The Hatred of God (Part 1) - God Hates Sin AND Sinners

For a paperback book in outline form which addresses over 150 difficult verses that Arminians use against Sovereign Grace, check out: Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace: Rooting Arminianism Out of Every Verse. A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To Listen on YouTube, click here: The Hatred of God (Part 1) The Hatred of God I. The purpose of this study. 1. Our God has many attributes and emotions, and we should understand both “the goodness and severity of God” (Rom 11:22). A. Our God is a God of love (2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:16); but He is also a God of judgment (Isa 30:18). B. God is holy (1Pe 1:16), and therefore He hates sin (Heb 1:9) and cannot dwell with evil (Psa 5:4), nor even look at it (Hab 1:13). 2. Preachers should declare all the counsel of God (Act 20:27). A. All scripture is profitable (2Ti 3:16). B. None of it should be kept back from saints (Act 20:20). II. Defining the terms 1. Hate v. - 1. trans. To hold in very strong dislike; to detest; to bear malice to. The opposite of to love. A. Love v. - 1. a. trans. With personal obj. or one capable of personification: To bear love to; to entertain a great affection or regard for; to hold dear. B. Love n. - 1. a. That disposition or state of feeling with regard to a person which (arising from recognition of attractive qualities, from instincts of natural relationship, or from sympathy) manifests itself in solicitude for the welfare of the object, and usually also in delight in his or her presence and desire for his or her approval; warm affection, attachment. Const. of, for, to, towards. 2. Detest v. - 1. trans. To curse, calling God to witness; to express abhorrence of, denounce, execrate. Obs. 3. Abhor v. - 1. trans. lit. To shrink back from with shuddering, to view with horror or dread. Obs. rare. 2. fig. To regard with horror, extreme repugnance or disgust; to hate utterly, loathe, abominate. a. Obj. a noun or noun-phrase. 4. Loathe v. - 1. intr. To be hateful, displeasing, or offensive. Const. dat. or to. Obs. 5. Abominate v. - 1. To feel extreme disgust and hatred towards; to regard with intense aversion; to abhor, loathe. 6. Abomination n. - 1. The feeling or state of mind of combined disgust and hatred; abhorrence, detestation, loathing. 4. An object that excites disgust and hatred; a thing detested or detestable. (Followed by unto, to.) esp. in the Bible, a cause of pollution, an idol. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xxiv. 15 „e schulen se the abhomynacioun of discomfort that is seid of Danyel, the prophete. 1535 Coverdale 2 Kings xxiii. 13 Malcom the abhominacion of the children of Ammon. 1611 Bible Prov. xii. 22 Lying lippes are abomination to the Lord. III. Contrary to the opinion of the majority of the religious world, God hates both sin and sinners. 1. It is commonly taught that “God hates the sin, but not the sinner” and that God loves everybody, which they use Joh 3:16 to support. 2. God hates not only the works of iniquity (sin) (Heb 1:9), but also the workers of iniquity (sinners) (Psa 5:5; Psa 11:5). A. Iniquity - 1. The quality of being unrighteous, or (more often) unrighteous action or conduct; unrighteousness, wickedness, sin; sometimes, esp. in early use, Wrongful or injurious action towards another, infliction of wrong, injury; in mod. use generally connoting gross injustice or public wrong. B. We are all workers of iniquity (sinners) by nature (Rom 5:12; Rom 3:23; Eph 2:1-3; Ecc 7:20). C. God hates men because of their sinful nature, even before they commit sin themselves (Rom 9:11-13). D. Before God acted upon us by grace, we were all enemies of God (Rom 5:10) and at enmity against God (Rom 8:7). i. Enemy - 1. a. One that cherishes hatred, that wishes or seeks to do ill to another; also in weaker sense, an adversary, antagonist, opponent. Const. of (or genitive case), to. ii. Enmity - 1. The disposition or the feelings characteristic of an enemy; ill-will, hatred. E. God chose to love some sinners and give them to Jesus Christ to die for, and those workers of iniquity are no longer the object of God’s hatred, but rather of His love (Eph 1:4-7; Col 1:20-22; Rom 9:11-13). F. The rest of the workers of iniquity are not God’s children and are not known of God and will therefore be told to “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23 c/w Mat 25:31-34,41). i. They are not known of God in an elective, foreknown sense (1Pe 1:2; Rom 8:29-30). ii. But obviously God knows who they are in a cognitive sense (Joh 2:24-25; Psa 147:4-5). G. Notice how the workers of iniquity are contrasted with God’s people (Psa 14:4). 3. By rightly dividing the word of truth, it is clear that the "world" that God loved in Joh 3:16 is not the entire human race, but rather a section of them. A. World - III. The inhabitants of the earth, or a section of them. B. God loves His own (Joh 13:1). C. God loves the righteous (Psa 146:8). D. The LORD loves His children (Pro 3:12; Heb 12:6-8). E. This is the world that God loved and sent Jesus to die for.