THE ONE GOD HATES

“I cannot stand people like that- my anger against them is like a fire that never goes out” (Is 65.5, GNT).

What kind of people do you think the Lord hates: Nazis? Racists? Pacifiists? Yuppies? Sinners? The lost? I don't know about you but I would hate to hear the Lord say to me, "I cannot stand you." Maybe we ought to figure out who the Lord will not forgive?

I've heard Christians say that all sin is the same and that God will forgive anything and anyone. These are people who are "in error because [they] do not know the Scriptures" (Mt 22.29), for God would not agree with their assessment of Him. He actualy says this concerning a certain type of person: "The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven" (Deut 29.20).

But these verses apply to the "Old Testament God" and not Jesus our Lord, right? Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin" (Mark 3:28-29). John even tells us that there are two types of sin: those that lead to death and those that do not (1John 5.16, 17)--I'm not sure how else to interpret this other than the fact that not all sins (or sinners) are the same. Hebrews 10.26 actually tells us: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement."

So who does God hate? Whom can He not forgive? James 4.17 summarizes the unforgiveable sin succinctly: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Deuteronomy 29:19 provides more details: "When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.... [God] will never be willing to forgive him." How many of us put our faith in John 3.16 and then think, "I'm safe, now I can freely do what I want!" We hear the Word and then invoke a blessing on ourselves and then “stubbornly do what is wrong and go [our] own way… [we] say to [ourselves and God], ‘Keep away from us; we are too holy for you to touch” (Isa 65:2-5).

We believe that God hates sinners, murderers, deniers, atheists, child molesters, liberatarians, communists, Calvinists, or whomever else we think are "bad." But God says He hates those who know the good they ought to do and don't do it. He loves those who love Him, so why wouldn't He hate those who "claim to know God but by their actions deny Him?" (Titus 1.16). We would be wise to know not only what and whom God loves, but what and whom Jesus hates.