Quoting Scripture Is Not Hate Speech
“Have I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth?”
Galatians 4:16
Truth...
In every moral issue there is only one truth. Truth by definition is simply the bottom line. Truth cannot be argued, for when it’s argued it is no longer truth.
People are offended when a believer quotes the Word of God that might make a sinner feel guilty. The believer is called every name under the sun should he dare speak what the Word of God says on an issue. He is called, “judgmental,” “hater,” “homophobe,” and on and on ad infinitum. What sinners don’t realize is that the motive in the believer is not to hate them nor to judge them. Indeed, believers are only too painfully aware of their own failures, and aware that they are always under scrutiny by the Word of God concerning their own failings. No one knows that more surely than the believer.
So then why do believers “throw the Bible” at others?
Well it’s not for the reasons they think. The truth is that it is love toward the sinner, it is a holy fear and dread for their fate. Why else would the believer care?
The laws of God are meant to bring sinners under conviction, not to condemn them but to show them their need for a Savior - so that they will turn to the Savior. The believer knows only too well that if the sinner does not come to repentance, he will be lost for all eternity; there isn’t a believer alive who doesn’t grieve over lost souls, remembering only too well the lost state he himself was in before he received the salvation of God.
And so, the believer quotes the Scriptures in order to show the sinner his lost state. Has not the believer himself fallen to his knees in heartfelt thanksgiving to the God who brought him/her under such horrendous conviction - conviction that caused him to see his helpless and hopeless state, thereby urging him to turn to God for salvation and restoration?
Knowing the fate of the unsaved is so grievous to the believer that he will labor in prayer that the sinner might find redemption.
vs 19:
“My little children, for whom I labor in birth again
until Christ is formed in you…”
The Word of God has much to say about hell, and far be it for the believer not to labor in prayer so that souls not be lost. Eternity is a long time to spend in regret. And so the believer reaches out to the lost with the Word of God, hoping that sinners will come under conviction of sin and turn to God for salvation JUST AS has been the experience when the believer himself came under conviction for his own sins and turned to God for salvation.
So to call a believer the names they are called is totally missing the point as the believer labors in love for the lost so that as many as possible might be saved.
Friends, this is not hatred, nor is it any kind of phobia, this is the highest form of love, the love of God, God’s agape love with which the believer SO hopes to help the sinner along towards repentance and salvation, that he/she too might spend eternity in the glorious place that God has prepared for those who love him.
Lady P,
Thank you for expressing your heart so candidly. Scripture does call us to speak truth, and Paul’s question in Galatians 4:16 reminds us that truth can feel confrontational. Yet the same Scriptures also tell us how that truth must be carried: “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15), remembering that apart from grace, we too were lost (Titus 3:3-5).
Quoting Scripture is not hate speech. But how, when, and why we quote it matters deeply. Jesus never compromised truth, yet He was described as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Our role is witness, not prosecutor; invitation, not coercion.
You ask why believers care enough to speak. Love is indeed the motive at its best. But love also listens, weeps, and builds relationships. Truth detached from humility can wound; truth delivered through Christlike compassion can heal.
Perhaps the deeper question is not whether Scripture offends, but whether our tone reflects the heart of the Savior we proclaim. When people encounter us, do they sense both holiness and hope?
That balance is where the gospel shines most clearly.
Blessings,
Ze Selassie
This is a thoughtful reminder that speaking God’s truth is meant to guide, not condemn. It’s a call to remember that conviction comes from love and concern for others’ souls, not from pride or judgment. Sharing Scripture in this spirit reflects genuine care and obedience to God’s heart for the lost.