Human Nature to Hate those

Created Date: 2-Mar-2025

We have Injured

Last updated: 4-Mar-2025

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1 Purpose of this Topic
2 Cruelty Results Results in Absolute Penalties
3 Jesus Christ was Hated Without Cause
4 Modern-day Examples of Hate without Cause

The Roman Historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus who had many insightful quotes, wrote:

"It is human nature to hate those whom we have injured."

The Biblical Scholar Harry A Ironside wrote:

It is common for men to hate those whom they have injured is the English rendering of the saying of Tacitus.  Conscious of having wronged another and being determined not to confess it, the deceiver fills his heart with hatred against the object of his wrongdoing.

He who has debtors may graciously forgive them; but he who is in debt is very apt to cherish the bitterest animosity against the one from whom he has borrowed.  One may readily overlook an injury, but the one who has done another a favor will often be hated for his kindness.  This is so common among fallen men that it hardly needs comment.

To hide his wretched feelings, a liar will flatter with his lips while all the time he is plotting the ruin of his victim.  It is the sin which became, as it were, incarnate in Judas Iscariot!  May every Christian learn to avoid it as most revolting and disgusting and altogether opposed to the truthfulness of the spirit of Christ.

In a summary statement, it is common for people to continue in the emotion of hate to justify injuries done to an undeserving person as the absence of their hatred make them accountable for their actions.  Hatred is used as an excuse for doing evil.

The Purpose of this Topic

The purpose of this topic is to begin understanding the reasons and consequences of hate and its pervasiveness with people in sinful actions.  Never underestimate the ability for a human being to rationalize justification for doing something that is known to be wrong, as permissible and required for one's own happiness and personal gains that extends to all the emotions including hatred.

It is perplexing and mysterious to understand the reasons why some people will harm others and continue in cruelty based on hate.  Beyond the facets of demonically possession and oppression, there is the psychological reasons that continuance in hatred provides the wrongful justifications to continue because of the strong emotion of hate.

We all require God's moment by moment involvement and guidance to live fruitful lives that do not include hatred and other sinful actions.

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Cruelty Results in Absolute Penalties

Everyone reaps what is sown, and God is not mocked.  All of us that have lived long enough, have seen the reaping of consequences of doing both good and evil.  All suffering received, that is not consequences by our actions, will yield benefits and rewards in Heaven even when it involves our death.  For more information see the topic on Sowing and Reaping.

For the Christian, God uses Grace and Mercy to lovingly correct our path.  The unfortunate observation is sometimes we see Christians believe that they have already done sinful actions so there is no reason in stopping because they are still going to receive negative consequences.  The same Christian, after receiving negative consequences, will often enjoy seeing others suffer that have done the same sins that they have done.  We are not to put ourselves in a place of God's Righteousness and Judgments.

Galatians 6:7 7 Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. 8 The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Proverbs 6:30-31 30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, 31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.

Anyone doing harm and evil towards others will be exposed and fall into his or her own trap with devastating consequences, and the victim will become vindicated.  The consequences are by God's timing where we are never to exact revenge.

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

In the scriptures, there is an example of reaping unto death in the history of Esther with Haman.   Haman built gallows, a crucifixion tower, with the intention to murder all the Jewish people, where Haman fell into his own trap and was crucified in the very crucifixion tower, he created

Proverbs 26:23-28 23  Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart. 24 A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart. 25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. 26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. 27 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. 28A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Esther 7:1-10

 

1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen, 2 and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.

3 Queen Esther replied, If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request. 4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king. 5 Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme? 6 Esther replied, The adversary and enemy is this wicked man Haman! And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.

7 In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him. 8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace? As soon as the words had left the king s mouth, they covered Haman s face. 9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said: There is a gallows fifty cubits high at Haman s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king. Hang him on it! declared the king. 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.


Notes: (1) The Fifty Cubits high is theorized to be 75 feet or 29.9 meters high.  (2) Mordecai is Jewish, Part of the Sanhedrin, Queen Esther's guardian and cousin.

Jesus Christ was Hated Without Cause

The foremost example, of people hating without cause, are the examples in the scriptures with many of the Pharisees and Sadducees:

These Pharisees and Sadducees knew that the Words from Jesus Christ was exposing their misrepresenting God, hypocrisy, and self-indulgence.  While Jesus Christ was preaching in the Temple and many other areas, the Pharisees and Sadducees went out of their way to confront, accuse and try to kill Jesus Christ before the time of the Crucifixion.  This author has not seen any Biblical Commentary mention the conclusion that the Pharisees and Sadducees were acting in hatred that never ceased. 

The hatred is proven many incidents and especially when Pharisees and Sadducees called Jesus Christ a Bastard in John chapter 8, specifically John 8:40 which insinuates they know their father and Jesus Christ did not know His Father.  This hatred experienced as child and boy growing up was also prophesied in Psalm 69.

Unbeknownst to these Pharisees and Sadducees, was they were blaspheming God by the rejection of the Son of God Jesus Christ.   There are many scriptural passages that expose the hatred that Jesus Christ received by the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 22:23-46
 
See the whole passage of Matthew 22, and this is an excerpt:

34 The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. 35 Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. 36 He said, Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?

John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

Modern-day Examples of Hate without Cause

1.  The most common example of using hate, without cause, is often found in Adulterers

The adulterer will imagine and provide themselves excuses to exonerate themselves for the actions in adultery that involves emotional reasons to allow themselves to commit adultery. 

The actions by the adulterer will be received by the victim spouse as being very painful and sustained cruelty.  Even when adultery is not known, before being exposed, the victim spouse will know something is wrong that is inflicting pain.  The analogy that this author once heard from a good friend:

"The two Adulterers throw bombs into both of their two homes, when everyone is inside the two homes.  The two Adulterers are so stupid and ignorant to believe that the bombs won't hurt anyone."

During the adultery, the adulterer will:

It is often seen that when an adulterer is caught, the adulterer will blame the problem on their spouse that can be accompanied by yelling and violence.  When we see this happen on documentaries and real-life exposed media, the incidents reminds this author of when a little son or daughter is caught by their mom doing something wrong and either blames friends or states that everyone is doing it so it is okay to be done.  Adultery is one of the four greatest sins.

2.  The second example, that is not publicized in the Media is modern-day slavery.

While most of the modern-world has outlawed slavery and also racism of any kind, the horrific reality is slavery is still prevalent with staggering numbers of people treated as animals.  See these two links:

  1. Global Slavery Index | Walk Free
  2. Africa now has world's highest rate of modern-day slavery

What to read next?

The role of Sex.   What is Abuse of Power?  What is Salvation?  Is it possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there an Age of Accountability?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?