Dealing With Hate As A Christian

If you're a true follower of God, it's only a matter of time before this happens.

No one wants this. Everyone tries to avoid it. It's time to get ready. They will dislike you, hate you, exclude you, make fun of you, call you all types of evil names, mock you…I can go on and on 1. The bible has referred to this as being a reproach for the cause of Christ. Let's get to it.

Being A Reproach for Christ

What it is not.

We know that that as Christians we can expect push back. That being said, there is hate we should NOT being receiving as a Christian and if you are getting hate for these things you need to bring your heart to the alter and have God fix it. The bible talks about not suffering for being a murderer, thief, evildoer, or busybody 2. You may be thinking  "I don't do any of those things" but actually if you hate anyone that’s considered murder, busybody, that’s basically being all up on everyone's business gossiping. Knowing you'll get hate is not an excuse to be rude, harsh, and disrespectful for the sake of the gospel. 

What does being a reproach for Christ look like?

Being a reproach is defined as being the object of people's disappointment or disapproval. 

All of us want to be liked and favored by others, but when you’re a follower of Christ it's just not possible to remain in everyone's graces. We live in a dark and confused world with corrupted morals and perverted truths. This means that when the light of God shines through us into certain areas people aren't going to like it. Scripture tells us that people of the world love darkness, they actually prefer it over the light 3. 

There are truths you're going to speak and stances you're going to take that is going to have your friends think that something is wrong with you. They will call your good evil, and call their evil good 4.  That’s because they don't know the truth and until the veil is lifted from their eyes it'll be hard for them to see and understand truth. 

I want to encourage you to not stop the work God has called you to do even when you begin to face opposition. Especially because opposition won't just come from worldly people that refuse to acknowledge God. Reproach can also come from Christians, family, even those closest to you such as friends. 

Is being a reproach for Christ worth it?

I get it, this is one of those things that's easier said than done. Here's something that's helped me be firm in this stance. I want us to take a look at celebrities. Whether a singer or actor, many of the ones you know aren't Christian (at least openly), and you can see the immense amount of hate they get by the nature of their life being public. They’re being judge on social media platforms, interviews, talk shows, etc. You need only see a juicy post and read the comments to see just how vicious the internet can be. 

Many celebrities struggle with this, however, most of them don't cast away their entire career for the group of haters. They keep doing whatever it is they're doing (whether they love it or not) for the sake of the benefits it gives them. For them, the benefits of fame, money, recognition, winning the Grammys, winning the Oscars, all of these accolades far outweigh the cost. If celebrities are willing to deal with disapproval and hate from their career, then we as Christians should also be willing to deal with it for the sake of Christ.


And truly our reason should be a greater source of strength and resilience than them because whether it's to their benefit or not is up in the air. But what I can guarantee you is that suffering for Christ will never go unrewarded. As a matter of fact the reproach of Christ is a form of riches. The bible talks about how Moses declined the riches of being a Prince of Egypt and instead chose to suffer with the children of Israel "esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" 5. Why? Because anytime you're reproached for Christ riches are being added to you and you will receive a reward from God Himself. 

Jesus promised that those deal with reproach for his sake are blessed! And that great is your reward in heaven. You see, people on earth get hate for doing what they want and they're doing it for an earthly reward. Us, we're enduring reproach for a greater purpose, we're doing it because we love God, and our endurance is not being overlooked by God. 

What to do when it happens.

When these difficult times come it's important to lean onto God and let the Holy Spirit be your strength, your comfort, your counselor, your help 6. You're not in this alone and all your current sufferings are being experienced by Christians all over the world 7, with some having it worse than others, but no matter what situation God give us grace to overcome our specific trial and the more we suffer for Christ, the more God showers us with his comfort 8. 

When we receive hate we have to make sure to not allow any root of bitterness, unforgiveness, or hate grow in our heart. You need to forgive your enemies, bless those who curse you and mock you. We can't repay them with the same evil they rendered to us. Instead we have to pray for them and do good, we have to be kind and merciful 9. These are not easy things!

But we must follow after the example of Christ by leaving our situation in the hands of God who always judges fairly 10. We must trust and have faith that He will never leave us in disgrace, He will take vengeance and vindicate us. He will work things out for our good and clear our name. 

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