There is a popular expression that says, "God hates sin, but loves the sinner." For the longest time, I used to believe that expression until I started studying my Bible more. What I realized was that the Bible never says that God loves sinners presently. The Bible actually teaches that God hates sinners.
God hates the WORKERS of iniquity, not just iniquity.
Psalms 5:5 "The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity."
God hates false witnesses and those who sow discord, not just lies and discord.
Proverbs 6:16 "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
The Jews were dispersed in Hosea 9 because God said He hated His own chosen people at that time.
Hosea 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. 17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations."
If you believe the Bible then you cannot get past those verses. It is a fact that God hates sinners. This is hard to swallow for the babe in Christ because they do not completely understand the Holiness of God. Instead their emotions cling to cliches that they have heard from the pulpit with no scriptural backup.
The Bible does say that God offers His love towards sinners though. In the Bible, this love is always past tense, never present tense and is ONLY found at the Cross of Calvary. God's love is for those that are willing to accept His Son.
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This below verse is used to try to prove that God loves sinners presently, but if one reads the verse careful, he will see that this verse teaches that God showed(past) His love towards sinners at the Cross(past). Notice the past tense of the word "loved" in the below verse.
John 3:16 "For God so lovED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
God has no love for the PRESENT evil world (Galatians 1:4). The wrath of God is upon those who reject Jesus Christ. Do not mistake mercy for love (Romans 2:1-5).
John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
So if God hates sinners does that mean we should hate sinners? No. We should love them enough to tell them about their sin and give them the gospel of Jesus Christ, but we should separate ourselves from them enough to where they cannot affect us with their evil ways (1 Cor. 15:33, Prov. 13:20). As Christians, we still have a flesh that sins, so we remain imperfect beings meaning that we cannot love perfectly, nor can we hate perfectly. In other words, we cannot hate without malice, but God can do both of these perfectly because He is a Holy and Righteous God. God can hate without any sinful intent. Therefore, He can hate the sin and the sinner in a perfect and holy way and still be willing to forgive the sinner if they decide to accept the love of God found at the Cross (Mal. 1:3, Rev. 2:6, 2 Peter 3:9, Ps 11:5, Lev. 20:23, Hosea 9:15).
With all of that said, as Christians we should not preach the hate of God to lost people, rather the love of God. We are called to spread the gospel, which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:3-4). The gospel is the love of God found at the Cross (John 3:16). When witnessing, we must use discernment and telling someone that God hates them is not good discernment. Instead, tell them what all Jesus Christ did for them.
Romans 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
If you are lost then I have more respect for you than to lie to your face and tell you that God loves you even though you have rejected Jesus Christ. The truth has been presented for you. God wants to love you and the ONLY way for you can receive His love is to realize you are a sinner and trust Jesus Christ to save you from Hell (Romans 10:9-13).
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
God does not want you to go to Hell, so please do not choose to go there. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not you. So please do not make it your everlasting home for eternity.
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
