НЕНАВИСТЬ

He who loves can never hate, no matter what happens: this is the greatest benefit of love. Such was Paul; That’s why he said: “Lest I arouse jealousy in my relatives according to the flesh” (Rom. 11:14), and did not cease to hope; and Timothy exhorted this way: “The servant of the Lord should not quarrel, but be friendly to everyone, teachable, gentle, instructing those who oppose him with meekness, lest God give them repentance to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24, 25). How, you say, shouldn’t one even hate enemies and pagans? One must hate, but not them, but their teaching, not a person, but a vicious life and a corrupted will. Man is the work of God, and error is the work of the devil. Therefore, do not confuse the things of God with the things of the devil. The Jews blasphemed, persecuted, insulted Christ and said a lot of evil about Him, but did Paul, who loved Christ more than anyone, hate them? No, on the contrary, he loved them and did everything for them; then he said: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is for salvation” (Rom. 10:1); then: “I myself would like to be excommunicated from Christ for them” (Rom. 9:3). So Ezekiel, seeing their destruction, said: “Oh, Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the remnant of Israel?” (Ezek. 9:8). And Moses also said: “Forgive them their sin” (Ex. 32:32). Why does David say: “Should I not hate those who hate You, O Lord, and not be disgusted by those who rebel against You? I hate them with complete hatred: they are my enemies” (Ps. 139:21, 22). Not everything in the Psalms of David is said by David himself; Thus, they say: “I live at the tents of Kedar” (Ps. 119:5); and also: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept” (Ps. 136:1), - meanwhile he himself did not see either Babylon or the villages of Kidar. On the other hand, the highest wisdom is now required of us [Christians]; so, when the disciples asked for the fire to come down, as during the time of Elijah, Christ said: “You do not know what kind of spirit you are” (Luke 9:55). Then the Jews were commanded to hate not only wickedness, but also the wicked themselves, so that friendship with them would not serve as a reason for them to commit lawlessness; therefore they were forbidden to enter into family ties with the pagans and mix with them, and barriers were placed between them on all sides; but now, when [God] has brought us to the highest wisdom and placed us above such danger, he commands us to enter into communication and talk with them, because there is no harm to us from them, and they benefit from us. What do you say I should do? One should not hate, but show mercy; After all, if you hate, then how can you convert the erring one, how will you pray for the unfaithful? And that you need to pray for him, listen to what Paul says: “Therefore, first of all, I urge that prayers, petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Tim. 2:1); but then not everyone was believers, as everyone knows. And further: “for kings and for all those in authority” (1 Tim. 2:2); but they were wicked and lawless, as is also known. Then, showing the reason why one needs to pray, he adds: “for this is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). Therefore, when a pagan wife happened to be married to a believer, he did not dissolve the marriage; Meanwhile, what is closer than a husband to his wife? “They will be,” says [Scripture], “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24), and therefore there is great love and ardent affection between them. If we begin to hate the wicked and lawless, then, extending further, we will hate sinners; and following this path, little by little we will separate ourselves from most of the brethren, or, better yet, from everyone, because there is no one without sin. If we must hate enemies God, then we must hate not only the wicked, but also sinners; and in this case we will be worse than beasts, turning away from everyone and being puffed up with pride, like the Pharisee. But Paul commanded not so - but how? How, you say, does he say: “If anyone does not listen to our word in this epistle, take notice of him and do not communicate with him” (2 Thess. 3:14)? True, this is said about the brethren; but not simply, but also with meekness; do not ignore what follows; add what is said below. Namely, having said: do not communicate, he added: “But do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:15). Do you see how he commands us to hate a bad [deed], and not a person? The devil’s job is to tear us apart from each other; he is trying hard to destroy love in order to block the path to correction and keep him in error, and you in enmity, and thus block his path to salvation. If the doctor hates and runs away from the patient, and the patient turns away from the doctor, then can the patient recover when he does not call for the doctor and the doctor does not come to him? Why, tell me, do you turn away and run away from him? Is it because he is wicked? But that is why it is necessary to come and heal in order to restore the patient. Even if he suffers from an incurable disease, you are commanded to do your job. Judas was also overcome by an incurable disease, but God did not stop healing him; Therefore, do not weaken. Even though with all your efforts you could not free him from wickedness, you will still receive a reward, as if you had freed him, and you will cause him to admire your meekness, and thus God will be glorified in every possible way (12). You might be interested in: