"God hates the sinner"

[TheGloryLand]

1 minute ago, BrotherTony said:

You're going by the title of the post. Did you even read the OP?

I’ll have to read it again slowly, what I understood was that the pastor said Jesus hated sinners, then the post said, that he didn’t hate the sinners. I’ll will need to start over. Thanks 

[SureWord]

I think God's love for sinners goes as far as the cross and no more. The bible says his wrath abides upon the children of the devil. That doesn't sound like love to me.

That being said we are still supposed to do good to all men.

[BrotherTony]

Wrath doesn't necessarily equate to lack of love....did your parents ever show wrath when you did something wrong? 

[TheGloryLand]

9 hours ago, BrotherTony said:

Wrath doesn't necessarily equate to lack of love....did your parents ever show wrath when you did something wrong? 

I think BT, the Wrath the brother mentioned has to do with death, not spankings.

[BrotherTony]

5 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

I think BT, the Wrath the brother mentioned has to do with death, not spankings.

Whether death or retribution (spanking), God still loves his creation (man) and hopes for reconciliation. Of course, with death, this isn't possible. Still, we see all throughout scripture the proof of God's long-suffering towards not only Israel, but towards individuals.

[Dr. Robert S. Morley]

Psalm 11:5 teaches that the Lord's soul hates the wicked and those who love violence. "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth" (KJV).

This is true despite 1 John 4:16 saying "God is love" and John 3:16 saying "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

So we can confidently say God is love (1 John 4:16), and He loves the world (John 3:16), but He hates the wicked (Ps. 11:5). Consequently, God's love must include having hate for those he loves and sent His son to die for.

Similarly, it's possible for humans to hate those who do evil while loving them at the same time. "Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?" (Ps. 139:21) and yet "[l]ove [my] enemies and pray for those who persecute [me]" (Matt. 5:44).

Clearly, love and hate are not always mutually exclusive, and hate can be an expression of love. For God, who is love, hates the wicked.

Edited April 22, 2023 by Dr. Robert S. Morley
Fixed text size, made minor changes, added final two paragraphs, corrected a reference number, changed "is an expression" to "can be an expression."