day no. 16,922: love must be served with a side of hate

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." — G.K. Chesterton

We should be more about what we're about than against what we're against.

We must be against some things and we must be glad we're against them, but not before we're grateful for what we're for. To be for something is to be against whatever would come against it. The love should be substantive and the hate derivative. Love must drive and hate must ride shotgun.

Revelation 2:2-6

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

It is good to be against the Nicolaitanes. They must be opposed. But it is not enough to merely be against heresy, one must be for pure doctrine. Heresy hunting is a natural side effect of holding to the one, true religion, but it is a poor top priority. It can only be done rightly if done secondly.

"You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it. You cannot fight without something to fight for. To love a thing without wishing to fight for it is not love at all; it is lust." — G.K. Chesterton

Hate is a healthy et cetera, but a horrible main course. Love must be served with a side dish of hate, but it must be second in priority and proportion.

Psalm 97:10

Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.

If you love something, you will hate something else. It is part of the absorbed price of doing business. In our case, if you love the Lord, you must hate evil. You cannot call on Christ to save you without calling your sins insufferable.

Proverbs 8:36

He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:

all they that hate me love death.

Again, if you love, you will hate. Here the inverse is highlighted. Those who hate God, love death. Their rejection of life drives them to delight of death.  Not only so, but they even flip the script by beginning with their hate. They love hating God and so they hate loving life. He is the Author and Creator and so they worship chaos and destruction. When you begin with hate, you loves are corrupted.

As observed above, if you begin with hate for heresy, you will not end up with a perfect love of pure doctrine. How much more so then when you begin with hating goodness do you end up with a twisted worship of wickedness.

Love and hate are inescapable and one cannot serve two masters, You will either love the one and hate the other or hate the one and love the other (Mt. 6:24).