Does God hate the sinner or love the sinner?

I just read a tract that said we have heard a lie that God loves the sinner but hates the sin, but it said the scriptures says that God hates the sinner and the wicked. I also heard Paul Washer say the same thing. So the love that it says in the Bible, what is it exactly?

To: Bible4Life

The believer, who is born again, is one who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He came to this earth as a sacrifice, as a sinless substitute, to shed His blood and die on the cross in our place and take on our sin, as well as the sin of all humanity, from the beginning of time to the end of time, and that He rose from the dead in a body of flesh and bone, in a glorified body, on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of the father, making intercession for us.

If we are saved, we believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins, and our sin is not counted against us.

What the problem is, at least it was mine in the beginning, each day we all sin by thought or deed after we are saved. I used to go to Church, and come forward each week, to say the sinners prayer again, because I had sinned during the past week.

I finally figured it out. The Bible tells us in Amos 3: 3"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Then I found 1 John 1:8-10
8.If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

However, since we still have these bodies of flesh and blood, we will continue to sin, by thought and deed. However, our sins are already forgiven because of Christ's work on the cross, so we will not end up in hell. But when we sin, we must pray for forgiveness, and we are told in 1 John 1:9 that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" .

That is how we are walk to with Him, in total submission to His will.

We will not be like Him until the rapture, until we get our glorified bodies, resurrected bodies, just like His. Now, we look through a glass darkly, but then, at the rapture, we will see Him face to face, and we will be like Him. (1 Cor 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.)

1 Cor. 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Once we are saved, we start our lifetime walk with Jesus Christ as our Lord. We are no longer in control of our life. We have opened the door, and asked Him into hearts, and stepped down from the throne that we used to sit on (in our hearts), and have given it to Jesus Christ, and we have taken His cross, and are impailed upon it.

That is the Christian walk. We are forgiven. Eventhough we continue with our sin nature, and sin by thought or deed. Christ took all of our sin upon Himself at the tree.

At the first tree, the first man, the "first" Adam sinned, and humanity inherited his sin nature. At the last tree, Jesus Christ, God Almighty, the "Last" Adam was crucified and became sin for all of those that believe on him.

John 6:28-29 tells us about the WORK we are supposed to do to become saved:

28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Sincerely,

Walter

bible4life wrote:
I just read a tract that said we have heard a lie that God loves the sinner but hates the sin, but it said the scriptures says that God hates the sinner and the wicked. I also heard Paul Washer say the same thing. So the love that it says in the Bible, what is it exactly?

So Gods love to us is that he sent his son to die and that he has gave us life and keeps us living. But he does not love us while we our sinners, he actually hates us because of our works, does that make sense.

So does he hate sinners or just their works? What does brother paul washer mean then? If we our not saved then we our known as the wicked and the sinners and god haters our we not, so explain in what sense does God love us and hates us? His love must be different than our love.

bible4life wrote:
So does he hate sinners or just their works? What does brother paul washer mean then? If we our not saved then we our known as the wicked and the sinners and god haters our we not, so explain in what sense does God love us and hates us?

God's love and hate is not divided between sinners and non-sinners, for there simply are none of the latter. God's love is divided between those who are His people (elect) and those who are not (non-elect).

I wrote this on the topic, and hope it will answer your questions.
http://www.theinvisiblechurch.ca/edify/What_is_Love.html

bible4life wrote:
His love must be different than our love.

Great statement! Yet we must be congnizant of the fact that love as defined in the Bible is only of one kind. The problem lies in humanity's faulty definitions of it.

Old Joe

**edited for clarity**

Thus, if God does indeed feel some semblance of "hate" for a person -- it is not an Earthly type of hate or a Calvinistic sense where we try to equate it with those who are not "predestined." God's love is for ALL mankind. "For God so loved the world..."

Chris, it may be a bit much for you to make such bold statements considering "Calvinists" (of which I am not one) can not offer a Biblical reply due to the new forum rules :/

There is no greater example of being full of the Holy Ghost than this. This is the apex of Spirituality. Any other approach or attitude to sinners is akin to the Pharisees that took the woman taken in adultery. It is the heart of the Pharisee that wants to tell a sinner that God hates them. It is the heart of a Pharisee that wants to expose a sinner for public shame and humiliation. It is the heart of a Pharisee that desires that sinners be punished with lashings and groanings and weepings, etc

Robert, I do not wish to contradict anything you have written, but do hope to balance it out though. (Much like when we were talking about repentance preaching brother) Given our apostate church age marked primarily by cheap grace and a false love gospel, one could easilly walk away from your comments believing that those preaching Gods wrath, judgment, and hatred are all pharisees or loveless. Since this young generation of believers have a greater influece of the emergent and seeker sensitive movements then they do the revivalists, or the whole council of the word of God for that matter, it would be very easy for a young person to walk away strengthened in a lie, which I do not believe anyone here wants. You said it is the heart of a pharisee that wants to tell a sinner that God hates them. I do not believe you meant that as an absolute statement, but in context it could be read that way. What I mean is that I have heard Ravenhill, Washer, Edwards, etc all tell sinners that God hates them. That does not make them pharisees, as I believe them all men of prayer and tears. Again, I don't think you meant that but it could read that way.

Anyway, the sterotype you portray is definately true of some, just look at most of our campus street preachers, but the brothers I personally know preaching these things are the most prayerful and tearful that I have met. I remember hearing of Jonathon Edwards daughter upon being confronted with her dads "lovelessness" in the pulpit replying "if you heard him weeping at home like I do you wouldn't say such things". (paraphrased).

With that, I wanted to post something by Edwards. Since this is taken from a revival sermon on this website I felt it ok to post. This was one of the most effectual sermons preached during the height of the great awakening, Sinners in the hands of an angry God. For those who have never done so, you should read this sermon along with the "Justice of God in the damnation of sinners" which was the most visibly powerful preached durring the awakening. These sermons have been used by God to bear more fruit then we have seen combined here in our generation, they are also far more Biblical. They can be found under the text sermons on the main page. If you want to see the type of preaching God used to bring about that great revival these are a great palce to start, then from there read the The Excellency of Christ. I wish every church member in North America would do this.

Edwards, sinners...

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment.

Does God hate sinners - YES.
Does God love sinners - YES.