Righteous Hatred

Spurgeon opens with a seeming paradox: Christianity forbids hatred toward any person, yet commands intense hatred toward evil itself — and he argues that this righteous hatred is not just permitted but is a duty, flowing naturally from love for God and for people. He then makes this personal, urging believers to direct that hatred first inward against their own sin, offering compelling reasons: sin has already done tremendous damage to their souls, it weakens their prayer life and usefulness to others, it will bring God's chastening rod, and most powerfully — it was their own sin that drove the nails into Christ. He closes by extending the duty outward, calling Christians never to smile at or stay silent about evil in others, to confront sin privately when possible, to live blameless lives so their words carry weight, and to join actively in spreading the gospel — because the best weapon against evil in the world is an engaged, passionate, Spirit-filled church.Sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon on August 8, 1858.