What exactly is a “Christian hater?” Is it someone who hates Christians? Or is it a hateful person who claims to be a Christian?

To be sure, there are plenty of people in both categories, and they aren’t exactly paragons of virtue or stellar role models. It’s easy to see why both types are repulsive.

But I would humbly suggest that there is a third kind of “Christian hater.” In fact, I confess that I am one of them. And I’m not ashamed to admit it.

To be sure, Christians are commanded to love. Jesus told his disciples, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” That’s a pretty high bar, but it doesn’t stop there. Jesus also tells us to not only love our friends, but to love our enemies, as well. Now that’s a heavy lift.

So how do I reconcile being a loving Christian and a hating Christian at the same time?

Simple. The Bible commands me to hate. Don’t believe me? Well, here are just a few examples:

Amos 5:15 – “Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice.”

Romans 12:9 – “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Psalm 97:10 – “You who love the LORD, hate evil!”

Proverbs 8:13 – “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”

If I am to be an obedient follower of Jesus Christ, then I have to hate evil as much as God does. That means I hate evil in all its ugly manifestations:

• I hate injustice.
• I hate evil behavior.
• I hate oppression of the poor.
• I hate suffering of the innocent.
• I hate lying and deceit.
• I hate pride and arrogance.
• I hate abuse of children and women.
• I hate sex trafficking.
• I hate pornography.
• I hate persecution.
• I hate abortion.
• I hate slavery.
• I hate self-centeredness.
• I hate sin.
• I hate disease.
• I hate death.

This list could go on and on and on. But as I look over it, I can’t escape asking myself a very hard question: “Am I guilty of any of the things I hate in that list?” The answer is, “Yes.” In fact, I absolutely hate my own moral failures. I can’t stand it when my sinful nature gets the best of me.

Fortunately, there is hope. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God wants us to hate our sin as much as he does so that we will seek his mercy and forgiveness and start afresh.

But there’s still more.

1 John 2:15 warns us – “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” That means we are to hate the world and all its allurements – lust, materialism, power hunger, boasting, accumulation, self-promotion, vanity, greed, and much more.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with hating the world this way. Why? Because the world already hates us. Jesus said as much in John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” Why love the world if it hates you?

So the next time someone accuses you of being a “hater,” just say, “You’re right, I am. Now let me tell you all the things I hate as a Christian.”

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, don’t be afraid of being a Christian hater. It’s actually the loving thing to do.