AREN’T CHRISTIANS ALLOWED TO HATE OTHERS?

1 John 3:15 – “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Does this Bible verse imply that Christians are forbidden from hating anyone at all? Some saints of old—such as King David—did hate others and even committed murder, yet they still received eternal life. Does this mean the Bible contradicts itself? What is the meaning of the word “brother,” and who is considered a Christian’s brother? Most importantly, does God hate anyone? If God does hate someone, why are Christians not permitted to do so? Since God never does anything wrong, what does this verse truly mean?

These questions are meant to encourage us to use the truths in God’s Word to discern what we should do and what we should avoid, and—above all—to strengthen the Christian faith in the Bible’s truthfulness and consistency.