Does God "hate sin but love the sinner?"
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So, God loves His children, and hates the sinner?
Is there any reason to believe that "made in His image" does not include emotions?
Posted by: Nick | January 21, 2013 at 07:07 AM
Mark Lowry said this: "Love the sinner, hate your own sin! I don't have time to hate your sin. There are too many of you! Hating my sin is a full-time job. How about you hate your sin, I'll hate my sin, and let's just love each other!"
That statement seems to me to be so much more reflective of the attitude we should have toward others. The times I have heard the pastorism "love the sinner, hate the sin" are often when people are putting themselves in the judge's seat and slamming down the gavel, but still claiming to love the person. I'm sure the receiver doesn't feel much love.
But in spite of that, I do recognize the difficulty when it comes to dealing with someone who is blatantly sinning, but you still have to love the person in spite. That is extremely challenging, and I don't think most Christians (probably even me) are equipped to handle that challenge very well. It's typically either completely ignoring the blatant sinner or becoming their judge.
Can anyone offer some thoughts on that topic? Where is the middle ground?
Posted by: John W. | January 21, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Maybe a simple way for us to love the sinner while hating the sin is to refrain from punishing the sinner and just rely on God to do that, or on the natural consequences of the sinful act. Don't make additional problems for the sinner. That's all.
Posted by: John Moore | January 21, 2013 at 07:04 PM
So when the Bible tells us to love our enemies, is that in the "love, hate" kind of way like God does? And does that just apply to human persons or to fallen angelic persons who also are our enemy? And after judgment day are we still required to love our enemy who has gone to hell?
Posted by: R. Corbin | January 21, 2013 at 08:56 PM
God hates God's Will? Or, put another way: God hates what God Wills? There is a place where Perfection itself bridges into Multiple Perfect Distincts, just as the Divine Will itself also does. Only, the way this happens is not quite along the lines we consider.
Posted by: scbrownlhrm | January 25, 2013 at 12:03 AM
The phrase "Christians never sin" is false.
The God within the Christian and the God above the Christian Wills the Christian not sin. There are many passages in the NT describing God's will for His Children in Christ, and of the Holy Spirit's work in us away from sinning and not into more sinning.
Of these sins, we cannot say, "This too hath God willed".
Yet the sins of Christians exist.
"Confess your sins one to another."
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Posted by: scbrownlhrm | January 25, 2013 at 12:26 AM
We have an advocate, and it is God Himself. This is so simply because He does love us.
Posted by: scbrowlhrm | January 25, 2013 at 12:32 AM
I come from a reformation, Lutheran, theological understanding of Scripture. I post videos similar to this one periodically on-line and I have a blog and Facebook that I post verses, links, apologetics, and Bible applications too. When I say that God loves everyone or that Christ died for the sins of all people, Calvinists emerge and begin arguing both of these points. I think this vlog post is helpful to this discussion, pointing out the love and hatred God us towards us, and of course the hatred being diverted through the work of Christ. However, Greg, or any STR staff, where do you stand on Calvinistic position of limited atonement, and if you disagree with limited atonement, how do you respond to people who argue for it, especially in on-line mediums where everyone can read what has been posted on your blog or video? I really think this vlog post is related to that topic. Have you posted anything about limited atonement previously that I should look at? Thank you very much.
Posted by: Andy Wrasman | January 26, 2013 at 01:17 PM
Andy,
The search box at the top will get you all sorts of hits across the entire spectrum.
Posted by: scbrownlhrm | January 27, 2013 at 03:16 AM
The reason Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden was not because of their sin, it was because they were unrepentant when confronted with it. Isn't that what God hates - those who point the finger and yet never look at themselves? "There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?" - James 4:12 RSV
Posted by: Sandra Jeffery | January 29, 2013 at 07:32 PM