This seems like such a silly question, that people would
even think such a thing, yet it seems to be a common problem these days.
Yet it is understandable, people get hurt; they’re offended
and turn away from the church. The church is not claiming to be perfect, yet
the people who say they “hate the church” are obviously dealing with some
issues of there own. That is why we need the body of believers to help each
other through these issues. You can’t just run away from your problems and
think that will fix it. You are only left with bitterness and resentment in
your heart, which solves nothing. You are still left hurting and without a family
to go to.
It’s not right that it is a problem, but unfortunately it
is.
The “church” in the original Greek is defined as the ones
who “belong to the Lord”. If you love Jesus but hate the church you are
disobeying the Word. First of all, you hate something that the Lord loves. From
Psalm 97 derives a popular quote, love
what God loves and hate what He hates. He hates evil, but loves his bride, and
if you hate His bride… you do not love what He loves. Secondly, you are
disobeying the second commandment, “You shall love
your neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 22:39). Where in hating the
church does loving your neighbor reside? Nowhere.
You are deceived if you think you can hate something that
God loves and desires to be with forever. The church is not the problem, you
are.