First John 3:15 makes a statement that most people read too quickly: everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.
John did not say hate is similar to murder. He said the person who hates is a murderer. The classification is not metaphorical.
In God’s moral economy, the internal condition and the external act occupy the same category because one produces the other, and God evaluates the heart before the hand moves.
Hate is the engine behind the first murder in the Bible. Cain hated Abel because God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected his.
Genesis 4:5 says Cain was very angry and his face fell. God warned him that sin was crouching at the door.
Cain ignored the warning, and the hate that started as jealousy ended in a field with his brother’s blood on the ground.
The Bible addresses hate from two directions.
It warns against the hate that humans carry toward each other. And it names the things God himself hates, which is a category most people are surprised to discover exists at all.
What God Himself Hates
1. There Are Six Things the Lord Hates, Seven That Are Detestable to Him
“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” Proverbs 6:16–19, New International Version (NIV)
2. The Lord Detests Lying Lips but Delights in Trustworthy People
“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22, New International Version (NIV)
3. I Hate Robbery and Wrongdoing
“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.” Isaiah 61:8, New International Version (NIV)
4. I Hate; I Despise Your Religious Festivals
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.” Amos 5:21, New International Version (NIV)
5. Hate Evil, Love Good, Maintain Justice in the Courts
“Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.” Amos 5:15, New International Version (NIV)
Hate Between People: What Scripture Says
6. Everyone Who Hates His Brother Is a Murderer
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15, English Standard Version (ESV)
7. Whoever Claims to Love God Yet Hates a Brother or Sister Is a Liar
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” 1 John 4:20, New International Version (NIV)
8. Anyone Who Hates a Brother or Sister Is in the Darkness
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” 1 John 2:9, New International Version (NIV)
9. Do Not Hate a Fellow Israelite in Your Heart
“Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.” Leviticus 19:17, New International Version (NIV)
10. Whoever Says He Is in the Light and Hates His Brother Is Still in Darkness
“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” 1 John 2:9, King James Version (KJV)
Where Hate Leads
11. Cain Rose Up Against His Brother Abel and Killed Him
“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Genesis 4:8, King James Version (KJV)
12. Hatred Stirs Up Conflict but Love Covers Over All Wrongs
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12, New International Version (NIV)
13. The One Who Hates His Brother Walks in Darkness and Does Not Know Where He Is Going
“But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:11, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14. Out of the Heart Come Evil Thoughts, Murder, Adultery
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew 15:19, New International Version (NIV)
15. See to It That No Bitter Root Grows Up to Cause Trouble and Defile Many
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15, New International Version (NIV)
The World Will Hate You
16. If the World Hates You Keep in Mind That It Hated Me First
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18, New International Version (NIV)
17. You Will Be Hated by All Nations Because of My Name
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” Matthew 24:9, New International Version (NIV)
18. Blessed Are You When People Hate You and Exclude You and Insult You
“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Luke 6:22, New International Version (NIV)
19. Do Not Be Surprised, My Brothers and Sisters, If the World Hates You
“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” 1 John 3:13, New International Version (NIV)
God’s Response: Love Where Hate Would Be Natural
20. Love Your Enemies, Do Good to Those Who Hate You
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Luke 6:27, New International Version (NIV)
21. Bless Those Who Curse You, Pray for Those Who Mistreat You
“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28, New International Version (NIV)
22. Do Not Repay Evil for Evil but Overcome Evil With Good
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21, English Standard Version (ESV)
23. If Your Enemy Is Hungry, Feed Him
“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Romans 12:20, King James Version (KJV)
24. Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind, It Keeps No Record of Wrongs
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4–5, New International Version (NIV)
Hating What God Hates and Loving What He Loves
25. Let Love Be Genuine, Abhor What Is Evil, Hold Fast to What Is Good
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9, English Standard Version (ESV)
26. The Fear of the Lord Is Hatred of Evil
“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Proverbs 8:13, English Standard Version (ESV)
27. You Have Loved Righteousness and Hated Wickedness, Therefore God Has Anointed You
“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Hebrews 1:9, King James Version (KJV)
Hate Punishes the Person Carrying It More Than the Person It Is Aimed At
First John 2:11 says the person who hates walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
The blindness is the detail that makes the verse personal. The person carrying hate believes they see the situation clearly.
They see the offense. They see the offender. They believe their hatred is justified by what was done to them.
And the entire time, according to John, they are blind. The hate has removed their ability to perceive their own condition.
Proverbs 10:12 says hatred stirs up conflict. The stirring is continuous.
Hate does not settle. It agitates. It revisits the offense. It rehearses the case. It recruits allies. It reinterprets neutral actions as hostile ones.
The person carrying hate becomes a constant source of conflict, and the conflicts multiply because the hate needs material to feed on.
Hebrews 12:15 calls it a root of bitterness that grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
The many is the word that expands the damage beyond the person carrying it.
Hate is not a private emotion. It radiates. It contaminates the people around the carrier, the family members, the friends, the community members who absorb the hostility without having participated in the original offense.
Romans 12:9 draws the line the Bible actually wants the reader to hold: abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good.
The hatred God approves is hatred of evil, not hatred of people. Proverbs 8:13 says the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
The distinction is everything. God hates lying, injustice, arrogance, violence against the innocent, and the stirring up of conflict.
He does not instruct his people to hate the people who do those things. He instructs them to love their enemies and pray for those who mistreat them.
The Christian is called to carry a hatred of evil so fierce it resembles God’s own, and a love for people so persistent it resembles Christ’s own, and to hold both at the same time without collapsing either one.
What People Ask About Hate in the Bible
Does the Bible say hate is a sin?
First John 3:15 says everyone who hates a brother is a murderer. First John 2:9 says the person who hates while claiming to be in the light is in darkness. First John 4:20 says hating a brother while claiming to love God makes you a liar. Leviticus 19:17 prohibits hating in the heart. Scripture classifies hatred toward people as a serious sin with spiritual consequences equivalent to murder in God’s assessment.
What does God hate according to the Bible?
Proverbs 6:16–19 lists seven things God hates: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that rush to evil, a false witness, and a person who stirs up conflict. Proverbs 8:13 says God hates pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverted speech. Amos 5:21 records God hating empty religious observance. God’s hatred is directed at evil, injustice, and deception, not at people.
Is it okay to hate evil according to the Bible?
Yes. Romans 12:9 commands abhorring evil. Proverbs 8:13 says the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Psalm 97:10 says those who love the Lord should hate evil. Hebrews 1:9 praises loving righteousness and hating wickedness. The Bible distinguishes between hating evil, which is commanded, and hating people, which is condemned. Both are held simultaneously in the life of the person who fears God.
How does the Bible say to respond when people hate you?
Luke 6:27 says Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Luke 6:28 says bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. Romans 12:20 says feed your hungry enemy. Romans 12:21 says overcome evil with good. Matthew 5:44 says pray for those who persecute you. The biblical response to hatred is counterintuitive: active love directed at the person who is acting as your enemy.
What is the difference between righteous anger and sinful hate?
Ephesians 4:26 says Be angry but do not sin. Proverbs 8:13 says hatred of evil is part of fearing God. The distinction lies in the object and the duration. Righteous anger targets injustice and evil. Sinful hate targets people and calcifies over time. Righteous anger motivates action against wrong. Sinful hate consumes the person carrying it. James 1:20 warns that human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires, which means even justified anger requires careful handling.
God, Replace the Hate I Am Carrying With Something That Looks Like You
Father, I want to bring before you the specific person or situation I have been carrying hatred toward, and ask you to do what 1 John 2:11 says only you can do: restore the sight that the hatred has taken from me, because I have been walking in darkness while believing I could see clearly.
Let Romans 12:9 be the standard I hold: genuine love, fierce hatred of evil, and the wisdom to know which one applies to the person in front of me and which applies to the behavior I witnessed.
Where Luke 6:27 says Love your enemies, give me the supernatural capacity to obey a command that my flesh considers impossible, because the love you require for the person who hurt me is not something I can manufacture on my own.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
