Hatred Corrodes the Container It Fills

The View From Above: Thoughts to Help With Everyday Life

June 29, 2026

Pastor Paul Stephens

Hatred Corrodes the Container It Fills

Hatred corrodes the container it fills.

Hatred is not passive—it is aggressive.

Eventually, it destroys the person who embraces it, feeds it, and allows it to remain in their life.

Scripture identifies hatred as one of the works of the flesh. It is always destructive, always harmful, and always deadly to the one who harbors it.

We cannot allow even the slightest trace of it to remain in our hearts.

Absalom is a powerful example.

Angry over an injustice, he allowed hatred toward his father, King David, to take root. That hatred eventually led him to rebellion, and he would have been satisfied if David had been killed.

His rebellion failed, and Absalom himself died a tragic and violent death.

An incredibly gifted and privileged young man was ultimately destroyed by the hatred he refused to surrender.

Hatred became the defining characteristic of his life.

Hatred corrodes the container it fills.

Hatred has even been called “the easy sin” because it is the natural default of our fallen nature. It doesn’t take much for it to begin expressing itself.

Courtrooms, hospitals, and prisons are filled with the consequences of hatred.

Most of us would never identify ourselves as hateful people.

Yet the truth is, every one of us is capable of allowing hatred to take root if we are not careful.

Scripture Focus

1 John 2:9-11

“He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

The phrase ‘hates his brother’, used twice in the verse, doesn’t mean what you think. It literally means TO LOVE LESS. We are all prejudiced with how we feel and think about people....It is true...there are some we love less, and that can be true for a variety of reasons; Those who have offended us or violated us in some way…maybe someone could have helped you at a time of need in your life and they didn’t, they let you down etc. etc. 

Our challenge?

Get hatred out of our hearts...learn to love, always forgive, and make sure your heart is right with your fellow man.