But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
The book of Revelation contains a series of letters from Jesus to seven specific churches in Asia Minor — the region of modern-day Turkey — written around AD 95. This verse is part of the letter to the church in Ephesus, a congregation that was doing many things right but had grown cold in its love for God. The Nicolaitans were a group within early Christianity whose exact teachings are still debated by historians, but they appear to have promoted sexual immorality and participation in pagan idol worship as acceptable for Christians. Jesus commends the Ephesian church not for avoiding conflict, but for actively opposing this harmful teaching. Discernment, it turns out, is something God explicitly values and praises.
Lord, give me the courage to care about truth — not as a weapon, but as a protection. Help me to love people generously while still holding onto discernment. Show me where I've been careless about what I've let shape my beliefs, and give me wisdom to know the difference between a person and the ideas they carry. Amen.
We live in a culture that has made tolerance nearly synonymous with virtue. Question someone's beliefs or practices and you risk being called judgmental — even in the church, where "don't judge" has quietly become the eleventh commandment. But here is Jesus, in a real letter to a real community, saying: I'm glad you hate this. Not dislike. Not politely disagree with. Hate. And what's being hated isn't a group of people — it's a set of practices and teachings that were pulling people away from truth and into real harm. That distinction is worth sitting with. Discernment isn't the same as suspicion, and hating harmful ideas isn't the same as hating people. This verse invites you to take seriously the things you let shape your beliefs — the voices you follow, the ideas you absorb, the communities you give authority over your spiritual life. Not everything that calls itself Christian leads somewhere good. Asking hard questions about the ideas forming you isn't unloving. Sometimes it's exactly what love looks like — for yourself and for the people around you who might follow where you lead.
What do we know about the Nicolaitans, and why would Jesus specifically commend a church for opposing their practices rather than simply tolerating them in the name of unity?
Where do you find it hardest to exercise discernment — in your media consumption, your friendships, your church community, or somewhere else entirely?
Is there a meaningful difference between hating harmful practices or ideas and hating people? Where does that line get blurry in real life?
How do you think your community would respond if you raised honest concerns about a popular teacher or widely accepted idea that felt spiritually off to you?
What is one source of spiritual input in your life — a podcast, book, online community, or social media account — that you've never seriously evaluated for its theological integrity?
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Revelation 2:2
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
2 Timothy 3:8
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Psalms 139:21
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2 John 1:10
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:9
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Galatians 1:7
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Hebrews 1:9
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Revelation 2:14
Yet you have this [to your credit], that you hate the works and corrupt teachings of the Nicolaitans [that mislead and delude the people], which I also hate.
AMP
Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
ESV
'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
NASB
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
NIV
But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
NKJV
But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
NLT
"You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too.
MSG