Does God love or hate unbelievers?

[sh284]

There seem to be contradictions about this in the bible. In the old testament it says things like God hates the wicked and workers of iniquity, but yet in the new testament it says that God loved the new believer even while he was a sinner and an enemy of God. I've also heard some christians say that believers should hate unbelievers. I saw this on the website biblelife.org. It says that loving an evil person is an offense to God and that a true child of God will hate evil people. It also says that Jesus hated the Pharisees. Is this true? As someone who is seeking, this is quite confusing.

 

[dead2self]

It's a confusing issue.

First off, yes, God does hate sinners. As you point out, it is stated quite clearly in the OT. Second of all, yes, God loves sinners, He sent His Son to die for them while they were still enemies.

I would suggest this solution. There is a doctrine, which believe and is backed up fully by scripture, called the doctrine of election. God elected those He would save before He even created the earth. The names of every person who will ever be saved have been written in the book of life since before the earth was formed. If you look at our apparent contradiction in this light I think you can begin to see the solution. God hates sin, and also hates sinners. But there are those sinners whom God has elected and will call. Those He loves and sent Jesus to redeem. Now I know this is a ery hard thing to accept. It goes against our notions of fairness, but it is Biblical.

As for belivers hating unbelievers, that is not true. Many times we are commanded to love them, show mercy, give them aid etc. We most certainly are to hate sin, but we are to pray for and try to do good for our enemies.

As for Jesus hating the pharisees, well Jesus is God, and knew that they were not elected by His father. We simply do not have the knowlege or the righteousness to hate others. We do not know who God will call and we ourselves are sinful by nature.

I hope this helps. God bless.

 

[chilehed]

There seem to be contradictions about this in the bible. In the old testament it says things like God hates the wicked and workers of iniquity, but yet in the new testament it says that God loved the new believer even while he was a sinner and an enemy of God. I've also heard some christians say that believers should hate unbelievers. I saw this on the website biblelife.org. It says that loving an evil person is an offense to God and that a true child of God will hate evil people. It also says that Jesus hated the Pharisees. Is this true? As someone who is seeking, this is quite confusing.

Remember, God does not change, he's completely timeless which means that he doesn't have feelings in the same way that you and I do. He's so different from us that when talking about him it's often necessary to engage in anthropomorphization. It's also important to remember that there are a number of different literary forms in which the biblical texts were written.

God loves the sinner, and hates the sin. Because he loves the sinner, he hates the sin.

 

[12voltman]

There seem to be contradictions about this in the bible. In the old testament it says things like God hates the wicked and workers of iniquity, but yet in the new testament it says that God loved the new believer even while he was a sinner and an enemy of God. I've also heard some christians say that believers should hate unbelievers. I saw this on the website biblelife.org. It says that loving an evil person is an offense to God and that a true child of God will hate evil people. It also says that Jesus hated the Pharisees. Is this true? As someone who is seeking, this is quite confusing.

1) It would be helpful to show which verses you're talking about because the Bible does say that God "hates" but it uses that word in several different contexts.

Without knowing which verse or what context, I'll just say that typically, when the Bible says that God hates someone, it isn't referring to the human emotion of hatred that Jesus condemned in the Gospels, but simply a way of saying that that person or people has made themself an enemy of God and His judgement rests upon them.

It's unfortunate that Christians told you that we should hate unbelievers because nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus tells us that hatred is such a serious sin that God considers it to be the same as murder.

2)Jesus didn't hate the Pharisees. In fact, even though He rebuked them when they did wrong, He also praised them for many things they did.

 

[childofGod31]

In order to answer the question, I must mention other things as well:

The theory of election is only believed by some Christians. Other Christians (including me) believe that the Bible teaches that men are able to make the choice either for God or against God of their own free will.

God lives outside of time. From his perspective, everything already happened. He knows which people will choose him and which will not. God elects to give salvation to those people who accepted God. (and God knows in advance who they are, 1 Peter 1:1-2)

Since God knows which people will accept Him, and which will not (in advance), He hates those who will not accept Him. And He loves those who will accept Him (even while they are still sinners and didn’t come to know God yet (in our time).

The Bible teaches that those who choose God, love the light, love the truth, and love righteousness. But those who reject God, love darkness.
Gospel of John 3:19-21, 2nd Thessalonians 2:10,

God is holy, righteous and good. He can't stand wickedness. So God loves those people who will choose Him (and will choose righteousness).
There are some verses that say that God hates wicked men. Like I said before, I believe it refers to those who will never choose God (and therefore, ARE wicked). And we know that God will punish the wicked ones. God is light and goodness. It’s not that He is good, it’s more like that He is the goodness itself. So those who don’t choose Him, don’t choose goodness. Those who reject him, they accept wickedness, the opposite of God, the evil, the darkness.

There is also a verse in the new testament: don’t become friends with the world, separate yourselves, if you become friends with the world then you become enemies with God. James 4:4
But it’s because the world is under the control of the evil one. And when God says: friends with the world, He means – don’t do things they do, don’t act like them, don’t identify with them, be totally different from them. Because they are acting like their father, the Evil one. But Christians should act like their Father, the Righteous one.

1st epistle of John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world.

So don’t be friends with the world – doesn’t mean HATE the people in the world. It only means don’t identify with them.
Because the Bible also teaches to “love your enemies”, “turn the other cheek”, love those who persecute you and make trouble for you.

So in our actions, we should be different from the world, and thus not become friends with it. Perhaps even in the old testament when it said: I hate the wicked one (referring to the person (not God) who said it), they probably meant: I hate what they are doing, I won’t ever approve of that, I would rebuke them if I saw them, I would not identify with them.

But, regardless, the fact is that the new testament rules are a little bit different. And it teaches us to love our enemies (not the hate them).

But why? If God can hate the wicked and will punish them, why does He teach us NOT to?

Because God’s hate or anger is still righteous and his judgments are perfect and righteous. On the other hand, man’s anger is NOT righteous.

Man cannot handle negative emotions like hatred and anger and still be righteous.
JAM 1:20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
EPH 4:30-31 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

The Holy Spirit cannot be pleased when a man becomes hateful or angry. So how can we hate unbelievers? Besides, we can never know which unbelievers will eventually turn to God, and therefore, WERE God’s chosen ones? So how can we hate anybody, even because of this reason?

When men experience negative emotions, it's an invitation for the dark side to come into their souls and to do their work. Because your soul becomes darkened, cruel and bitter, and hard, it feeds on the dark side.

When people are quarelling with each other, Paul said: don't you know? It's Satan working in your midst. You should recognize his work. Whereever there is no love, peace, righteousness, compassion, kindness, - it's Satan's work.
All the good things come from above. James 1:17, 3:14-17, 4:2-7 2nd Timothy 2:24, 1st Corinthians 6:7
All the evil things come from Satan.

So, we should NOT hate anybody. Instead, we should love our enemies.

God wants everybody to be saved, but first they have to repent from their evil deeds and choose God and the truth, and goodness. But men who love wickedness don't want to do that. And they never choose God. And so they are disgusting for Him.

EZE 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
2PE 3:9 The Lord is ..patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.


But if they don’t repent, don’t turn away from the evil, then
DEU 32:41 when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.

 

[theseed]

Agape is the greek word used to describe God's love, which is more of an action than a feeling. There is a such thing has rightous anger, but the bible repeatedly warns us against being angery. God hates sin the way we hate injustice. When a child is abused or an old lady is robbed. The difference is what we think is right, God sees as wrong and evil because he is Holy and rightous.

 

[Emmy]

Dear sh284. It always makes me sad, when I hear Christians talk about hate. Hate should never be a word in a Christian`s dictionary. God abhors sin, and God is Love. Love and Hate are absolute opposites, and God loves us. We are made in God`s image, there is nothing like Man in this Universe. Jesus died, that we might live, He reconciled us to God. Jesus also taught us to love. 1) Love God with hearts, souls, and minds. 2) Love each other as we love ourselves, with a love absolutely selflless, and with no strings attached. Love is the Key to God`s Kingdom, and Jesus has promised to help and guide us. He is the Way. Hate belongs to Satan, he does not know love, he only destroys. I say this with humility and love, sh284, and send greetings. Emmy, sister in Christ. P.S. The Bible is God`s Word to Man, and hate is a wrong translation to use in connection with God`s Love and Holiness. Iniquity and Sin are abhorrent to God.

 

[Sketcher]

I would say both, which illustrates how much of a God of grace He is. The Bible says He hates certain kinds of behavior, and the people who do them. It also says that out of His great love, He gives them chances to repent, and when they do, He forgives them. Do they deserve those chances? Absolutely not. It's not as if they worked their way out of the hole they put themselves in. Forgiveness doesn't work like, "OK, you confessed and renounced your sin. But now you've got to do enough good works to balance out the scales. Good luck." No, when God forgives, He does it then and there, and He does it completely. This is a loving act which no one deserves.

And that's just what you can get from the Old Testament. In the New Testament, this is really kicked into overdrive. The truth stays the same, but the stakes are higher because we see Jesus on the cross and what He saved us from.

 

[CindyisHis]

Subscribing. I don't want to lose this thread. This is a critical question for you and my computer time is up.

Bottom line -

He loves you.

 

[Bryan519]

I was just having this discussion on a different forum and really hadn't realized it was such a point of debate. I'm no theologist, but I paid attention in Sunday school and read the Bible a couple of times. It seems to me that those scriptures are easily taken out of context. If you look at the Bible as a whole, I see the Old testament as a time of the old covenant, when God judged the wicked and doled out the appropriate punishment, up until the time that he sent His son to die on the cross for our sins, at which time He is now able to look at us through a different light, through the blood of Jesus.

Are any of us without sin? If not, does that mean God hates us all?

I don't know, but I'm looking forward to more discussion on this topic.

 

[Jayangel81]

I think it's quite obvious God hates atheists. He even created a place for us after death where we will be burned and tortured forever without end. Doesn't sound like he has anything other than hate for us? Otherwise why would he invent such a place at all?

Thing is you dont have to go. You choose to go. You talk about God's hate for aethiests but what about their hate for God? funny how the table turns Our sins are a hatred for God. Hell was never even created for us to begin with, did you know that? It was created for Satan and the fall of angels that he took with him. Id also like to add that His Son, who was spotless took the cup of Gods wrath for you, so you may be saved! I call that love that not one soul on this earth can even fathom.

Even Walt Disney is still being burned and tortured down there as we speak. He was an atheist too. Imagine that eh? He did great and wonderful things for families and children and what does he get for his great works? He gets sent to hell. I don't think it's fair at all.

And what about his Sins? Seriously do you actually believe God takes pleasure in putting people in Hell? C'mon thats a lie from the devil.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?

You know what a persons problem is they dont even comprehend the meaning of romans 3:23 :
For ALL have sinned.and have fallen short of the glory of God.

My question to you is why cant people repent? why are people so wrapped up in their own self-gratification? Why do people only think about themselves. People forget why we are here. They missed it completly.

God is still keeping everyone guessing if hell exists or not.

He made it clear there was a Hell, people dont want to hear it.

I take that to mean God doesn't like people who choose not to believe. I don't think it can apply to those who don't believe through ingorance. I'm sure someone well versed in the Bible will put me right

Of coarse God wants us to believe, He also wants you to repent from your sins. People dont believe through ignorance, thats a bad excuse. Gods Law is written on your heart. There is no excuse. And that is why we are supposed to preach the Gospel so the World knows the truth, but what do they do? They hate us, persecute us, try to make us deny our faith or they will kill us..nice try tho my friend. Its the World who doesnt want to hear it. they are too wrapped up in their own sins.

Take care, God bless
​

 

[CindyisHis]

Every single one of us have done wrong. Everyone.

Psalm 53:1 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

This is man's state without God.

It started in the garden with Adam. Both Adam and Eve disobeyed. There's the whole garden to enjoy, and only one tree to not eat fruit from. Just one. But they believed the lie. At this point there was no transgression of sin, for there was no law to violate. Yet sin reigned from Adam to Moses.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Though Adam and Eve blew it in disobeying the One who had given them so much, God had a plan from the get-go of redemption. First He clothed them.

Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Most likely it was a skin from a lamb, indicative of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world, Rev. 13:8. But we don't know for sure what animal it was b/c it doesn't say here.

Then the Lord spoke to one who had deceived them, and if you notice, He foretells a peculiar thing.

Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent:
“ Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

This is speaking of One who would come and utterly annihilate this serpent - Jesus. God already had the plan in motion. God already, though He owed man nothing, had a way of redeeming him back to Himself. And the price was high.

Philippians 2:5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

The cross was the cruelest form of execution of the day. It was long and grueling designed to hold death at bay as long as possible while inflicting the most pain. Now we see here this Jesus, equal to God, who left heaven to come here. That alone is a sacrifice. We can only barely comprehend that by comparing it to living in the highest luxury and moving to the dirtiest, poorest, poverty stricken area of the world. And that doesn't even come close. Yet His sacrifice did not end there. It was far, far more than a physical one.

He was deserted of all who were closest to Him.

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

There are still many who do not esteem Him, having no clue as to price He paid for them.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.


Better pause here and meditate on this. Think about the blows He took. It was I who deserved those blows. It was each and every one of us who deserved them for we have all violated God's law.


Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all.


He could have chosen to go through with it. He could have backed off for the price was so great, but He didn't.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

God, rich in mercy, sent Jesus and laid the guilt of us all on Him.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

You are His will and His pleasure. It is His will for you to be justified through His offering of Himself for your sin. You are the fruit of His travail.

Isaiah 53:11 He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord].

Romans 5:6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.


1 Timothy 2:4 [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

He did not pay so great a price to leave even one out. His desire is for all to come to Him.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

God is not wanting to send anyone to hell. That is absurd in light of what Jesus has done. How unjust that would be! Jesus bears our sin, actually becoming sin for us and then God say "no" to one? No! All who come to Him receive life. He turns none away.

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

If you love light, love, and goodness, then come.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come " And let the one who hears say, "Come " And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

 

[Bryan519]

I agree with everything you just said Cindy, but back to the question...does God hate the sinner? If so, does it make sense that He would sacrifice the life of His son for people He hates?

 

[CindyisHis]

That may be answered here if anyone is still unsure.
http://christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=43647428&postcount=1

 

[Reformationist]

There seem to be contradictions about this in the bible. In the old testament it says things like God hates the wicked and workers of iniquity, but yet in the new testament it says that God loved the new believer even while he was a sinner and an enemy of God. I've also heard some christians say that believers should hate unbelievers. I saw this on the website biblelife.org. It says that loving an evil person is an offense to God and that a true child of God will hate evil people. It also says that Jesus hated the Pharisees. Is this true? As someone who is seeking, this is quite confusing.

The first, and most important, aspect of understanding this potentially difficult and seemingly contradictory biblical truth is that none are deserving of anything but the wrath of God. Unless one starts from the understanding that man has rightfully earned his place as the enemy of God, of his own volition, an understanding of the measure of grace in Christ's sacrifice cannot be fully ascertained.

Likewise, it is a misnomer, and a pointless strawman, to pit the biblical truth of election, a precept in some form or another to which anyone claiming to be Christian must adhere, against that of "freely choosing," or as it is more commonly known by it's overused and biblically inaccurate nomenclature, "free will." Election is not at odds with man's inherent volition. On the contrary, it stems from the very understanding that man cannot choose God in his unregenerate state primarily because he views God as the enemy while in that state:

Romans 8:7
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

In short, unregenerate man cannot choose God because he will not.

Additionally, it must be understood that biblical hate, and biblical love for that matter, rarely, if ever, refer to the emotional platitudes that we often use the words to mean. In the Bible, "hate" and "love," at least when referring to God's dealings with man and man's dealings with his fellow man refer to doing that for the object of your actions that which they most need to be conformed to the image of Christ. For instance:

Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

As I intimated, "hate" and "love" are action words in the Bible, not references to emotion. In this verse from Proverbs, we see that parents who fail to discipline their children such that they be sanctified and brought to repentence are actually failing to give them that which they most need to be conformed to the image of Christ, i.e., they hate them. Conversely, those who are diligent in disciplining their child when needed are teaching them many valuable and godly traits and, in doing so, conforming them to the image of Christ, i.e., loving them.

Let's look at another verse:

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

The prefatory passages leading to this proclamation refer to God's act of merciful benevolence toward one and not the other. And, to stave off the expected claims that God's choice to be merciful and gracious to the one and not the other is based on what they did, a completely anti-biblical proposition that has found its way into many of the responses in your thread, Paul, the teacher par excellance, explicitly states the contrary:

Romans 9:10,11
And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls

The standard objection to this clear passage is made by inserting the word "yet" into its context which, while uncalled for on its own merits, makes a mockery of the passage. I'll show you what I mean:

Romans 9:10,11 (my revision)
And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad YET—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

You see, this erroneous contention is made on the grounds that God's knowledge of all things is not bound by a linear passage of time. Therefore, if God knew that Jacob was going to choose Him of his own free will, then it makes perfect sense that God would choose to bestow His love upon Jacob. The problem facing such a view is that it nullifies the very point being made in the passage. You see, according to Jewish custom during that time, the eldest son would basically inherit the lion's share of all things and be the head of the household. God purposely chosed to grace Jacob with a new heart that sought after God's pleasure and, in doing so, revealed His will in an undeniable way. Contrary to Jewish custom, God chose Jacob, the younger son, and He did so before either Jacob or Esau had done anything, good or bad, that would serve in the eyes of man as a justification for his election. If God had considered the works and deeds of Jacob and Esau and used that as the basis of election, which is what many here are contending, we would be, once again, resigned to a works based covenant. This would be to the utter downfall of all mankind, just as it was in the time of the first Adam. Adam merited for himself and all of his progeny, i.e., mankind, the wrath and enmity of God for his failure to comply, and that was a man that had no inherent sin nature. It would be pointless to claim that Jacob was chosen because he chose God being that the minute he sinned he would lose his place with God on the basis of a sinful choice. And, as I said, God's purpose of election is not man's prideful notion that he was chosen by God because of anything to do with his ridiculous free will.

While man is a volitional creature and acts according to his desires, he is, in truth, a slave to his desires. He is anything but free. Remember this first and foremost:

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We must be set free, and until the Lord does so, we are slaves to sin. Sadly, we are willing slaves to sin, seeking only that which matters to our sinful nature. The Bible is clear on this. Man does not seek God until and unless God gives him a new heart, a heart that has been given an abiding love for God and the Law.

So, the answer to your question is that God loves, and has always loved, those whom He elected unto salvation, these same whom He will call unto a rebirth and ultimately glorify in Heaven. Those from whom He has chosen to withhold this measure of grace are the recipients of justice, though they too have enjoyed mercy at the hands of God.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

God bless

 

[DerSchweik]

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[sh284]

Is it possible that God loves and hates the unbeliever in his perfect holiness

 

[JCFantasy23]

I believe God loves all and wants us all to be saved, and grieves when we are not. He hates sin but not the sinner.

 

[soul_on_fire]

maybe he hates the sin inside the sinner but loves the sinner himself?
i don't see why he would hate unbeleivers though, they're all the children of god.

 

[CindyisHis]

maybe he hates the sin inside the sinner but loves the sinner himself?
i don't see why he would hate unbeleivers though, they're all the children of god.

I'm not sure about all being the children of God. Jesus made an interesting statement when talking to the religious leaders, the Pharisees, 'You are of your father, the devil." I think one must be born again, born of the incorruptible seed that is spoken of by Peter in one his epistles. Then he is born of God.