Hate Speech

July 18

The apostle Paul was not politically correct. He went to a certain city and began preaching the Gospel, and a man opposed him. Hear Paul's remarks to that man:

"Then Saul, who also is called Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked intently at him and said,
'O full of all deceit and all fraud,
YOU SON OF THE DEVIL,
you enemy of all righteousness,
will you not cease perverting
the straight ways of the Lord?'”
Acts 13:9-10

Son of the devil??? In today's world, that would be called "hate speech." And Paul wouldn't have denied it either.

Jesus had something to say about Herod, the king - he called him a fox. (Luke 13:32)

Speaking to the Jewish religious leaders he called them whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones. (Matthew 23:27)

Can you imagine the rage of those thus insulted? Yet Jesus would not have denied what he said either.

"Hate speech" is the epithet of our society and we who speak what they call "hate speech" also receive the wrath of those so called.

Why do we not back down? It's because we stand with God. We stand with his Word. We stand with truth. And tantamount in our lives must be that we love what God loves and hate what God hates.

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness,
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Isaiah 5:20

God endorses what the world calls "hate speech:"

"You who love the Lord,
HATE EVIL!"
Psalm 97:10