Loving and Hating

by Martin Luther

"I have hated the mob of evildoers and will not sit with wicked people." Psalm 26:5

"We should have nothing to do with evildoers and wicked people. David said, "I hate them with all my heart" (Psalm 139:22). The author of Psalm 1 praises believers who avoid them: "Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers" (Psalm 1:1). If you spend too much time with false teachers, you will eventually share in their false doctrine, lies, and errors. If you play with tar, you're going to get dirty.

"But doesn't our Lord Jesus Christ command us to love our enemies in Matthew 5:44? So why does David brag that he hates the mob of evildoers and won't sit with wicked people? Shouldn't a person do good things for them and by doing so make them feel guilty and ashamed? Yes, we should hate them, but only in regard to their false teachings. Otherwise, we must be ready to serve our enemies so that we might be able to convert some of them. We need to love them as people, but hate what they teach. So we are forced to choose between hating them or hating God, who wants and commands us to cling to his Word alone. Our hatred is a sacred animosity that flows from love. So love is subject to faith, and faith must be in charge of love.

"When the Word of God is at stake, love ends and hate begins. But if only personal things are at stake, such as our property, honor, or body, we should show respect and serve others. God gives us these gifts to help others. We can risk them in order to serve. However, we cannot risk God's Word because it belongs to the Lord our God."

365 Devotional Readings from Martin Luther: Through Faith Alone, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1999, reading for November 9.