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The Historic Faith
Scripture Topic Guide

Bible Verses About Hatred And Malice

Early Christian writings clearly taught that hatred, malice, envy, and bitter speech belong to the old life and should be put away. Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, Tertullian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all warn Christians to cast off malice, anger, envy, and hatred, and to live in forgiveness, patience, and love.

The strongest and broadest witness comes from the apostolic fathers and third-century teachers, with repeated echoes of Bible passages like Ephesians 4:31, 1 Peter 2:1, Colossians 3:8, Matthew 5:44, and Romans 1:29. The evidence is broad and consistent for rejecting hatred in Christian conduct, while some passages are indirect because they describe envy, slander, or hatred as related sins rather than using the exact word alone.

A few texts also speak about God's hatred of evil, but that is a different claim from human malice and does not change the main moral teaching.

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Key Passages

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How to Study Hatred And Malice

A tighter path from the primary text into context and application.

Start with the clearest command or anchor text Read the primary passage in context before building doctrine from supporting references.
Trace the apostolic pattern Compare how the apostles preached, practiced, warned, and applied this topic in the churches.
Connect to witness and formation Use early Christian sources, courses, lessons, and discussion questions only after the Bible map is clear.
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Scripture Map

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30 references

Supporting Passages

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

Background verse that the fathers answer or expand

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Direct Gospel passage behind the patristic teaching

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.