Christians, Sports and Hate
Many of the world’s problems can be boiled down into hate.
Though things manifest in different ways, hate is a central emotion that begins a pathway to evil deeds.
But that’s just for unbelievers, right? Christians are all about love. Right?
For the sake of this discussion, the term “Christian” will be defined as a person who holds the essential beliefs of the true Gospel, Christ’s deity, salvation by grace alone, salvation through Jesus Christ alone, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, belief in one God, and the Holy Trinity.
So how do Christians handle hatred?
As Christians, we are told to hate evil in Psalm 97:10 (ESV).
“O you who love the Lord, hate evil!”
And that seems like a fairly simple task if we know Scripture and know what goes against God’s word.
However, Jesus brought a different message into the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-47,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
Love your enemies. That’s the opposite of hating them.
Hatred can grow from the seed of anger, and produce horrifying results. Jesus put anger on the same level as murder in Matthew 5:21-22.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; …”
And also if we hate, we walk in the darkness.
1 John 2: 9-11 says,
“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever 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.”
We can’t even love God if we hold on to hate.
1 John 4:20 says,
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
WHAT ABOUT HATE IN SPORTS?
In a life application sense, this can be a stumbling block.
Let’s look at a real example, but not use actual names. We’re going to call this: The Rivalry.
Team A vs. Team B.
There are fans, players, and coaches of Team A who hate their counterparts associated with Team B.
And it’s OK, right? Just a little harmless sports fun.
But let’s look at two manifestations: Public actions and inner feelings.
PUBLIC ACTIONS
When Team A meets Team B, it happens once a year and is greatly anticipated.
When the contest arrives, the fans at the event cheer for their respective teams. But if you’ve ever attended this game, or another like it, you will hear some of the most awful language.
And it’s more than language. Sometimes fights break out, or objects are thrown at the players and coaches.
These things come from the seed of hate. And why is the hatred there? It’s simply an intense dislike for pretty much everything about the other team.
INNER FEELINGS
This can be understood whether attendance is in person or watching on television.
The anger that arises in a person’s heart can cause words to come out of the mouth the Christian may never say in any other situation.
Call it passion, but if passion leads to hatred, should passion be set aside?
TEMPTATION COMES
That was a snapshot of one sports rivalry, but Christians can fall into hatred of those who don’t hold to their beliefs. They can fall into hatred of those who aren’t living a lifestyle that adheres to Biblical principles.
But Jesus didn’t say this was OK. He said to love your enemies.
It can be hard. Very hard. When someone expresses hatred toward you because of your beliefs, you need the Spirit’s help to respond with love.
The thing to remember is the command to love your enemies doesn’t apply only to global conflict. It applies to everyday things.
A person can be passionate about sports without hating the other team. A person can be competitive without hating the opponent.
That’s what can make sports great: to be in fierce competition for the allotted game time, and still have a good attitude — instead of a spirit of bitterness — when the contest is finished.
And even if an enemy commits an ugly act, refer to 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB), where it says love doesn’t keep records:
“… does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered.”