If you were to ask, “What is the opposite of love?” I think most
people would quickly answer, “Hate.”
Yet the Scriptures indicate that the opposite of love is fear.
Using the New American Standard Bible concordance program, I looked
up the word “fear” and got 309 references; for the word “hate,” 93
references; and 352 references for the word “love.”
Here are just a few of the many scriptures containing these three
words:
The words “love” and “fear” are both found in 1 John 4:18:
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not
perfected in love.
Also in Timothy 6:10-11, we find the word “love”:
(Please note: Verse 10 is often misquoted as “Money is the root of
all evil.” Correctly, it is “the love of money…”
10. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some
by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced
themselves with many a pang.
11. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
As for the word “hate,” in Luke 6:22-23 Jesus says:
22. "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast
insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son
of Man.
23. "Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward
is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat
the prophets.
And a little further on, in Luke 6:26, Jesus continues:
26. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way
their fathers used to treat the false prophets.”
It is interesting to note that according to Jesus, as quoted in the
above scriptures, the true prophets were hated but the false prophets
were liked.
Human nature hasn’t changed all that much. Many (if not most) people
still like to have “their ears tickled” rather than hear the truth.
