constantly watchful and prayerful, so we can also avoid these traps:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;" (Matt. 5:43-45)
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." (Luke 6:27-28)
The world is very close to its breaking point (2 Tim.3:1-5). Therefore, it behooves us to be more circumspect for the 'evil days' ahead.
"Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:14-17)
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