Interesting title, ain’t it? Well, today I would like to shed light on why many of us are walking in the cities, in the fields, on the streets, with dissatisfaction in our hearts. There are far too many who can relate to the expression of turmoil and emotional pain. And before some of you shut this website off, calling me a legalist when I say that we should be discerning the love of God, I just want to let you know there is a mystery within these words. For those who don’t know of this prince let me introduce the mystery of this great prince’s love for you.
Does God Hate Sinners of Love Them?
I saw a recent clip that has gone viral. I don’t want to get specific, but it’s from the Reformed Christian movement and basically, they talk about the misunderstandings in the Church. These preachers remind us of the common saying, “God loves the sinner but hates the sin.”
They then explain that this saying is found nowhere in the Bible. And they go further to mention not only that this is not found in the Bible but that it is a completely false understanding of God.
Why… they say that God hates the sinner and the sin. So, not only does He hate sin, He hates the sinner. They further support their points with scriptures which are found in the Bible such as the following.
Psalm 5:4-6 (World English Bible)
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
What’s implied from this point onwards is that only born-again, believing Christians are loved by God. Now, I completely understand their point but I can discern that the full beauty of the Gospel was not shown. This is not where they should have stopped in their explanation because there’s so much more.
Not only do they harp on this idea as if it’s a huge revelation. And these clips fail not in garnering views for one main reason. People don’t understand how nondiscriminatory the love of God is.
Remember Jacob and Esau?
So, let’s actually look not only at what the scriptures say but at what they mean. Let’s bring back that frequently quotes passage of scripture in support of God’s hatred of sinners.
But wait a second, before anything, let’s include a bit more context…
Psalm 5:4-6 (New King James Version)
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
When King David was being inspired by the Holy Spirit, he prayed and wrote what is there in Psalm 5. And as you read verse 7 and 8, you realize that King David makes a distinction between the sinners who God cannot stand, and sinners like him.
Note here that he is not saying that he is perfect. On the contrary, He is saying that when He goes to God’s house, He recieves a multitude of mercy. So, what’s really being said here is not that God hates sinners, rather, it’s saying that there are sinners who refuse to know God and there are sinners who decide to go to God.
We see this same princple again with the following Bible verse
Romans 9:13 (New King James Version)
13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Does Romans 9:13 say that God hate Esau because he’s a sinner? Yes. But does that then mean Jacob’s a goody two shoes? Nope.
Discerning the Love of God
Jacob was not righteous when considered by his works according to the Ten Commandments (even though it would come later). Same goes for David. But, the difference between Esau and Jacob or the difference between the wicked people David talks about and David, is the heart.
The heart of Jacob was willing to have a relationship with God. The heart of David was after God. Esau rejected God all the time, rejected His inheritance for a soup, rejected God’s plan for his marriage, etc…
And so, God who by nature hates sin, will hate those who love sin. And there are certain people who have hardened their hearts so much so that nothing can ever convince them to turn to God. Therefore, if a person commits to rejecting the love of God without any room for change, then God’s anger will remain upon that sinner.
That doesn’t mean God doesn’t love them, but it means God hates them for not turning away from what they’re doing, and He is angry with their stubbornness. This is just like how an earthly father will be angry at his son if he grows up to betray his country and becomes an international criminal. But, deep inside, the father still has a remnant of love for the son and as soon as that son changes his ways, the father’s love will appear.
Ezekiel 33:11 (New King James Version)
11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Therefore, if you feel that bad because you think God is angry at you, turn to Jesus, accept His free gift of salvation. He paid the price for your sins on the cross so now you can enter into a relationship with God.
And when you believe in Jesus, you receive His righteousness so that He will never be angry at you again as He is with a sinner. Any sinner can become righteous if they come to Jesus. So, to conclude, God loves everyone. But, everyone has to make the choice if they want to reconcile their relationship with God or remain strangers.
Romans 5:8 (New King James Version)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
To summarize, God ultimately loves the sinner but He hates the sin. God may be angry at a sinner for their actions similar to how a parent may be disappointed with their child. But, at the end of the day, He shows grace and mercy to those who trust Him.
