It is popularly held in Western Christianity that part of loving God is hating what He hates. But if we hate what He hates without loving what He loves (and how He loves – John 13:34), it all amounts to “nothing” (1Cor.13:1-3).
Posts Tagged ‘hate’
Thought for the Day – Hating What God Hates
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged hate, love, Western Christianity on February 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
10 Terms/Phrases that are Losing Their Meaning
Posted in Lists, tagged dialogue, friend, God given rights, hate, hero, justice, privacy, racism, racist, unprecedented, virtual on September 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »
- Virtual: At one time this word meant that a thing was essentially the same, or equivalent to another. But after a couple of years of 1st hand experience, we can all testify that virtual hugs, virtual meetings, virtual doctor visits, virtual reunions… are nothing like the real thing, and that virtual reality isn’t anything like the real world.
- Privacy: The demise of our privacy is the convergence of our cultures voyeuristic bent, with the advancements of technology. We now live in a world where everyone carries their own personal electronic tracking device, which traces our every move, records every picture/ text/ meme/ video… we look at, and actively listens (i.e. Siri, Alexa) to every conversation. Just about every significant piece of data related to our lives is now available to any person with the skills to access it. On top of that, our entertainment includes “reality” shows with cameras mounted in places like the bathroom / bedroom, apps for hooking up with complete strangers for casual sex, and platforms for soliciting / selling nude photos /videos.
- Justice: The root of the word justice is “just”, which is related to the concept of right and wrong, but in our culture, that element has largely been eliminated. In the modern vernacular, this term has become completely subjective. When people declare, “Justice for enter name here” they’re not asking for a fair judgement, based on an unbiased review of the facts, they’re demanding a ruling in their favor, regardless of the facts.
- Hero: This word used to be reserved for people of high integrity and character, those who had gone above and beyond, who sacrificed, and overcame, and/or whose virtue worked to the greater good. In recent decades, it has been attached to anyone who champions our own personal agenda, regardless of character/integrity. As such, the word increasingly means little or nothing.
- God Given Rights: This phrase seems to be a favorite among those of the Judeo-Christian persuasion, but a review of the sacred texts doesn’t seem to support that many of the claimed rights come from God. Indeed, the Bible speaks extensively about sacrificing ones worldly rights in order to fulfill a more eternal purpose.
- Racism/Racist: There is no doubt that tribalism and racism have plagued mankind throughout its history. These are serious topics that warrant thoughtful consideration. Applying these terms to things that don’t have anything to do with race, and/or using them as a stick to poke or beat anyone that disagrees with our perspective only dilutes their meaning, and short circuits the potential for meaningful dialogue.
- Friend: Perhaps no word has suffered a greater assault at the hands of social media than the word, “friend”. Without malice, Facebook used this term to describe anyone you might connect with on their platform, and the meaning has steadily eroded from there. A relationship that is devoid of privacy, physical interaction, meaningful dialogue, genuine affection, or shared experiences should hardly be described as a friendship.
- Hate: Hate is not merely the absence of love, it is an extreme form of malice with an endless potential for destruction. It is not passive or haphazard. It is active and fueled with intent. But in today’s world, anyone who disagrees with my point of view is considered a “Hater” and anyone who tries to address my wrong behavior is “Hating” on me. These arbitrary applications only serve to trivialize the profound nature of genuine hatred.
- Dialogue: It is a popularly held idea that protests draw attention to an issue and create dialogue; but I’ve noticed that depending on the nature of the protest, it more often distracts us from the real issue and creates rhetoric. Dialogue is talking to each other, presumably with the intent of reaching some new level of agreement, while rhetoric is talking at each other, generally used to establish the superiority of our position. One has the potential to move us forward together, while the other can become the basis for civil war. It can’t rightfully be considered dialogue if neither side is listening.
- Unprecedented: Thousands of years ago, King Solomon observed that “there is nothing new under the sun”. No doubt his conclusion was based on man’s nature, and the repetitive pattern that human history illuminates. But we live in an era where the emerging generation has been taught that their technological advancements, and evolution as a species have somehow exempted them from the lessons of the past. Even a cursory review of history, or an incisive look at other cultures around our world would reveal that there is little that is “unprecedented” about the challenges we currently face.
Thought for the Day – This is Us
Posted in Free Verse / Poetry, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged anarchy, distrust, hate, mock, rebellion, slander, this is us, unfriend on January 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We speak against hate, yet slander and mock anyone who disagrees with us
We advocate for the idea of unity, but unfriend anyone who doesn’t share our worldview
We petulantly rationalize our own acts of rebellion, while incredulously condemning the anarchy incited by others
We bemoan that no one has walked in our shoes, but then presume to know what other people think
We invest trust in people who don’t really care about us, while distrusting the neighbor, who’s never betrayed us
We convince ourselves that the problem is “Them”But this is “Us”
Thought for the Day – Threads
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged deception, despair, division, hate, hope, love, truth, unity on April 15, 2020| 1 Comment »
Every Minute
of
Every Day
We have the choice
Love or Hate
Fear or Faith
Hope or Despair
Teardown or Buildup
Unity or Division
Self or Others
Compassion or Apathy
Criticism or Encouragement
Persevere or Quit
Deception or Truth
Life or Death
These threads weave together to form the fabric of our existence
Bjcorbin's Blog 
The Way
Posted in Commentaries, tagged admonish, anti-christ, authority, champion, connection, deceive, deception, discern, embodiment, end times, eternal, eternity, evoke, exchange, fix our eyes, focus, genuine, hate, illusion, image, influence, Jesus name, kingdom, life, manifest, Sceva, seen, Spirit, spiritual, substitute, temporal, transform, truth, unseen, warning, way on September 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The danger of living in the social media age is that we can gather a following of like-minded folks, spend our days shouting into the echo chamber, and cancel anyone who dares to disagree with us. Devoid of any contrasting perspective, it’s easy to deceive ourselves into believing that our perceptions have become reality. And with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can be sure that our electronic feed will remain full of voices that endorse and reinforce our illusion.
While this type of pattern is unhealthy on many levels, it is most dangerous from a spiritual standpoint. Throughout the scripture we are warned against leaning on our own understanding (Prov.3:5-7), about the deceitfulness of our hearts (Jer.17:9), and of the great deceivers and deceptions that will be visited upon God’s people (Matt.24:24). We are cautioned against focusing on what is seen, as it is perishing (2Cor.4:18). And most importantly, we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb.12:2).
I suspect that popular renderings of a singular “Anti-Christ” figure, from our depictions of the End Times, have clouded our understanding of the true spirit of anti-Christ, which manifests in many forms. While we’ve been taught to make bold declarations against such things, I have found that these spirits are not nearly as intimidated by our use of Jesus’ name as we might think. Like the sons of Sceva, the Chief Priest (Acts 19:13-16) or those people Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:21-23, we can try to evoke His name while having no genuine connection to Him (John 15:5). In such instances, this word carries no spiritual authority.
Ultimately, attacking the authentic, life-giving connection to Christ is the aim of the anti-Christ spirit. It tries to redefine the “work of God” as being something other than believing in the One that He sent (John 6:29). It offers symbols and rituals and formulas and brokers as a substitute for a genuine one on one relationship with the person of God. It offers earthly prosperity and temporal gains as a substitute for genuine spiritual authority.
It encourages us to know ministers by their gifts instead of by their fruit (Matt.7:16). It fills the atmosphere with voices and things to look at, so that we don’t discern the still small voice of God (1Kings 19:11-13) or fix our gaze on the Giver of Life (Heb.12:2). It inspires religious leaders to build an earthly replica of the kingdom, so that the genuine Kingdom does not become manifest.
This spirit does not care that Jesus’ name is plastered all over our buildings, bumper stickers, t-shirts and letter heads, as long as we don’t look anything like Him (Rom.8:29). It does not oppose our gatherings, as long as people aren’t genuinely connecting with the Savior (or each other). It does not resist our endless Bible study, as long as the scripture remains little more than a tool for the rationalization of our own carnal interests (John 5:39-40). It is not against us viewing Jesus as a resource for strength, as long as cultivating an authentic relationship with Him never becomes the goal. In such cases, the inclusion of Jesus’ name actually lends a sense of legitimacy to the whole deception.
Evidence of this spiritual influence would be a people who call themselves “Christians” yet aren’t identifiable by their love and grace for one another (John 13:35); who aren’t concerned about the fact that they nor their leaders look or sound anything like Christ (Rom.8:29), and who are more concerned with current events (i.e., the seen realm) than eternity (i.e., the unseen realm) (2Cor.4:18). They would likely be a people who were known more for their divisions than their unity (Eph.4:4-6).
In the absence of Christ’s Lordship, such a people would be destined to idolize mere men, and likely to crown themselves an earthly king (1Sam.8). And apart from the guidance of Christ’s Spirit, they would be highly susceptible to hollow and deceptive philosophies, which depend on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world (Col.2:8).
It would be difficult to argue that this isn’t a fairly accurate portrait of Western Christianity.
There are so many scriptures that appear to be warnings for individuals who count themselves as believers, or followers, or even disciples. Passages referencing a people who possess a form of godliness but also deny the power thereof (2Tim.3:5), who honor Jesus with their lips, but whose hearts remain far from Him (Matt.15:8), and/or who will exchange God’s thoughts for the rhetoric that fuels their true passion (2Tim.4:3-4). Yet we can convince ourselves that these words don’t really apply to us because we are good and moral people, who hate what is evil and champion the proper value system.
Despite the fact that many Christians would say that we are fast approaching, or perhaps even living amid the “end times”, there seems to be little concern regarding the Lord’s admonishments to the churches in the book of Revelation. If we really believe His return is imminent, we should probably be mindful of what it looks like to forsake our first love for some other passion (Rev.2:1-7) and perhaps be on the lookout for the false prophets who threaten to lead us astray (Rev.2:18-29). We might also want to ponder what might cause Him to view us as “lukewarm” (Rev.3:14-22).
Jesus taught that He is the way, the truth and the life; and that there is no other path to the Father (John 14:6). But the anti-Christ spirit works diligently to separate our concept of these things from the person of Jesus. It invites us to fix our eyes on anything but Him. Unless Christ becomes the embodiment of our truth, we will never walk in the way He’s ordained for us, nor experience the life He died to give us.
Ultimately, God’s ways are much higher than our ways (Isa.55:8-9) and that pattern was so perfectly demonstrated by Christ that at the end of His life He was able to say that, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9). Through this perfect reflection of the Father’s heart, Jesus became “The Way” for us (John 14:6), and now the only thing that keeps us from walking in that way is “the way that seems right” to us (Prov.14:12) instead.
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