Does God Hate Sinners?

[WannaWitness]

Having a loving concern for those dying in sin is not the same as condoning what the sinner does. In order to be able to pray for them to get right with the Lord, we have to be able to at least love their souls, and have that concern for them (as God did by sending His only Son to die) -- otherwise, our prayers would be in vain. And if God didn't love the sinners (while still hating their sinful ways), why would He have sent His Son in the first place?

 

[jonathonbyrd]

Your right, when you say that he first loved us and that's why it's true love. Because even in His hate, He loved us. I agree that He loves all people, but I also agree that He hates us when we sin.

To accept that God hates the sinner is to accept that He hates me when I sin. I feel the Holy spirit draw away from me when I knowingly sin against Him.

And that's why it's true Love from God, that He loved us first and had to humble himself to even think about loving a creature as vial as man.

 

[Christos Anesti]

We can all sit around and justify ourselves in our wicked ways

I'm not sure how I did that? Why did Christ die for people He hated in your view? If it's ungoldy (ie something God does not do) to love your enemies why did Christ ask us to do it?

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Christ's example of cleansing the inside of greed and the outside of hypocracy was never compromised but was His example of tough love to those who needed love, while compassoin was given to those needing saving more than cleansing. All are savable but Jesus had an agenda that He followed that showed God's love in it's fullness.

 

[jonathonbyrd]

I think that you're all getting confused here. You're thinking, "I'm a sinner, God loves me! So how can God hate sinners?"

Realize something, the Bible is consistent from the beginning to the end. If you seek to please God, then he does not consider you a sinner. BUT if you reject the gift of his grace that he's laid out before the world, then he will consider you wicked and he hates the wicked.

The bible is consistent in that it shows us how God deals with the wicked and how He deals with the righteous.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

^Agree, but (yesbut the ideas behind the writings are to see the spiritual.
If you don't see the spirit behind the actions because your just focused on hating
the person then your still being worldly.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

God paints His light on the black backdrop so that we can focus on the light.
Most people just see the black and don't look for how it reflects light to them.

 

[jonathonbyrd]

When god tell's us that we cannot hate our brothers, He's talking about our brothers in Christ, our true family.

He tells us that we need to serve and take care of our neighbors, but he never says that we CANNOT show anger towards a sinner.

To be worldly is to be ignorant to the Truth.