Does God Hate Sinners?

by John McGlone

Often when interacting with sinners and saints alike during ministry, a major confusion the world has about God comes to light.  They believe God’s emotions toward humanity are love only.  He can’t hate anything or anyone, they will proclaim these ideas with great zeal.

A simple examination of Scriptures reveals that the God of the Bible does in fact have a holy hatred of everything that is sinful and everyone living therein.  People are blinded by their own lusts for sin and for the teachings and traditions which false teachers have created for them to consume.  However, it is not just the false teachers fault, as the sin loving sinner desires to have their ears tickled versus their hearts and minds convicted of sin that they may turn from it.  When I was converted some twenty years ago now, I often wondered at the seeming contradiction that God is love, yet He will throw most people into eternal fire and torment forever.  How could both of these concepts be cogent and true at the same time?  How could Jesus judge and then knowingly torment my family and friends with everlasting pain and fire  IF He is so loving?  What about our love toward Him and the rest of humanity?

1 John 4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

God’s Love:

Neh_1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

Psa_145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

Eph_5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

1 Jn_5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Rev_3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Often when interacting with sinners and saints alike during ministry, a major confusion the world has about God comes to light.  They believe God’s emotions toward humanity are love only.  He can’t hate anything or anyone, they will proclaim these ideas with great zeal.  -John McGlone

God’s Hatred:

2 Ch_19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

Psa 5:4-6 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

Psa 11:5-6 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Pro 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Joh 3:18-21 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Our Proper Love Response to God:

Psa_97:10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Mic_6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Luk_10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Since God is love and yet He obviously demonstrates hatred, we must come to the conclusion that Jesus is both loving and hateful at the same time. God’s love and hatred are a both/and characteristic not an either/or.  Ironically, God uses these very things to winnow out partial lukewarm believers also known as hypocrites.   Do you ‘believe’ every doctrine that God teaches from every verse of His Holy Word?

Many ‘Christians’ in our day will say, “But, if God hates sinners then we are all condemned because we are all sinners!”  Well as we have seen in other areas of God’s Word that He doesn’t even listen to sinners!  When I realized this some years ago it was a light breaking forth in my mind and heart about how Holy God really is.  You can read that teaching here:  DOES GOD HEAR SINNERS?  True believers are called saints in the Bible.  Almost every Epistle starts with the terms; saints in Ephesus, saints in Rome, etc.  May the Lord show you that being sanctified and holy are the characteristics of the saints that will return with Jesus.

Jud 1:14-15 …., saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

What should we then conclude?  Firstly, we should not try and change God’s characteristics to make Him seem to be more loving, tolerant, or accepted by or for the carnal mind.  Secondly, to compromise His character is to bring into question whole sections of Scripture which describe him and how He will deal with humanity forever. Thirdly, we must realize if we do so that we create a new god, with a new gospel that will never bring about true reconciliation and peace between God and mankind.

The World’s Hatred of God and Us

From the beginning of the fall of mankind, we have hated and disobeyed our Creator.  If we loved Him we would simply obey all of His directions for our lives because it is honorable to do so, and beneficial to our lives spiritually and naturally.
Here are examples of mankind’s hatred for God:

Joh 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

1 Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Luk_16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Luk_6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Mat_10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Mat_24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Mar_13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Luk_19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

Luk_21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

Joh_15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

If the faith that you live doesn’t produce the fruit of the world hating you, what are you doing wrong?  How are you more loving or kind than Jesus that the world will think you are nicer than God?

These outlined points have always been major problems in the people’s understanding of the True and Living God of the Bible.  This isn’t a new phenomena that recently came upon America the last few hundred years, there is nothing new under the sun.