DEALING WITH HATRED

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are … hatred … Galatians 5:19-20

I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:19

These verses indicate that there are two aspects to a believer’s dealing with hate. A believer living in the flesh can have hate in his heart even though he is a born again child of God. Also, it is certain that others will hate us when we are walking in the Spirit.

A believer walking in the flesh can be tempted to hate someone who has abused or offended him or someone he loves. He can be tempted to hate a fellow church member who has willfully opposed the church taking some action that is obviously the will of God.

Since hate is a work of the flesh, we know that we successfully deal with hate in our own hearts by experiencing the crucifixion of the flesh.

When we do experience the crucifixion of our flesh, we are filled with the Spirit. Our flesh is the only opposition the Spirit has to filling us with Himself. However, when we are filled with the Spirit, the world hates us as it hated Jesus.

The word “world” in this context must include believers who are living in the flesh. When Jesus begins to express Himself through a believer, Satan knows that Jesus living through the life of a believer means trouble for him. He knows that the Spirit-filled person can do damage to his kingdom in ways he could not do when he was in the flesh.

So, when a person lives the Spirit-filled life, Satan uses every idle mind he can find to oppose him. This includes even fellow church members.

“Love those who hate you,” Jesus said. That is an impossible command to live out when we are in the flesh. It is only as we continue to live out our union with Christ, that we will love those who hate us.

Pressures that come when one begins to experience his union with Christ have turned some back from the only life that leads to the abundance promised by Jesus. We should not even consider turning from living out our union with Christ to keep others from hating us