Hating What God Hates... And Other Pleasant Thoughts

The Church is drowning in the love of God. I know. No... that's not the latest worship song from Hillsong. It is a less than flattering commentary on the American Church. We have been saturated with the idea of God's love to the point where that is pretty much all we know about God.

It is not unusual to be in a church service where you hear how much God loves you, how you are His favorite, He will do anything for you, He thinks you are to die for, nothing can make Him stop loving you, He is not mad at you, etc. Are these things true? Well, yes. But in these same churches you never hear about what God hates. And God hates plenty. In fact, it is unfair to talk about all of the things God loves without mentioning the things God hates. This is why I lament that we are drowning in the love of God.

If you want to know what God hates, look at what He loves, then think about the opposite of those things. Or you can also look in the Bible. He has literally given us "Top 5 Lists Of Things God Hates." Or you can look at the people who lost their lives at His hand in the Bible (Old Testament & New Testament). God is not coy about the things He loves and the things He hates. There is no mystery in this area of God.

God is love. The Bible says that in 1 John 4:8. "The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love." So as we look at some of the things God hates, it does not give us a right to hate the people He loves who are doing the things He hates. We can... we MUST love those who do the things God hates. After all, God loved us when we were doing the things He hates, right?

But what about God hating things? That doesn't seem to mesh with what we have all learned about God. While God is love, he also hates things, exercises judgment and wrath, and condemns people to ultimate punishment. When's the last time your preacher mentioned that? That doesn't look good on a bumper sticker. In fact, if you see a bumper sticker on a car that mentions God's wrath, you probably have bad thoughts about the driver, right? That is interesting.

Some would have us believe that the God of wrath in the Old Testament is a different God than the God of love in the New Testament. This is not true. We find the lavish love of God during the time of the law and prophets. And we find the wrath of God in the time of grace. God is larger than a label. He created us. We are multi-faceted, so He must be multi-faceted. According to the Bible, here are some things God hates...

The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Yes. God hates things. That list includes some things God hates. A few of those things seem like a no-brainer. Everyone hates hands that shed innocent blood, right? Some are things we dislike, but in a culture that abhors hate, we may not be as opposed to them. I mean, we all dislike lying, but we don't hate lying tongues. Everyone lies, right?

Unfortunately, the less we hate the things God hates, the more of those things we will allow and see in our lives. God has been very clear. He loves with a fierce love. He hates with a holy hatred. Why do you think there is no sin in Heaven? God hates rebellion. He allows it in a fallen world only to give us rebels a chance at His mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life. His lovingkindness is amazing and wonderful, but it does not negate His righteous justice. 

Look at the above list for a second. Think about the damage done to God's creation by those things...

Arrogant Eyes - Pride of race, place, lace, face, and grace results in oppression of all kinds against those who are on lower economic, educational, and social levels.

A Lying Tongue - Lives are ruined and people avoid healthy consequences by trying to reinvent reality to suit their own motives.

Hands That Shed Innocent Blood - Whether it is a serial killer or abortion, or a rogue law enforcement officer, taking the life of an innocent person goes against the very nature of a God who created humanity in His image.

Heart That Plots Wicked Schemes - All sin proceeds from the heart, which is the throne of man. When we use our throne, our power, our authority to plot against good, atrocities will follow.

Feet Eager To Run To Evil - As rebellion increases, the times become more perilous because people rush to do wrong.

Lying Witness Who Gives False Testimony - Apparently lying is high on the evil list, for it gets two mentions in the short list of things God hates.

One Who Stirs Up Trouble Among Brothers - God is all about family. He desires family. Humanity is family. As we have watched the family disintegrate, we have watched civilization implode.

Though the thought is difficult, we need to hate the things God hates if we want to successfully love the things God loves. God loves the people who do things He hates. So should we. But we must be careful to hate well if we are to love well. Today you will have the opportunity to love and hate. Don't go against God by hating what He loves. And don't go against Him by loving what He hates.

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