How many times have you heard it said, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner”? If you live in the Bible Belt, you’ve probably heard this so many times that it would number the sands on the beach or the stars in the sky, were you able to count them. I couldn’t even begin to recall all of the times that I’ve heard myself utter this phrase, much less others. But is it true? You read me right…is it true? Does God really love the sinner?

Let’s look at a couple of verses of Scripture to start off with:

The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. (Psalm 5:5-6)

The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. (Psalm 11:5)

Did you see that? What does the Psalmist say that the Lord abhors, bloodthirstiness and deceitfulness or the bloodthirsty and deceitful man? Does He hate wickedness or does He hate the wicked? If I’m reading this correctly — and I believe that I am — God doesn’t only hate the act of sin…He hates the sinner as well! How different is this from what we coming out of the pulpits of churches across the globe? When’s the last time you heard a preacher tell anybody that God hates them and wants to destroy them? Odds are that you’ve never heard that come out of a preacher’s mouth…because talk like that doesn’t build churches. You don’t get people in the pews by telling them that God hates everything that they are…that they are disgusting in His sight. And if we stopped right here, this would be the worst news in history and you’d have every right to hate me for ruining your Thursday…heck, I’d probably want to take a swing at me right now. If we stop here, mankind has absolutely no hope.

But we can’t stop right there. Because that wouldn’t be the fullness of the truth. We can’t stop there because there’s more…much more. I want to draw your attention to something that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… (Matthew 5:43-44)

So Jesus says to love your enemies…what’s my point with that? What does that have to do with God hating sinners (which includes all of mankind…see Romans 3:23)? Well, take a look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 5:

…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8-10) emphasis added

Paul says that, in our most natural state, we are enemies of God. (Also see James 4:4 on this) What did Jesus say that we are to do to our enemies? Love them…and not hate them. Now walk back up to what the Psalmist says and measure that against what Jesus said. God hates sinners…His enemies. How does God love His enemies? By sending His Son to die for them; by reconciling His enemies to Himself by the blood of His Son. And He not only reconciles His enemies to Himself through His Son, but He also saves them through His Son.

So, does God hate the sinner? Absolutely. So much so that it took the death of Jesus Christ for God and sinners to be reconciled. And why would God do that? Why would He send Christ to die? Why did it please Him to bruise the Son? For the glory of His name:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.(Ephesians 1:3-6)

In this season of Christmas, if God has saved you…if you are no longer His enemy…take time to praise Him for the gift of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I implore you: repent of your sin and believe on the name of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. And then praise Him. For He is worthy.

Be blessed and have a merry Christmas.