Does God hate? How is it possible for God to hate if He is a God of love?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God does hate, although His hatred is real and righteous, it is not like human hatred; it flows from His holy nature and is always just. He hates sin and those who persist in sin while, at the same time, He is love, and His love is shown in delaying His wrath and offering salvation through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ sacrificial death, God made a way for sinners to escape His just judgment without compromising His justice. Therefore, God’s hatred of sin and His love for sinners work together: His justice punishes sin, and His love provides a path to mercy.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God created the world without sin because He is without sin. In Genesis 1:31a, we read, “God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” God created it (and us) good because that is who He is (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:17). However, the first two humans, Adam and Eve, demonstrated their free will and rebelled (Genesis 3:6–7). That was the entrance of sin into this world (Romans 5:12).
• God hates sin (Psalm 5:4–5) because sin is contrary to who He is (Habakkuk 1:13a).
• God is holy, perfectly righteous. Because God is holy (Isaiah 6:3), He responds fiercely and fully to sin. Habakkuk 1:13 also tells us that, because He is holy, He can’t even look at sin: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong,
• why do you idly look at traitors.”
• Rebellion against God is sin. Because of Adam’s sin, all generations of humans are born sinful (Psalm 51:5) and as enemies of God (Psalm 14:2–3).
• God’s hatred of sin includes hating unrepentant sinners, as David says, “You hate all evildoers” (Psalm 5:5), and “The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” (Psalm 11:5). This hatred is toward willful sin and those who persist in it, though God offers mercy and a way of escape through repentance (see the New Testament).
• In Proverbs, Solomon wrote, “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run evil, a false witness who breaths out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16–19). Sin is not an impersonal thing, rather it’s very personal. God hates His image bearers’ sin.
• God can hate sin even though His nature is love because His emotions are perfect and just, not arbitrary. His holiness demands hatred of sin, yet His mercy and compassion flow from His love. For example, God hated Israel’s sin and fake worship (Isaiah 1:14–15) but also loved them with an everlasting love and promised restoration (Jeremiah 31:4). God’s hatred of sin and love for His people are not contradictory but reflect His perfect nature.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• God’s hatred of sin invokes His wrath: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18).
• Although God hates sin and all that is against Him, God is also love (1 John 4:8). His love is not in contradiction to His hatred. Instead, God’s love is demonstrated by providing a way out from under His wrath (1 John 4:10). That way is Jesus (John 14:6; Romans 3:25). Although God is love, it does not mean that He overlooks sin. Rather, He maintains His holiness and justice by punishing all sin while also giving us a chance to escape His punishment. This is God’s love: an escape from His hatred!
• God delayed His wrath against sin so He could love humanity by sending His Son. His love is not a wicked kind of love that ignores sin, but one that provides an escape from just wrath (Romans 5:9). He provided this to us while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:8).
• Paul explains that God made Jesus, who was sinless, to bear our sin so that we might receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), and when we repent and trust Jesus, God no longer sees our sin but only loves us (Romans 4; Romans 8:1; Colossians 2:13–14).
• One day God will fully pour out His wrath against sin but is currently delaying it so we have time to respond to His love by repenting of our sin and trusting in His Son. When Jesus returns (Revelation 19:11–18), the opportunity for grace will end and His anger will no longer be held back.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

God’s hatred of sin means that He hates sin and those who participate in it. It is a just hatred because God is holy and is opposed to all sin. John says that unrepentant sinners currently have His wrath hanging over their head (John 3:36b). However, God gave a way of escape from His wrath. God is, truly, love. However, His is not love that ignores sin. That would be wicked since He would allow sin to go unpunished. Instead, He maintains His justice while lovingly providing a way to escape it (Romans 3:21–26).

For unbelievers: flee the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7b). Jesus said that anyone who comes to Him will not be cast out (John 6:37b). As the Son of God, He hates sin and is the one bringing God’s wrath! (Revelation 19:15b). However, right now He offers Himself as the one way of escape (John 14:6). All who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus (Romans 10:9) will escape the final wrath that will consume all sinners once-and-for-all (Romans 5:9).

For believers: let us not grow complacent and forget that we were saved from God’s wrath. God considers us righteous, but not because of anything we did. Instead, we have salvation because God is love and extended mercy to us through His Son. There are many among our families, friends, and coworkers who are currently under God’s anger. When they die, they will be cast into Hell. If that happens, God will be just. However, He is also merciful. Tell everyone you know about God’s burning hatred of sin. Warn them, plead with them, and pray for them. Tell them about God’s great gift of love (Romans 6:23b), His Son!

UNDERSTAND

• God righteously hates sin because of His holiness.
• God’s love delays wrath for sinners and offers salvation through Jesus.
• Jesus’ sacrifice provided the way for God to forgive believers while upholding justice.

REFLECT

• How do you personally reconcile the idea that God hates sin but is also love?
• How does understanding God’s hatred of sin affect how you view your own response to sin?
• What does it look like for you to respond to God delaying His wrath to offer salvation with a righteous response to sin?

ENGAGE

• How can we explain the relationship between God’s justice and His mercy in His hatred of sin?
• Why is it important to recognize that God’s hatred is righteous and different from human hatred?
• How does Jesus’ sacrifice provide a way for God to be both holy in hatred of sin and loving toward sinners?