God's hatred

Everyone, believer and non-believer alike, hear the phrase "God is love." They mistakenly believe that God is only love and this love is just an emotion that God has for His creation. But what about hate? Does God hate? He most certainly does. His hatred does not diminish His love, rather it magnifies it to those who are recipients of His special redemptive love - namely God's elect.

I often hear it asserted that God loves every last person without exception who was ever born and who will ever be born including those in hell and Satan himself. The default verse to "prove" such naivety would be John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

At first glance, and taken in isolation, this seems to be a proclamation of God's universal love for every last person. Everyone "gets a chance" is the pseudo-protestant's mantra. As if it is required of God to give His enemies "a chance." But we must remember, as in all other Biblical studies the context of the author's words. Would we do the same with Shakespeare or the newspaper? No, we don’t. Then why do Christians do so with the Bible? For example, what does the words "love," and "world" mean? What is the author actually communicating rather than what we think he should be communicating. I said recently, “The whole world watches the World Cup.” And every person in the room understood what I meant by “world.” At this point I am reminded of the futility of "blogging" on deep theological issues unless you devote a full time effort doing so. So I'll leave you to your studies.

John 3:16 teaches that the one that "believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." No where, implicit or otherwise, does it teach all (every last person in heaven and hell) want, will, should, or even could believe in him. It is simply a statement about the one's that actually DO believe in him and the benefit(s) received. So, like good, faithful Disciples of Christ, we should compare scripture with scripture. Going to direct teachings/doctrines that are implicitly or explicitly referring to the subject at hand. In this case God's love for His elect. I won't go into that here right now. I just want to emphasize that shooting off a verse about God's love and declaring God to be only love is a gross disservice to God's word and carelessly dangerous if you are a teacher of it.

If it can be shown that God hates even one person at any time, this alone is enough to reject the idea of the post-modern, cotton-candy, fluffy, Jesus-buddy god of vain imaginations.

The scripture I cited below are there for study and instruction. For reference. For edification.

Does God love every last person from Adam to the last in heaven and hell? Let us “rightly handle the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

[from the KJV]

Leviticus 20:23 - And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

Leviticus 26:30 - And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

Deuteronomy 32:19 - And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

Psalm 5:5 - The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Psalm 5:6 - Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

Psalm 10:3 - For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

Psalm 11:5 - The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Psalm 53:5 - There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

Psalm 73:20 - As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Psalm 78:59 - When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

Psalm 106:40 - Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

Proverbs 6:16-19 - These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverbs 22:14 - The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

Lamentations 2:6 - And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

Hosea 9:15 - All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.

Zechariah 11:8 - Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Malachi 1:3 - And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Romans 9:13 - As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

This is by no means in exhaustive list. If you want that, try reading every other page of scripture.

To love rightly is to hate sin. Tell the rebels of the King of Kings to repent or they will perish. This is loving. This is the only loving thing to do. This is how you love your neighbor as yourself. Warn them of the impending danger! I can see it now. A man walking down the middle of the highway, his back to oncoming traffic, and Billy G. Christian says, “Hello there sir, God has a wonderful plan for your life!” “Would you like to begin a relationship of Jesus Christ today?” Don’t like that analogy, well I’ll give you my favorite. Picture Noah’s ark floating atop the flood of the entire earth. Thousands everywhere, man, woman, child, and infant drowning in the sea screaming out for salvation. Along side Noah’s great ark is a banner, “Smile! Jesus loves you he has a wonderful plan for your life!”

To tell a sinner that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, all without the necessity of repenting, without true conviction of sin, without disclosing the full counsel of God, is to lie. It is to do your part in condemning one to hell.