Hatred

There is a heresy among the believers which cannot go unchallenged. The teaching has come out that God, Who because of His love prepared a way of salvation, now HATES the lost. The New Testament is so thorough in its teaching that God loves mankind and wants every man to be saved I must wonder where this mind set comes from. It is as if we Christians have achieved some standing and righteousness we can now look at the lost with repugnance and hatred claiming some moral standing of our own that makes us better than the lost. The New Testament is clear, none of us have any righteousness of our own no matter how moral we may be. All of our standing is by God’s grace and grace alone. I would like to call your attention to the teaching of the New Testament because the Bible is our authority and not man.
If God now hates sinners where would be our hope? We are all sinners the difference being Christians have put our trust in the forgiveness of our sins in the blood of Jesus while the lost have not.

Let us begin in the book of Matthew. Acknowledging the fact we are not under the gospel of the kingdom but perhaps we can see something of the Mind of God in it.

Mt 5:43] Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
[44] But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
[45] That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
[46] For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
[47] And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
[48] Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

I am not going to teach keeping of the gospel of the kingdom but must point out: God’s PERFECTION causes Him to LOVE THE JUST AND THE UNJUST.
There are those who teach that God, in order to be perfect, must love the righteous (saved) and HATE the lost. This is not so, because of His perfection He must LOVE all according to Matthew chapter 5. This is why it is written God is not willing that ANY should perish.

1Thes.3:[12] And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

Time and space would fail me in an effort to quote all of the Pauline references to love our fellow man. This verse, to me, is the clearest in its teaching to not only love the lost but ABOUND in love towards the lost. We do not love their sin but we are to love them with a focus on converting them through the gospel. We are not to just abound in love to our brethren but also to those who are lost. This is not an opinion this is CLEAR NEW TESTAMENT PAULINE EPISTLE COMMAND.
The word ALL is ALL inclusive.

Ga 5:[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Hatred is a sin of the flesh. Listed along with idolatry, witchcraft, variance, wrath, strife, seditions and heresies. So are we to say God HATES someone and commit’s a sin of the flesh? Are we to begin to hate in the name of God when it is CLEARLY a work of the flesh? Do we have some special dispensation from God which allows us to go against CLEAR Biblical commands in the name of God and HATE others?
God forbid! HATING is living in the flesh. Having a moral repugnance to a sin is one thing but HATING an individual for his actions is a SIN. I think some Christians have forgotten how they are saved and do not realize their own ability to be immoral if not for the grace of God.

Tit.3:[1] Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
[2] To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
[3] For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
[4] But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
[5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
[6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
[7] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Verse three clearly teaches hatred was a sin of our past. We are not taught by the Spirit to HATE. Hate comes from the flesh. After the love off God was manifested on the cross we may now be saved through the shed blood of Jesus. This blood and mercy is not just extended to a select few but to ALL OF MANKIND. We are not saved because we are righteous or good but because of God’s mercy and grace.