The Bible lists some things that God hates, and none of them is a person or people. God hates, according to Proverbs 6:17-19, a proud look, a lying tongue, murderous hands, a wicked heart, mischievous feet, a false witness, and a divisive spirit. In other words, God hates evil actions and behaviors. He does not hate people.
God hates sin, but He does not hate sinners. If He did, then He would hate us all, since, as the Bible teaches, all people have sinned. The Bible is explicit that God loves everyone in the world, and that doctrine is the basis for so many important Bible precepts. God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to earth to procure atonement for us. Jesus loved people so much that He gave up His life to save us, even while we were in rebellion against Him. God expects us to love other people, since He loved us and to prove that we love Him.
Love is a major theme, if not the primary theme, of the Bible. It is the greatest virtue. It is part of the two Great Commands: love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Not only are Christians forbidden to hate other people, but the Bible, particularly in I John, indicates that if we hate others we are lying to ourselves and others about following God at all. I John 4:7-8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
If you hear a Christian saying that God hates anyone, that person is mistaken at best and an enemy of God at worst. If you hear a Christian saying that he or she hates somebody, that person is also either very badly mistaken or maybe even completely reprobate. It is likely that the person is not a Christian at all, or at least has no right to claim the title.
To love in the Bible is to want the very best for another person. It is to wish only God’s blessings upon them and to hope ultimately that they become a child of God, if they are not already one. It is to be willing to put their needs before one’s own and to serve and help them in whatever way is needed.
Biblical love does not preclude scolding or reproving. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that parents, government authorities, and church leaders have the authority to discipline people and to enforce consequences as needed. In fact the Bible indicates that God chastises the ones that He loves, just as a Father does.
Biblical love does not preclude upholding the truth. If people state that certain behaviors are sins, according to the Bible, that is not an expression of hatred toward other people. In fact, the very ones who uphold the truth on sin are sinners themselves. They are not speaking from a vantage pont of superiority but of identification. Who better to warn others of sin and its consequences than people who have been caught in its trap themselves?
Finally, Biblical love does not preclude political activism, at least in my opinion. I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus and a citizen of God’s kingdom. However, I am also a citizen of the United States of America, and as such I have the same rights as anyone else. Not only is it my right to try to shape the course of our country, but it is my duty to particiapte in the political process. Loving people does not mean that I must deny my religious or political views in order to make other people happy–anymore than they must deny their religious or political views to make me happy.
That’s the difference between me and some other people that I debate with. I don’t consider people to be hating me when they oppose me politically or when they disagree with me on religious or spiritual matters. I don’t really see that it has anything to do with either love or hate. It has to do with trying to help set policies under which we will live. And everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion on which policies are best.
In fact I am worried about portraying the people on one side of any debate “haters.” Logically speaking, both must hate, since they both oppose each other. Each side has its goals and desires, and neither side should be compelled to yield in the name of love or be threatened into it by being called haters. It is bringing the level of public discourse and debate way down to call people bigots and haters because they have a different opinion from you. May the practice cease!