Why, then, does He in verse 26 apparently
Why, then, does He in verse 26 apparently teach us to hate our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even ourselves? The reason for His teaching here is that this kind of love often frustrates us from the proper and faithful enjoyment of Christ. What we should hate is the frustration, not any person. The Lord does not teach us to hate persons, but He does teach us to hate the distractions, frustrations, hindrances, and obstacles. He teaches us to hate whatever keeps us from following Him faithfully. If we do not have a hatred for what frustrates our enjoy ment of Christ, we shall be disqualified from enjoying the jubilee in the coming age.
A REWARD TO THE FAITHFUL BELIEVERS
We should not follow the sugar-coated teach ings common among today's Christians which tell us that once we have believed in the Lord Jesus we shall not have any problems. No doubt, the Lord's salvation is eternal, complete, and perfect. Once we have been saved, we are saved eternally. Regarding eternal salvation we shall not have any problems. Nevertheless, in God's economy there is an insertion in His eternal and perfect salvation, and this insertion is the