The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Love the Sinner Dept.

Does God love those condemned to hell?

Unless the word "hate", which is used in several passages referring to how God looks upon the reprobate, actually means "love", then it doesn't seem likely that God loves them.

What do you think?

No! “I hate them with a perfect hatred.” (Ps. 139:22)

Does God love the Sinner and hate Only His Sin? by John Gerstner

and

“Scripture nowhere says that God loves the sinner but hates his sin; God is angry with the sinner continually (Ps. 5:5; 7:11; 10:3).”
A Gospel Summary

I asked you first.


The 'Love the sinner hate the sin' bit comes up every so often and by and large it is the majority position. Especially as it relates to the sodomites.

Currently in far too many Chrisitan circles the PC sect is the majority. And all needs be done is refuse the reprobates chosen terms, 'gay' and you're marked as 'hateful ' .

Perf!

Is Gerstner's paper copyable ?

Links are Ok but far more folks will read a post and not follow a link.

Go for it!

Yes, and I did respond with my view, albeit in a round about way. Consider also,

Psalms 5:4-6 (ASV) "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Evil shall not sojourn with thee. The arrogant shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou wilt destroy them that speak lies: Jehovah abhorreth the blood-thirsty and deceitful man."

Psalms 7:11 (KJV) "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry (Heb: properly, to foam at the mouth, i.e. to be enraged:--abhor, abominable, (be) angry, defy, (have) indignation) [with the wicked] every day."

Psalms 11:4-6 (ASV) "Jehovah is in his holy temple; Jehovah, his throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. Jehovah trieth the righteous; But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup."

Malachi 1:2-4 (ASV) "I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob; but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and [gave] his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever."

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

Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew [loved] you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Romans 9:6-13 (ASV) "But [it is] not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac-- for [the children] being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Methinks that the above passages, intentionally quoted in context make it indisputably clear that God does not love everyone. In fact, it isn't that God loves the wicked less but rather there He hates the wicked and promises to destroy them by casting them into Hell where they will endure eternal punishment and torment.

The idea that God loves all isn't anything new. But it is being embraced by more and more recently to be sure, even among so-called Reformed believers in most denominations. What I find most amusing actually, is that there is little warrant to be found in Scripture to suggest that God loves all, more or less, is a plausible teaching. Eisogesis, if even that is employed, is all that one has. Mainly, it is the simple wishes of a mind that is either ignorant of the biblical truth or refuses to acknowledge it that asserts that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. IF that were the case, then wouldn't it be true that at the judgment, God would cast all SIN into hell and save all the SINNERS because He allegedly loves them? The over-whelming use of the word "love" in the context of God's disposition toward man is salvific, redemptive rather than some expression of emotion. Whom God loves... He saves and has decreed to do so from all eternity. (cf. Eph 1:4ff)

Okay... does that clear up any possible doubt where I stand on the matter?

Now that begs the question, "if He hates them, why did He create them?"

The Westminster Confession's phrase "to the praise of His glorious justice" comes to mind.

AMEN! The hatred and damnation of the wicked displays God's ineffable holiness and justice.

Romans 9:13-29 (ASV) "Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, [even] us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved. And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God. And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved: for the Lord will execute [his] word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short. And, as Isaiah hath said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah."

God's willingness to endure wickedness for millennia in order to make His righteousness and justice known is also evidence of His infinite mercy ! His hatred of of the wicked gives testimony to His holiness. His purpose is to make Himself known to His creation. Absolutely awesome!

Hos 9:15 "All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters."

Todays response, what do you think of the last line?

Not much! Not one of God's elect, His sons who He loved enough to die for, will be consigned to hell. That would put to naught Christ's propitiation for the sins of the elect. Only those who God hates will be in hell. I do believe that there were several verses in the posts above to help you defend this position.

LOL Yup more than enough.

Its almost comical, the way even believers prefer a God of their choosing. I've since been accused of Hyper-Calvinsim and leaning toward Serpent Seed theology.

Well, let's see what happens when God sets His love upon someone according to Scripture and not someone's sentimentality based upon a fictitious "god".

Seems clear enough to me that NOT ONE that is loved of God will perish because the only begotten Son was sent to die in their behalf to pay the penalty due them, that His perfect righteousness is imputed to their account thereby meeting the full demands of the law of God, that Christ forever makes intercession for them, that the Holy Spirit is bequested to them all and Who dwells within them... all because the sovereign, omnipotent, covenant-keeping God is FOR them. No, no, a thousand times no... NEVER will anyone whom God has set His infinite love will be cast into the fires of hell. God's love triumphs over all.